ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that crimes involving industrial accidents and injuries are often organisationally produced, in a systematic fashion. It presents data on the management of major hazards in the chemical industry. The chapter discusses the ways in which organisational structures within chemicals companies may produce safety crimes. It examines the case-study findings under three headings: informal clout on the part of, and top management backing for, safety staff; the monitoring of, and accountability for, safety performance; training for compliance and the effective communication of compliance problems. The rationale for enquiring into the ways in which safety performance is monitored, and the extent to which recalcitrant individuals are held to account for poor performance in general, or for violations of corporate Standard Operating Procedures or external legal standards in particular, is fairly obvious. The chapter considers some of the potential effects of the most thorough responses to environmentalism upon compliance in general, and safety crimes in particular.
