PUBLICANS and bouncers can be held liable for injuries suffered by their patrons if they fail to stop thuggish violence before it occurs, a court has ruled.

In a landmark decision for pubs and clubs, Supreme Court judge Ian Harrison said bouncers had a duty to "anticipate and prevent violence".

The decision is also a warning to venue owners that, even if the violence takes place outside their properties, they could face compensation payouts if their staff fail to act.

Justice Harrison awarded forklift driver John Orcher $1.4 million in September after he was assaulted by Tamiano Paseka, a glass collector at Rozelle's Bridge Hotel, outside the premises.

In his decision, Justice Harrison said "alert and vigilant security guards" had "2 1/2 minutes" to intervene before Paseka king hit Mr Orcher but instead just watched on from across the road.

"It was ... an incident that unfolded before the very eyes of the onlooking security guards," Justice Harrison said.

The 33-year-old victim suffered a serious brain injury when he fell backwards and hit his head on the footpath.

"It was a breach of duty to do nothing at all," Justice Harrison said of the bouncers.

He found the security guard who was patrolling outside "could and should have intervened ... before it escalated to the point of Mr Paseka's attack upon Mr Orcher".

"This is a warning security companies must have properly trained staff and talk to their staff about dealing with intoxicated people," Mr Orcher's lawyer David Ford said.

Compensation lawyers estimate that in the past six months NSW courts have awarded $10 million in damages to hotel patrons assaulted by security staff.

Steven Dickson, 55, was awarded $1.83 million by the Supreme Court on October 23 after a bouncer from the Q Bar in the Exchange Hotel in Darlinghurst crossed the road and king hit the carpenter, causing a serious brain injury. This civil action followed a criminal trial after which the bouncer had been acquitted.

These damages payouts have again focused attention on whether all of NSW's 37,000 security workers are properly trained and able to cope with the strains of the job.

Laws enacted this year gave police greater powers to ensure security companies were not infiltrated by criminals and have adequate training .

Police Minister Michael Gallacher said he would not tolerate "cowboy" security companies that were "a law unto themselves".

Mr Gallacher warned security guards that their responsibility was to prevent fights, not participate in them.

Originally published as Bouncers' duty to anticipate violence