Stephen Finlay McMartin v Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company Pty Limited & others [2003] NSWIRComm 470

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : Stephen Finlay McMartin v Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company Pty Limited & others [2003] NSWIRComm 470 PROSECUTOR: Stephen Finlay McMartin PARTIES : DEFENDANTS: Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company Pty Limited; Oakbridge Pty Limited; Richard Porteous; Phillip Pritchard; Michael Alston; Mark Robinson; Jonathan Romcke; Michael Coffey; Christopher Nicholls; Terence Shacklady. FILE NUMBER: 3198 - 3249 of 2000 CORAM: Staunton J CATCHWORDS : Occupational health and safety - admissibility of expert evidence in relation to risk assessment and risk management - admissibility and the evidentiary use that may be made of information in authoritative scientific publications - Australian Standards articles and other articles admitted to the extent that they are relied upon in expressing opinion as to risk management and risk assessment by way of general principles - rulings as to admissibility or otherwise of disputed passages in expert witness statement. LEGISLATION CITED : Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 Coal Mines Regulation Act 1982 Makita (Australia) Pty Limited v Sprowles (2001) 52 NSWLR 705 Sydneywide Distributors v Red Bull Australia Pty Limited (2002) FCAFC Wright v Edgell Birdseye No 53/1992: Judgment No B65/1995 CASES CITED : WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Mulder) v Arbour Products International (Australia) Pty Limited (2000) NSWIR Comm 12: 14 February 2000 PQ v Australian Red Cross Society and ors (1992) 1 VR 19 John Fazio v The Crown: SCCRM-97-29 Judgment No 6196 (1997) 69 SASR 54 R v Lam (2002) NSWCCA 377: 7 November 2002 HEARING DATES: 12/09/2003; 12/11/2003 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 12/16/2003