An employer's non-delegable duty to provide a safe system of work operates differently when employees work on premises controlled by third parties; the court should ask specific questions about what may reasonably be expected of the employer in the circumstances, including whether site inspection was required and whether such inspection would have revealed the risk. The onus of proving employer liability for contribution lies on the party asserting it. A reasonable site inspection that would not have revealed a hidden defect (such as chipped concrete beneath a pit cover) does not establish the necessary causal connection between breach and injury.
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