LENZ v TRUSTEES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH & ANOR [2005] NSWCA 446

New South Wales Court of Appeal

CITATION: LENZ v TRUSTEES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH & ANOR [2005] NSWCA 446

HEARING DATE(S): 22 June 2005

JUDGMENT DATE: 15 December 2005

JUDGMENT OF: Mason P at 1; Santow JA at 94; Basten JA at 95

DECISION: Appeal upheld.

CATCHWORDS: NEGLIGENCE – no breach of duty of care – adequate warning – CONSTRUCTION SAFETY – Construction Safety Regulations 73 and 74 – complex building project involving volunteers – volunteer roofer – fall from unfinished roof – absence of scaffolding – building work – construction work – carrying out construction work – directly or by servants and agents – active involvement – head contractor/sub-contractor – in charge of construction work – preliminary steps or ancillary work – obligation to provide safety equipment – contravention of Regulations – whether plaintiff was sole cause of his accident – whether breach materially contributed to injury. (D)

Construction Safety Act 1912 Construction Safety Regulations 1950 Interpretation Act 1987, s8(b) LEGISLATION CITED: Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 Roman Catholic Church Trust Property Act 1936 Scaffolding and Lifts Act 1912 Scaffolding and Lifts Regulations 1950

Almeida v Universal Dye Works Pty Ltd [2000] NSWCA 264 Betts v Whittingslowe (1945) 71 CLR 637 Bhambra v Roet [2003] NSWCA 393 Castellan v Electric Power Transmission Pty Ltd (1966) 84 WN (NSW) 502 F & D Normoyle Pty Ltd v Transfield Pty Ltd [2005] NSWCA 193 CASES CITED: H C Buckman and Son Pty Ltd v Flanagan (1974) 133 CLR 422 Hetherington v Mirvac Pty Ltd [1999] NSWSC 443 Kolodziejczyk v Grandview Pty Ltd [2002] NSWCA 267 Maggiotto Building Concepts Pty Ltd v Gordon [2001] NSWCA 65; (2001) Aust Torts Reports 81-603 Multiplex Constructions (NSW) Pty Ltd v Lopez [2004] NSWCA 319 Todorovic v Moussa [2005] NSWCA 100 Zahner v Andreas Pty Ltd [2001] NSWCA 352