Legal expert to speak on workplace accidents

Prosecutors are becoming more willing to target senior management of oil and gas companies in cases of major workplace accidents, according to Gerard Forlin QC, a legal expert in gross negligence manslaughter and disaster litigation.

Forlin will deliver a keynote presentation at the Australasian Oil & Gas Conference (AOG) in Perth.

He said prosecutors were increasingly looking at workplace accidents and system failures as a corporate fault, even when an individual worker has caused the accident.

“More and more regulators and prosecutors are targeting senior managers and boards in the aftermath of incidents, including near misses. This trend is happening in most jurisdictions and applies not just to oil and gas companies, but to all the various contractors and others that work with the industry,” said Forlin.

Forlin will also discuss other trends shaping the prosecution and prevention of major workplace accidents in oil and gas and related industries.

He has been involved in over 250 fatality cases, including pivotal UK cases such as the Hatfield rail crash and the Britannia Airways crash.

AOG will take place at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from 20-22 February 2013. To register or for more program details visit the website.