Company director Peter Eaton has appeared before magistrates in Stroud to hear a charge of corporate manslaughter against his company, Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings.
The prosecution is the first to be brought under the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act. Eaton, 60, also faces a charge of gross negligence manslaughter, and both he and the company are accused of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The charges relate to the death of 27-year-old Alexander Wright, a junior geologist who was killed in September 2008 when he was buried beneath several tonnes of mud as he collected soil samples in a trench. It took rescue workers two days to recover his body.
No pleas were entered and Stroud magistrates referred the case to Bristol Crown Court, where Eaton will appear on 23 June.
Eaton, who told the court his position in the company was "principal or sole director", was granted unconditional bail.
This story first appeared on Health and Safety Professional
The prosecution is the first to be brought under the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act. Eaton, 60, also faces a charge of gross negligence manslaughter, and both he and the company are accused of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The charges relate to the death of 27-year-old Alexander Wright, a junior geologist who was killed in September 2008 when he was buried beneath several tonnes of mud as he collected soil samples in a trench. It took rescue workers two days to recover his body.
No pleas were entered and Stroud magistrates referred the case to Bristol Crown Court, where Eaton will appear on 23 June.
Eaton, who told the court his position in the company was "principal or sole director", was granted unconditional bail.
This story first appeared on Health and Safety Professional
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