Stephen James Orr v Cobar Management Pty Ltd [2019] NSWDC 224

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Stephen James Orr v Cobar Management Pty Ltd [2019] NSWDC 224 Hearing dates: 20-24 November 2017; 27 November 2017, 29 November 2017; 4 - 8 December 2017; 11 December 2017; 27 March 2018; 3 - 7, 10 - 14, 17 - 21, 24, 26 - 28 September 2018; 11 December 2018; 12 - 13 February 2019 Decision date: 27 May 2019 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Scotting DCJ Decision: 1 The prosecution has not proved all of the elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt. Catchwords: CRIME – prosecution – work health and safety – duty of persons undertaking business – duty of employers – risk of death or serious injury – death of worker

WORK HEALTH AND SAFETY – likelihood of risk occurring – whether defendant had knowledge of risk - whether risk reasonably foreseeable

OTHER – underground mine – worker drowned whilst unblocking drain hole Legislation Cited: Criminal Appeal Act 1912 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 Work Health and Safety Act 2011 Cases Cited: Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd v R (2012) 246 CLR 92 Bulga Underground Operations v Nash [2016] NSWCCA 37 Carrington Slipways Pty Ltd v Callaghan (1985) 11 IR 467 Collins v State Rail Authority of New South Wales (1986) 5 NSWLR 209 Director of Public Prosecutions v JCS Fabrications Pty Ltd and JMAL Group Pty Ltd [2019] VSCA 50 Director of Public Prosecutions v Vibro-Pile (Aust) Pty Ltd (2016) 49 VR 676 Dunlop Rubber Australia Ltd v Buckley (1952) 87 CLR 313 Genner Constructions Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales [2001] NSWIRComm 267 Inspector Ching v Bros Bins Systems Pty Ltd [2004] NSWIRComm 197 Kirk v Industrial Court of New South Wales (2010) 239 CLR 531 Laing O'Rourke (BMC) Pty Ltd v Kirwin [2011] WASCA 117 R v Board of Trustees of the Science Museum [1993] 1 WLR 1171 R v Commercial Industrial Construction Group Pty Ltd (2006) 14 VR 321 R v Nelson Group Services (Maintenance) Ltd [1998] 4 All ER 332 Royall v The Queen (1991) 172 CLR 378 Simpson Design and Associates Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 316 Slivak v Lurgi (Aust) Pty Ltd (2001) 205 CLR 304 Smith v Broken Hill Pty Ltd (1957) 97 CLR 337 Tangerine Confectionery Ltd and Veolia ES (UK) Ltd v R [2011] EWCA Crim 2015 Thiess Pty Ltd v Industrial Court of New South Wales (2010) 78 NSWLR 94 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd [1999] NSWIRComm 453 WorkCover Authority of New South Wales v Kirk Group Holdings Pty Ltd (2004) 135 IR 166 WorkCover Authority of NSW v Atco Controls Pty Ltd (1998) 82 IR 80 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Stephen James Orr (Investigator, Department of Industry, Skills and Regional Development) Cobar Management Pty Ltd (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: D Jordan SC with C Magee (NSW Department of Industry, Skills and Regional Development) A Moses SC with J Alderson (Defendant)