Catchwords:

TORTS – negligence – liability of employer – scope of employer’s obligation to ensure safe system of work – where employee worked as shearers’ cook – where employee dispatched to other place or premises of work – where employee injured when step to accommodation collapsed – where employer conducted visual inspection of premises – whether scope of employer’s duty required employer to conduct physical inspection of the step – whether employer breached duty – whether causation established

DAMAGES – past and future economic loss – where employee suffered from PTSD and diabetes – where employee’s income in prior financial years modest – where unchallenged findings that job suited employee’s PTSD and intended to work full-time – where primary judge allowed deduction of 30 per cent for vicissitudes – whether error in award of past economic loss – whether error in award of future economic loss – whether error by primary judge not to refer to appellant’s medical reports material

DAMAGES – past domestic assistance and future commercial care – where employee’s son and friend provided gratuitous domestic assistance – whether threshold under s 15(3) Civil Liability Act met – where evidence that employee wanted to relieve son of duties of providing care – where future commercial care assessed at 8.5 hours a week – where primary judge allowed deduction of 15 per cent for vicissitudes – whether primary judge erred in award for past domestic assistance – whether primary judge should have allowed for greater reduction for vicissitudes