Radiation Protection and Control Act 2021

It will be a defence in criminal proceedings in respect of an alleged contravention of this Act, including—

proceedings against a body corporate or a natural person where conduct or a state of mind is imputed to the body or person under this Part; and

proceedings against an officer of a body corporate under this Part, if it is proved that the alleged contravention did not result from any failure on the defendant's part to take all reasonable and practicable measures to prevent the contravention or contraventions of the same or a similar nature.

Without limiting the effect of subsection (1), the defence provided by that subsection includes the defence that the act or omission alleged to constitute the contravention was justified by the need to protect life, the environment or property in a situation of emergency and that the defendant was not guilty of any failure to take all reasonable and practicable measures to prevent or deal with such an emergency.

If a body corporate or other employer seeks to establish the defence provided by this section by proving the establishment of proper workplace systems and procedures designed to prevent a contravention of this Act, that proof must be accompanied by proof—

that proper systems and procedures were also in place by which any such contravention or risk of such contravention of this Act that came to the knowledge of a person at any level in the workforce was required to be reported promptly to the governing body of the body corporate or to the employer, or to a person or group with the right to report to the governing body or to the employer; and

that the governing body of the body corporate or the employer actively and effectively promoted and enforced compliance with this Act and with all such systems and procedures within all relevant areas of the workforce.

A person who would, but for the defence provided by this section, have contravened a provision of this Act is, despite that defence, to be taken to have contravened that provision for the purposes of any proceedings under section 65 in respect of the contravention.