House Bill 1097 Summary

• Establishes criminal penalties for employers or their agents who cause serious bodily injury to employees through reckless, knowing, or intentional violations of occupational safety rules (Class A misdemeanor).

• Creates corporate manslaughter charges: Class D felony for recklessly causing employee death, and Class C felony for knowingly or intentionally causing employee death through safety rule violations.

• Prohibits employers or agents from destroying or allowing destruction of documents concerning workplace hazards, with each destroyed document constituting a separate Class B misdemeanor offense.

• Authorizes private civil actions for employees harmed by employer failure to inform them of safety responsibilities and hazard information requirements under state occupational safety and health standards.

• Makes technical amendments to define key terms including "agent of the employer" (managers, corporate officers, board members), "serious bodily injury," and "political subdivision"; effective July 1, 2012.