Labour Research July 2006

Health & Safety Matters

No juries for work-related deaths?

A government review of the coroners’ service is planning to remove the need for juries in many cases of work-related death. The proposal is included in the Coroner Reform Bill, published last month by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Maggie Robbins from the Centre for Corporate Accountability told Labour Research: “Right now, juries are required for inquests into traumatic and sudden deaths. This is needed because juries, when given the option of an unlawful killing verdict, are more likely to give it than a coroner.”