Rodney Morrison v Tahmoor Coal Pty Ltd. Prosecution under s 15(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 [2002] NSWIRComm 327

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales in Court Session

CITATION : Rodney Morrison v Tahmoor Coal Pty Ltd. Prosecution under s 15(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 [2002] NSWIRComm 327 PROSECUTOR: Rodney Morrison PARTIES : DEFENDANT: Tahmoor Coal Pty Ltd FILE NUMBER: IRC No 4867 of of 2001 CORAM: Haylen J Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 - s 15(1) - employee drowned - no witness to events immediately beforehand - prosecution case focusses on accident - identified risk is risk of drowning - no act or omission of the employer causally connected to the identified risk - system of work and safety measures identified - summons dismissed. CATCHWORDS : Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 - s 33 s 39 - associated safety legislation permits adequately trained employee to work unaccompanied when working underground in a mine - authorised employee drowns - no offence under s 15(1) if act or omission expressly permitted under associated legislation.

Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 s 15(1) s 33 s 39 s 53 LEGISLATION CITED : Coal Mines Regulation Act 1982 s 93D Coal Mines (General) Regulations 1984 Clause 11(1) Chamberlain v The Queen (No 2) (1983-1984) 153 CLR 521 at 536 Drake Personnel Ltd t/as Drake Industrial v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Ch'ng) (1999) 90 IR 432 at 452 Dunlop Rubber Australia Ltd v Buckley (1952) 87 CLR 313 at 320 Haynes v C I & D Manufacturing Pty Ltd (1995) 60 IR 149 at 155 to 157 CASES CITED : Inspector Barnard v Rail Infrastructure Corporation (2001) NSWIRComm 255 at 45 (para [10] Makita (Australia) Pty Ltd v Sproules (2001) 52 NSWLR 705) WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Bultitude) v Grice Constructions Pty Ltd (2002) 115 IR 59 at 77 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Glass) v Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd (No 1) (2000) 101 IR 239 at 258 Workcover Authority of New Sputh Wales (Inspector Martin) v GrainCorp Operations Limited [2002] NSWIRComm 312 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Twynam-Perkins) v Maine Lighting Pty Ltd (1995) 100 IR 248 at 257 HEARING DATES: 09/30/2002; 10/01/2002; 10/02/2002; 10/03/2002; 11/01/2002 DATE OF JUDGMENT: 12/03/2002