Company bosses care more about increasing profits than the health and safety of their employees, according to a survey by MORI on behalf of the British Safety Council.

The participating 196 chairmen and chief executives of some of Britain's top 500 companies showed that only 13% placed health and safety among their three most important corporate objectives, while nearly all (89%) prioritised more profits for shareholders and increased customer satisfaction.

The Government has published extensive proposals to make directors of companies responsible for serious injuries and deaths that occur because of poor safety management.

Recommendations from the Government include a new offence of corporate killing to make directors criminally liable for deaths caused through neglect, appointing a named director to be responsible for health and safety and introducing tougher penalties and jail sentences to deter those breaking health and safety laws.

However, 40% of those taking part in the survey felt company directors would rather quit, rather than face the risk of heavy fines or imprisonment, if the Government went ahead with the proposed corporate killing law. Rather worryingly though, more than half (63%) of participant did not know about the Government’s Health & Safety strategy document published last year.

Commenting on the survey, Sir Neville Purvis, director general of the British Safety Council, said: "We need a tougher law to target repeat offenders - those who, by neglect, are putting people's health and even lives at risk. Those with good safety records will have nothing to fear. However, the proposed legislation will achieve little if it merely provides a scapegoat for major accidents. To succeed it must help push health and safety issues further up the corporate agenda."

Jessica Jarlvi