WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Warren Cecil Boyle) v Graincorp Operations Limited [2003] NSWIRComm 42

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Warren Cecil Boyle) v Graincorp Operations Limited [2003] NSWIRComm 42 PROSECUTOR: Inspector Warren Cecil Boyle PARTIES : DEFENDANT: Graincorp Operations Limited FILE NUMBER: IRC 516 of 2002 CORAM: Staunton J CATCHWORDS : Occupational health and safety - plea of not guilty - alleged unsafe system of work for the clearance of grain blockages in silos - inadequate training, instruction and supervision of the task specified - responsibility for risk assessments rests with employer - inadequate equipment for the task at hand - causation - causal nexus established between defendant's failure and identified risk to safety - defence under s 53 not established - offence proved. LEGISLATION CITED : Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 s 15 s 53 Occupational Health and Safety (Confined Spaces) Regulation 1990 Part 5 Carrington Slipways Pty Limited v Callaghan (1985) 11 IR 467 Drake Personnel Limited t/a Drake Industrial v WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Ch'ng) (1999) 90 IR 432 Genner Constructions Pty Limited v WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Guillarte) (2001) 110 IR 57 Haynes v CI & D Manufacturing Pty Ltd (1994) 60 IR 149 CASES CITED : Italo Australia Construction Pty Ltd v Parkes (1988) 24 IR 428 Kennedy-Taylor (NSW) Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Charles) (2000) 102 IR 57 Rodney Morrison v Tahmoor Coal Pty Ltd [2002] NSWIRComm 327 Shannon v Comalco Aluminium Ltd (1986) 19 IR 358 State Rail Authority of New South Wales v Dawson (1990) 37 IR 110 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Twynam-Perkins) v Maine Lighting Pty Limited (1995) 100 IR 248 HEARING DATES: 12/11/2002; 12/12/2002; 12/13/2002 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 02/27/2003