Cahill v State of New South Wales (NSW Police) [2005] NSWIRComm 33

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION: Cahill v State of New South Wales (NSW Police) [2005] NSWIRComm 33

PROSECUTOR John Joseph Cahill PARTIES: DEFENDANT State of New South Wales (NSW Police)

FILE NUMBER(S): IRC 7034 of 2003

CORAM: Boland J

CATCHWORDS: Occupational Health and Safety - Prosecution under section 8(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 - Acute acoustic trauma causing tinnitus and balance disturbance following exposure to noise from siren - Plea of not guilty - Elements of s 8(1) - Expert evidence - Causation - General risk and specific risk - Defences under s 28 of Occupational Health and Safety Act - Guilty finding

Evidence Act 1995 Industrial Relations Commission Rules 1996 LEGISLATION CITED: Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 Supreme Court Rules 1970

Betts v Whittingslowe (1945) 71 CLR 637 Carrington Slipways Pty Limited v Callaghan (1985) 11 IR 467 Cullen v State Rail Authority (1989) 31 IR 207 Drake Personnel Limited (t/as Drake Industrial) v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Ch'ng) (1999) 90 IR 432 EPA v Sydney Water Corporation Ltd (1997) 98 A Crim R 481 Haynes v C I & D Manufacturing Pty Ltd (1994) 60 IR 149 HG v The Queen (1999) 197 CLR 414 Inspector Covi v The Crown in the Right of the State of NSW (NSW Police) [2004] NSWIRComm 128 Kirkby v A & M I Hanson Pty Ltd (1994) 55 IR 40 Macquarie Area Health Service v Egan [2002] NSWCA 26 Makita (Australia) Pty Ltd v Sprowles (2001) 52 NSWLR 705 McAuliffe v R (1995) 183 CLR 108 CASES CITED: McMartin v The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd (2000) 100 IR 241 Morrison v Powercoal Pty Ltd & Anor [2004] NSWIRComm 297 R v McAuliffe (1993) 70 A Crim R 303 R v Moffatt (2000) 112 A Crim R 201, [2000] NSWCCA 174 State Rail Authority of NSW v Dawson (1990) 37 IR 110 Stephen McMartin v Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company Pty Ltd, Oakbridge Pty Limited, Richard Porteous, Phillip Pritchard, Michael Alston, Mark Robinson, Jonathan Romcke, Michael Coffey, Christopher Nicholls, Terence Shacklady [2003] NSWIRComm 292 Sydneywide Distributors Pty Ltd v Red Bull Australia Pty Ltd [2002] FCAFC 157 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Byer) v Cleary Brothers (Bombo) Pty Ltd (2001) 110 IR 182 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Keelty) v Crown in Right of the State of New South Wales (Police Service of New South Wales) (No 2) (2001) 104 IR 268 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Patton) v Fletcher Constructions Australia Limited (2002) 123 IR 121 WorkCover Authority of NSW (Inspector Glass) v Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd (No 1) (1999) 101 IR 239 WorkCover Authority of NSW v Maitland City Council (1998) 83 IR 362