Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd v Tacon

Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd (the appellant) and Mr. Tacon (the respondent) were parties to a dispute concerning the respondent's employment. The case was heard in the Court of Appeal of New South Wales.

The primary legal issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the appellant had breached its duty of care to the respondent by failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the respondent from suffering psychiatric injury. This involved considering the foreseeability of the risk of harm and the reasonableness of the steps the appellant might have taken to mitigate that risk.

The Court of Appeal found that the appellant had breached its duty of care. The court reasoned that the appellant ought to have foreseen the risk of psychiatric injury to the respondent, given the circumstances of his employment and the nature of the work. The court held that the appellant failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent such injury, thereby breaching its duty.

The appeal was allowed.