четверг, 20 октября 2016 г.

Австралия. Работник воспользовался автомобилем с неисправной тормозной системой и погиб. Директору (хозяину) транспортной компании - 10 лет лишения свободы. До этого на указанном автомобиле ездил другой работник. Он сообщил директору о неисправности автомобиля и о том, что собирается исправлять указанное повреждение, и что поэтому не будет выезжать на данном автомобиле целый день. Это было сказано 5 марта. 7 марта на указанном автомобиле выехал другой работник, который погиб. Из публикации можно сделать вывод, что директор точно не знал, исправен ли автомобиль 7 марта или нет. Сказано, что он должен был убедиться, что автомобиль исправен, прежде чем разрешать работнику выезжать на нем. Судья отметил, что директор должен был, при этом, проявить большую заботу как сделало бы это, подчеркнем, разумное лицо. Получается, что нет специального нормативного акта по охране труда, который бы регламентировал порядок действий соответствующих должностных лиц в подобной ситуации или же обязывал бы компанию самостоятельно разработать соответствующий внутренний акт. Ответ на данный вопрос, также как и на иные вопросы, видимо можно получить, ознакомившись с текстом судебного решения.


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Thursday 20th October 2016


CoR Adviser transport

Transport owner gets 10 years' jail for manslaughter

The sole director of a transport company who knowingly allowed a worker to drive a truck with faulty brakes that caused the driver’s death, has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years’ jail.
South Australian Supreme Court Justice Malcolm Blue told Peter Francis Colbert he would have to serve at least seven years and five months (his non-parole period) on top of time he had already served.
Colbert was originally found guilty of manslaughter in March 2014. He appealed the 12-year sentence but a jury again found him guilty.
Prior to the accident that killed Robert Brimson, three of Colbert’s workers had complained about the vehicle’s faulty brakes, yet he took no action to repair them.
In his sentencing remarks, Justice Blue said when Colbert took over the transport business from his former employer in January 2014, he had previously been warned by other drivers that there were problems with the brakes of this particular truck, yet no further work was done to any part of the vehicle.
Company driver Shane Bonham drove the truck only two days prior to the fatal accident and had near miss in the vehicle.
Said Justice Blue: “You permitted Shane Bonham to drive the truck on 5 March 2014 knowing that the braking system was defective and knowing that, as a result, there was a real and substantial risk to his life and that you decided to permit him to drive the truck notwithstanding that risk. You thereby committed the offence of recklessly endangering life.”
Justice Blue said that Bonham telephoned Colbert after the incident on 5 March 2014 and told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to fix the brakes in the truck. “I am also satisfied that, when he returned to the depot, he said in your presence … that he had been in a near miss that day because there were no brakes on the truck … and they needed to be fixed.”
In his remarks Justice Blue said the jury was satisfied that Colbert permitted Mr Brimson to drive the truck on 7 March 2014 having failed to exercise reasonable care to see that the truck's braking system was properly maintained so that it could be safely driven. And that his conduct fell well short of the standard of care which a reasonable person would have exercised and involved such a high risk that death or really serious bodily harm would follow that it merited criminal punishment.
“In your case,” Justice Blue said, “the offences were the culmination of a course of conduct over two months, during which you did not take any substantive steps to have the braking system checked, serviced or repaired, thereby exposing your employees, for whose safety you were responsible, to unacceptable risks.
“While you did not intend to cause harm, you permitted Mr Bonham and Mr Brimson to drive the truck knowing that this was endangering their lives,” said Justice Blue.
Colbert was sentenced to 10 years and six months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of seven years and five months, commencing on 13 September 2016.
Subscribers to CoR Adviser will have been aware of this landmark case. They also will have read about directors’ liabilities under chain of responsibility (CoR) laws. As you can see, you can’t divest yourself of your health and safety responsibilities to your workers.
Our team of expert writers, headed by transport lawyers at Holding Redlich, constantly updates readers about CoR laws and how they apply along the entire supply chain, ensuring that your transport contracts or demands don’t cause road safety breaches or put lives at risk.
To find out more about your obligations under Heavy Vehicle National Law (of which there are many), subscribe today.
Until next time,
The CoR Adviser Team


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