duty of care

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In tort law, a duty of care is a legal obligation which is imposed on an individual requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others. It is the first element that must be established to proceed with an action in negligence. The claimant must be able to show a duty of care imposed by law which the defendant has breached. In turn, breaching a duty may subject an individual to liability. The duty of care may be imposed by operation of law between individuals who have no current direct relationship (familial or contractual or otherwise) but eventually become related in some manner, as defined by common law (meaning case law).
Duty of care may be considered a formalisation of the social contract, the implicit responsibilities held by individuals towards others within society. It is not a requirement that a duty of care be defined by law, though it will often develop through the jurisprudence of common law.

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  1. cakeforbreakfast

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  3. Roxy79

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  4. F

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  8. kingofmeereen

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  9. kingofmeereen

    QLD Does an employer owe a duty of care that their employee is mentally healthy?

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  10. kingofmeereen

    QLD Does an employer owe a duty of care that their employee is mentally healthy?

    Like for example, a paramedic or a police are expected to witness very brutal scenes. Do their employers owe them a duty of care in ensuring they are still mentally healthy and if not and they do suffer some form of psychiatric injury, will they be entitled to sue their employer for compensation?