The sinister solipsism of iSafety – Welfare or warfare? It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen George Orwell 1 The totalitarian miasma of George Orwell’s dystopia has besieged society. Indeed,…….Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past. Since the late 1990s Australia […]
A patronising disposition of unaccountable power
A patronising disposition of unaccountable power An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern Tony Benn 1 In November 2017, the former executive director of SafeWork South Australia, Marie Boland was appointed by Safe Work Australia to review the model work health and safety laws. The subsequent report was released in February 2019 […]
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Crisis? What crisis?
Crisis? What crisis? Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest Denis Diderot 1 The United Kingdom during the 1970s experienced the best of times with the lingering aftermath of the swinging sixties and the worst of times, which included its infamous winter of discontent. […]
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Organisational culture
Organisational culture See the mice in their million hordes from Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads David Bowie 1 Safety culture like many soft system change management elements is somewhat vague and subject to definitional dilemma. It is often envisaged as a predictable and concrete entity that is easily managed and measured in isolation using psychometric […]
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In Coal Blood
In coal blood Society cares for the individual only so far as he is profitable Simone de Beauvoir 1 The Queensland parliament select committee report into the resurgence of black lung provides an anatomy of yet another disaster in Australia’s mining industry. During numerous public hearings harrowing statements from victims and their dependents left committee […]
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The Radium Girls
The Radium Girls Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear Albert Camus 1 Remembrance Day on 11th November commemorates the armistice between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne in France and cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which were chillingly depicted via the transcendental poetry of Wilfred Owen. The Treaty of Versailles […]
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White Lung
White Lung If there were no bad people there would be no good lawyers Charles Dickens 1 Asbestos is a generic term for a naturally occurring substance that includes six silicate minerals with distinctive elongated fibrous crystals. The soft flexible fibres are easily extruded into a tensile fluffy material, which is resistant to heat, electricity […]
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Every grain of sand
Every grain of sand Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable Franz Kafka 1 Silicosis, which is also known as miners’ phthisis or grinders’ asthma is an occupational lung disease and form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. It was initially recognised by Bernadino Ramazzini, an early pioneer in […]
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Bridge over troubled water
Bridge over troubled water Bridges are a fascinating and dynamic piece of infrastructure that link communities and open regions to opportunity. A successful collaboration between its architects, developers, construction companies, subcontractors and the public sector transforms the way people live and work. Several notable iconic examples include the Sydney Harbour, Brooklyn and Golden Gate bridges […]
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River of tears
River of tears On 25th October 2016 a tragic incident on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the Ardent Leisure Dreamworld amusement park near Queensland’s Gold Coast, claimed the lives of four people. A circular raft containing six passengers collided with an empty vessel and flipped upwards and capsized as it approached the disembarking dock. […]
