Courts Around the World Tighten Personal Liability for Executives After Workplace Deaths

In Hamburg earlier this June, a 27-year-old construction worker died during demolition work in the Wilhelmsburg district. Instead of reporting the accident, unidentified individuals dumped the body in a nearby forest. Police are now investigating negligent homicide and checking for undeclared employment. The case stands as one of the most disturbing examples of a broader trend: legal systems across the globe are holding managers and company leaders directly accountable for workplace fatalities.

A landmark ruling came from Genua, where a court sentenced former Autostrade per l'Italia CEO Giovanni Castellucci to twelve years in prison over the 2018 collapse of the Ponte-Morandi bridge. Forty-three people were killed. Prosecutors argued Castellucci had known about structural defects since 2009. Other executives received sentences ranging from 5.5 to eleven years. Of the 57 defendants, 25 were acquitted; several other proceedings were barred by statutes of limitation.

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In Singapore, authorities charged cleaning company manager Lim Beng Hock after two workers died in a waterworks facility in May 2024 from hydrogen sulfide gas exposure. Investigators allege twelve safety regulation violations. The utility company PUB had already been fined over an earlier incident. Meanwhile in South Korea, police are investigating safety managers for negligent homicide after a worker died on 15 July from injuries sustained 37 days earlier when he was trapped in a conveyor belt.

German authorities are also pursuing cases. On 14 July, a 26-year-old worker in Simbach am Inn lost his left forearm when a steel cable jumped its guide. The criminal police have launched an inquiry. There is no word yet on whether the company’s leadership faces charges.

Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court has ordered a fresh review of a 2020 roofer accident in which a man fell eight metres. The court wants to determine whether the violation of building regulations was intentional—a distinction that could trigger direct criminal liability for the supervisors involved.

These international cases highlight a growing judicial focus on personal responsibility, even in countries like Germany where the legal framework typically shields employers from direct claims. Book Seven of the Social Code (SGB VII) exempts employers from personal liability if the statutory accident insurance applies. Exceptions exist for intentional acts and commuting accidents. However, any violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), such as failing to conduct a psychological stress assessment, can still lead to liability.

“We need to reach small and medium-sized enterprises much better,” Bärbel Bas of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said in May 2025, calling for new technologies like artificial intelligence to improve prevention.

A growing conflict area is home-office insurance coverage. The Hessian State Social Court issued two contradictory rulings. On 28 April, it recognised protection for an employee walking to the shops during a break—provided fixed break rules or scheduled follow-up appointments exist. On 19 May, it refused protection when the employee has free time allocation and the trip is purely private. Both cases have been appealed to the Federal Social Court.

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In a separate decision, the same court ruled that a health insurance fund does not have to pay €11,000 for a special ski prosthesis. Sport, it said, is not a basic medical need. The distinction between work-related and private activity remains a legal minefield—one that will only become more important as the boundaries of remote work blur.

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