A worker who lets go of handholds in the mistaken belief that his foot is on a step, in circumstances where the steps are deficient and the work is repetitive, is guilty of mere misjudgement not amounting to contributory negligence. The case confirms that where an employer has failed to provide safe plant and equipment, and the work presents a fertile field for inadvertence, a worker's mistaken belief about foot placement during a routine task does not constitute contributory negligence even where the worker had successfully performed the same task hundreds of times before.
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