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Related Experiment Videos

When does a worker's death become murder?

D Rosner1

  • 1Program in the History of Public Health and Medicine, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. dr289@columbia.edu

American Journal of Public Health
|February 7, 2001
PubMed
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Employers face increasing manslaughter charges for workplace deaths. This trend mirrors historical periods where worker deaths were viewed as homicides, signaling a potential shift in corporate accountability for safety.

Area of Science:

  • Occupational Health and Safety
  • Legal Studies
  • Sociology of Work

Background:

  • A rise in criminal charges against employers for worker fatalities over the last two decades.
  • Historical precedents of worker deaths being treated as homicides in American history.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent cases of employer criminal liability for workplace deaths.
  • To examine the social and historical factors influencing the definition of worker deaths (accidental vs. criminal negligence).
  • To explore parallels between 19th-century industrial safety movements and current deregulation trends.

Main Methods:

  • Review of legal cases and historical accounts.
  • Analysis of social forces shaping perceptions of employer responsibility.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Comparative historical analysis of regulatory environments.
  • Main Results:

    • Workplace deaths are increasingly being criminalized, shifting from accidental to potentially homicide charges.
    • A historical parallel exists between laissez-faire capitalism and deregulation, both influencing workplace safety and legal accountability.
    • Local prosecutors' actions may indicate a redefinition of employer responsibility for workplace safety.

    Conclusions:

    • The criminalization of workplace accidents signifies a potential reevaluation of employer accountability.
    • Societal and economic conditions significantly influence how worker deaths are legally and socially interpreted.
    • The trend suggests a move towards holding employers criminally responsible for preventable worker fatalities.