One was of a man who lost his life trying to help a colleague who had already collapsed because of the fumes from a gas leak.

Another was of the almost unbearable heartbreak, of many years ahead of emptiness, because of a cherished partner taken in tragic circumstances.

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Our courts commonly play host to lives upended and even destroyed thanks to the criminal intent and actions of individuals.

A common thread is the pointlessness of these crimes.

But what has been heard in the District Court in Sydney has been a far more significant tale of tragedy.

And it is all down to Norske Skog failing to do what it should have done to safeguard the safety of its workers.

For not identifying an area at its Ettamogah plant as a confined space, the company has been convicted by Judge David Russell.

In a matter of days, Norske Skog will be sentenced.

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But for those whose worlds were shattered with the deaths of Ben Pascall and Lyndon Quinlivan on the May 24, 2018, the sentence is far more onerous.

That was acknowledged by Judge Russell when he paid tribute to the courage of Georgia Webb, who gave evidence of the impact of the death of her partner, Mr Pascall.

In an act of great professionalism and selflessness, Mr Pascall, the court heard, climbed to the top of a tank at the paper mill to investigate a liquid seen running down the side.

He lost consciousness and died after being overcome by an unknown quantity of hydrogen sulphide gas.

Two more men, Mr Quinlivan and Tom Johnson, then climbed to the top to assist but also lost consciousness. Mr Johnson survived, but only after spending time on life support in hospital.

Whatever penalty is imposed, this is unlikely to lessen the pain for relatives and for workers traumatised by their mates' deaths.

As Ms Webb says: "My happy, exciting, driven life is now a life filled with sadness, pain and suffering."