SafeWork NSW v Grasso Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd; SafeWork NSW v Ignazio Grasso [2019] NSWDC 792

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: SafeWork NSW v Grasso Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd; SafeWork NSW v Ignazio Grasso [2019] NSWDC 792 Hearing dates: 29-30 April 2019; 1-2 May 2019; 6-10 May 2019; 13-17 May 2019; 3 June 2019, 24-25 June 2019 Date of orders: 18 December 2019 Decision date: 18 December 2019 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Scotting DCJ Decision: 1 The prosecution has proved all of the elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt. 2 I find Grasso Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd guilty. 3 I find Ignazio Grasso guilty. 4 I will list the matters for sentence on a date convenient to the parties. Catchwords: CRIME – prosecution – work health and safety – duty of persons undertaking business – duty of employers – risk of death or serious injury Legislation Cited: Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Criminal Appeal Act 1912 Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 Work Health and Safety Act 2011 Work Health and Safety Regulation 2015 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 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] VSCA 55 [3]-[6]. 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 Lavin [2019] QCA 109 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 Universal Telecasters (Qld) Ltd v Guthrie (1978) 18 ALR 531 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 Texts Cited: Australian Standard 2601-2001: The Demolition of Structures How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks 2011 Safe Design of Structures Code of Practice July 2014 Category: Principal judgment Parties: SafeWork NSW (Prosecutor) Grasso Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd (Defendant) Ignazio Grasso (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: B Docking (Prosecutor) S Meehan (Defendant)