Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK) is a
nonprofit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
based in the
UK which campaigns on behalf of families bereaved by workplace deaths. It was founded in July 2006 by members of the Bereaved by Work North West support group and the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre. The organisation campaigns for increased funding for the enforcement of
health and safety law and changes to the
Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 - which currently only imposes financial penalties - to make directors criminally responsible for health and safety offences with the possibility of
imprisonment
Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...
. Co-founder Hilda Palmer said: "Fines alone are an insufficient penalty for taking a life." FACK also lobbies for the introduction of
juries at all work-related
inquest
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...
s in England and Wales. They also provide guidance for bereaved families to obtain legal help and emotional support.
The organisation has submitted evidence to both the English and Scottish parliaments, and in July 2011 met with Professor
Ragnar Löfstedt as part of a government review of health and safety legislation ordered by
Chris Grayling MP,
Minister of State in the
Department for Work and Pensions. The review was held under the "removing burdens on business" agenda, a position the organisation opposed by stating that "victims of employers' crimes pay the price for employers' negligence rather than business bearing the burden." The independent health and safety journal ''
Hazards'' described the review as "not really about changing the law. It's about risk envy – our competitors in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Bangladesh don't all abide by strict rules governing safety, the environment and decency at work, so why should the UK?"
References
External links
Families Against Corporate Killers'We didn't vote to die at work' campaignThe Löfstedt review - terms of reference
{{Authority control
Death in the United Kingdom
Health and safety in the United Kingdom
Occupational safety and health organizations
Political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom company law