We’ve prepared a list of the top seven things every CEO should know about the new guidelines in order to avoid a tarnished corporate brand, legal fines, and higher insurance costs. Since the new Safety Offenses Sentencing Guidelines went into effect in February, we’ve seen businesses of all sizes plead guilty to health and safety violations. Fines for these offenses are now higher than they have ever been. As a result, it is critical that all organizations are fully aware about the guidelines’ consequences and recognize the need of following best practices in health and safety. 1. The penalties for health and safety violations are now higher than they were previously Victims’ families have referred to past fines for health and safety violations that resulted in deaths as “a drop in the ocean” for huge corporations. Corporations have been accused of failing to adopt safety precautions when the expense of doing so would be more than the potential fine. It was intended to address this by making fines for larger businesses more expensive. However, the following considerations demonstrate how fines may be increased beyond what was initially intended in practice. 2. Even if no one is harmed, you could be […] read more