Grimley and Department of Mines and Energy
(1998 S0129, 2 August 1999)
The applicant sought access to the identities of employers of workers in the electrical industry who had been killed or injured in electrical accidents. (He did not seek access to the names of the employees, or of self-employed contractors, accepting that such information would be exempt under s.44(l) of the FOI Act.)
The respondent argued that the names of both employees and employers were exempt under s.44(1) of the FOI Act, as it would be possible to identify the employees by contacting their workplaces. The Information Commissioner found that disclosure of the name of an employer would not, of itself, disclose anything about the personal affairs of employees, and that the identities of employers did not qualify for exemption under s.44(1) of the FOI Act.