SafeWork NSW v Assign Blue Pty Ltd [2020] NSWDC 756

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: SafeWork NSW v Assign Blue Pty Ltd [2020] NSWDC 756 Hearing dates: 16, 17, 18, 24 and 26 November 2020 Date of orders: 7 December 2020 Decision date: 07 December 2020 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Scotting DCJ Decision: 1 The prosecution has not proved all of the elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt. 2 I find the defendant not guilty. Catchwords: CRIME – prosecution – work health and safety – duty of persons undertaking business – risk of death or serious injury Legislation Cited: Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 Work Health and Safety Act 2011 Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 Cases Cited: Allen v United Carpet Mills Pty Ltd [1989] VLR 323 Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd v R (2012) 246 CLR 92 Bergin v Stack (1953) 88 CLR 248 Boucher v G J Coles Co Ltd (1974) 9 SASR 495 Brambles Holdings Ltd v Carey (1976) 15 SASR 270 Bulga Underground Operations v Nash [2016] NSWCCA 37 Carrington Slipways Pty Ltd v Callaghan (1985) 11 IR 467 Collins v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1986) 5 NSWLR 209 Director of Public Prosecutions v JCS Fabrications Pty Ltd and JMAL Group Pty Ltd [2019] VSCA 50 Director of Public Prosecutions v Vibro-Pile (Aust) Pty Ltd (2016) 49 VR 676 Dunlop Rubber Australia Ltd v Buckley (1952) 87 CLR 313 Genner Constructions Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales [2001] NSWIRComm 267 Hammersley Iron Pty Ltd v Robertson (unreported WASC 2 October 1998) He Kaw Teh v R (1985) 157 CLR 523 Inspector Ching v Bros Bins Systems Pty Ltd [2004] NSWIRComm 197 Kirk v Industrial Court of New South Wales (2010) 239 CLR 531 Kirwin v The Pilbara Infrastructure Pty Ltd [2012] WASC 99 Laing O'Rourke (BMC) Pty Ltd v Kirwin [2011] WASCA 117 Nash v Resource Pacific Pty Ltd (No 3) [2018] NSWSC 45 Proudman v Dayman (1941) 67 CLR 536 R v Board of Trustees of the Science Museum [1993] 1 WLR 1171 R v Commercial Industrial Construction Group Pty Ltd (2006) 14 VR 321 R v Nelson Group Services (Maintenance) Ltd [1998] 4 All ER 332 Royall v The Queen (1991) 172 CLR 378 Simpson Design and Associates Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 316 Slivak v Lurgi (Aust) Pty Ltd (2001) 205 CLR 304 Smith v Broken Hill Pty Ltd (1957) 97 CLR 337 State Rail Authority of New South Wales v Hunter Water Board (1992) 28 NSWLR 721 Tangerine Confectionery Ltd and Veolia ES (UK) Ltd v R [2011] EWCA Crim 2015 Thiess Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales (2010) 78 NSWLR 94 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd [1999] NSWIRComm 453 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Kirk Group Holdings Pty Ltd (2004) 135 IR 166 WorkCover Authority of NSW v Atco Controls Pty Ltd (1998) 82 IR 80 Texts Cited: NSW WorkCover Code of Practice, Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace, July 2014 NSW WorkCover Code of Practice, Work Health and Safety Consultation, Co-Operation and Co-Ordination, December 2011 Category: Principal judgment Parties: SafeWork NSW (Prosecutor) Assign Blue Pty Ltd (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: M Scott (Prosecutor) J Steele SC with S McIntosh (Defendant)