Inspector Wilkie v Batequip Pty Limited (formerly Bateman Equipment Pty Limited) T/as Ditch Witch Australia [2003] NSWIRComm 111

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : Inspector Wilkie v Batequip Pty Limited (formerly Bateman Equipment Pty Limited) T/as Ditch Witch Australia [2003] NSWIRComm 111 PROSECUTOR Inspector Robert Wilkie PARTIES : DEFENDANT Batequip Pty Limited (formerly Bateman Equipment Pty Limited) trading as Ditch Witch Australia FILE NUMBER: IRC 7427 of 2001 CORAM: Boland J CATCHWORDS : Occupational health and safety - Section 18 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act - Plea of guilty - Labourer injured when his glove became caught on a branch that was being fed into a wood chipping machine - Serious injuries - Forseeability - Early plea of guilty - Contrition - No prior conviction - Defendant recalled machine after incident and made substantial modifications - Offence proven - Penalty imposed - Defendant to pay the prosecutors costs of the proceeding as agreed. LEGISLATION CITED : Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 Capral Aluminium Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (2000) 49 NSWLR 610, 99 IR 29 Lawrenson Diecasting Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Ch'ng) (1990) 90 IR 464 R v Sharma [2002] NSW CCA 142 R v Thomson, R v Houlton (2000) 49 NSWLR 383 CASES CITED : WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Lyons) v Active Tree Services Contracting Pty Ltd [2002] NSWIRComm 311 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Mulder) v Arbor Products International (Australia) Pty Ltd (2001) 105 IR 81 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Mulder) v Arbor International (Australia) Pty Ltd [2000] NSWIRComm 12 WorkCover Authority (Inspector Barber) v Softwood Holdings Ltd t/as CSR Timber Products (1999) 89 IR 40 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Mulder) v Yass Shire Council (2000) 99 IR 284 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Page) v Walco Hoist Rental Pty Ltd (No2) (2000) 99 IR 163 HEARING DATES: 02/24/2003 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 04/14/2003