Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against the person - Duties tending to the preservation of life

156: Duty of persons in charge of dangerous things

You could also call this:

"Looking after things that could hurt people is your responsibility"

Illustration for Crimes Act 1961

If you are in charge of something that could hurt people, you must take care to prevent this from happening. You have to think about how to stop people from getting hurt and take reasonable steps to avoid danger. If you do not do this and someone gets hurt, you can get in trouble with the law, unless you have a good reason for not taking care.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM329297.


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155: Duty of persons doing dangerous acts, or

"Be careful when doing things that could hurt people"


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157: Duty to avoid omissions dangerous to life, or

"Keep people safe by doing what you promised, or you might get in trouble with the law."

Part 8Crimes against the person
Duties tending to the preservation of life

156Duty of persons in charge of dangerous things

  1. Every one who has in his or her charge or under his or her control anything whatever, whether animate or inanimate, or who erects, makes, operates, or maintains anything whatever, which, in the absence of precaution or care, may endanger human life is under a legal duty to take reasonable precautions against and to use reasonable care to avoid such danger, and is criminally responsible for the consequences of omitting without lawful excuse to discharge that duty.

Compare
  • 1908 No 32 s 171