No. 38/1958:

LAW REFORM (PERSONAL INJURIES) ACT, 1958

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

1 Common employment not to be a defence.

2 Provisions as to pending legal proceedings.

3 Repeals.

4 Short title.

SCHEDULE

AN ACT TO ABOLISH THE DEFENCE OF COMMON EMPLOYMENT.

[23rd December, 1958.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—

1.—(1) In this section "personal injuries" includes any disease and any impairment of a person's physical or mental condition, and "injured" shall be construed accordingly.

(2) It shall not be a defence to an employer who is sued in respect of personal injuries caused by the negligence of a person employed by him that such person was, at the time the injuries were caused, in common employment with the person injured.

(3) Any provision contained in a contract of service or apprenticeship or in an agreement collateral thereto (including a contract or agreement entered into before the passing of this Act) shall be void in so far as it would have the effect of excluding or limiting any liability of the employer in respect of personal injuries caused to the person employed or apprenticed by the negligence of persons in common employment with him.

(4) The defence of common employment shall not be open to the Minister for Finance in any proceedings brought against him under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act, 1933 (No. 11 of 1933), or under section 7 of the Fatal Injuries Act, 1956 (No. 3 of 1956).

2.—Nothing in this Act shall affect any legal proceedings commenced before the date of the passing of this Act.

3.—The enactments mentioned in column (2) of the Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent mentioned in column (3) of that Schedule.

4.—This Act may be cited as the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act, 1958 .

Section 3.

SCHEDULE

ENACTMENTS REPEALED