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Industrial manslaughter
Last updated October 2024
This chapter examines the industrial manslaughter laws operating in Australia.
What is industrial manslaughter?
Definition: Industrial Manslaughter
Industrial manslaughter is a criminal offence where an individual or organisation causes the death of a person in circumstances where they owed a duty of care to the person and were criminally negligent in breaching that duty. The duty-holder must have fallen short of the standard of care that would have been taken by a reasonable person in the circumstances.
Industrial manslaughter is a criminal offence where an individual or organisation causes the death of a person in circumstances where they owed a duty of care to the person and were criminally negligent in breaching that duty. The duty-holder must have fallen short of the standard of care that would have been taken by a reasonable person in the circumstances.
All jurisdictions in Australia currently have an offence under health and safety legislation to punish a duty-holder who recklessly, and without reasonable excuse, exposes an individual to a risk of death or serious injury or illness. In jurisdictions under the Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act), this is known as a Category 1 offence.
All jurisdictions also have a criminal offence of industrial manslaughter. The industrial manslaughter laws are either part of the health and safety laws or contained in the Criminal Code laws, such as the Crimes Act.