Ensure safety is more than just luck.

By Kylie Davis

It is all too often that you see on the news and in newspapers stories about people being involved in accidents. As lawyers, we often have to deal with the legal consequences of accidents. Often, a moment of inadvertence can result in serious consequences for yourself and others. For example, it is not unusual to see people speaking on their mobile phone whilst driving although, this has been illegal for some time and is a major cause of accidents.

Recently, I was involved in a matter where the operator of a boat was picking up some divers. One of the divers got caught in the current and was struck by the propeller which caused severe lacerations to the diver’s legs and torso. The consequences for the operator of the vessel are that he entered a plea of guilty to a charge of unsafe operation of a vessel and as a consequence was fined $4,000.00 and had his Master Class 5 ticket suspended for four months. He is also being sued for compensation by the diver.

As I sat in court listening to the facts of the matter it made me think of all the times that I’ve climbed in and out of a boat and the many times I have done something which could have resulted in serious injury. This has prompted me to encourage everyone to think about safety particularly when undertaking seemingly innocuous tasks that you have done many times. The consequences of failure to take things seriously can be life changing.
Until next Month.

Kylie