Denmark: fewer businesses sued for violating the law on working environment

While, in 2005, the labor inspectorate (Arbejdstilsyn) imposed administrative sanctions to 94 businesses for breaking the working environment act (Arbejdsmiljøloven), it only sanctioned four in 2008. In this area, sentences dropped from 100 in 2005 down to 28 in 2008. According to the LO union, this fall isn’t the sign of an impressive improvement of the working environment, because of the 48,000 annual accidents registered by the labor inspectorate since 2006 (47, 106 in 2005), but the result of an amendment of the law enforced in April 2006. These declarations were confirmed by Vagn Greve, professor in penal law at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS), who told LO’s weekly - Ugebrevet A4: “The Parliament majority wanted to lower the criminalization of the working environment; it seems it’s succeeded.”
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clarations were confirmed by Vagn Greve, professor in penal law at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS), who told LO’s weekly – Ugebrevet A4: “The Parliament majority wanted to lower the criminalization of the working environment; it seems it’s succeeded.”

Before and after the amendment. Before the law was changed, when the labor inspectorate observed major infringements to the working environment act in a company, it could sanction it directly, regardless of the actual offender. After the law w

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