Companies whose “reckless or negligent conduct” leads to deaths should be liable for punitive damages

In the light of the Grenfell Tower disaster, campaigners are urging the government to change the rules to ensure anyone found responsible for similar disasters in the future is properly held to account.  A report published by Common Wealth on 18th August claimed that Arconic, which made the Reynobond PE cladding considered the “primary cause” of the blaze’s rapid spread, was yet to make public a full accounting of where and to whom it sold similarly dangerous products.  According to the report, courts should have the option of imposing punitive damages in cases where “corporate illegality” or “reckless or negligent conduct” were found to have led to deaths.  It also called on the government to amend the Procurement Act to extend the current maximum five-year ban on bidding for public contracts and demanded that Arconic make public details of sales of other Reynobond products up to 2015.