Bosses who don't bother to take out compulsory insurance to protect employees should be subject to the full force of the law, MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's justice committee have been told.
Gordon Dalyell, Scottish spokesman for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) called for more resources to ensure prosecution takes place as a deterrent to rogue employers. If the insurance which is required by law is not in place, he explained, people who are injured at work through no fault of their own are often unable to claim the compensation to which they have a right, and which helps them put their lives back on track.
"This needs to be a priority, because prevention is better than cure," said Mr Dalyell, giving evidence to the committee's inquiry into the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
"It would send a message to employers that failure to insure will mean prosecution."
In the last ten years for which figures are available, there have been only two successful prosecutions by the COPFS for failure to hold valid insurance, according to APIL's evidence to the committee.
"Employees in the workplace deserve to be protected," said Mr Dalyell. "People who go out to work in the morning should come home in the same state."