The Safety of Work David Provan

Have you ever considered who shoulders the blame when technology fails us catastrophically?

Today’s paper by Dr. Katherine Elizabeth Kenny, “Blaming Deadmen: Causes, Culprits, and Chaos in Accounting for Technological Accidents” examines the complex web of causes behind technological accidents. We examine the chilling case of the Waterfall rail tragedy, unraveling the layers of human judgment, mechanical failure, and the systemic implications that ripple through our safety practices. Kenny's insights offer a transformative lens on how we perceive and address the chaos of disasters, challenging us to rethink the assumptions that underpin our search for answers.

Could the key to transforming workplace safety lie within the realm of virtual reality? In today’s episode, we explore the exciting domain of digital twins—a technological marvel with the potential to overhaul how we approach operational safety across various industries.

Could what we perceive as the bedrock of workplace safety be merely an illusion? Safety audits are supposed to be our safeguard, but Ben Hutchinson, PhD student from the Safety Science Innovation Lab at Griffith University, is here to shatter some long-held beliefs. Ben is a National HSEQ Manager, Fatigue Specialist and Exercise Physiologist with a focus on adaptive and system principles - including system safety. He brings to light the potential gap between the comforting assurance of ‘safety protocols’ and the stark reality of their execution in the workplace. Our discussion traverses the terrain of his research, dissecting the effectiveness of safety management plans and audits, and revealing the unsettling prevalence of "fantasy documents" that promise more than they deliver.

Have you ever wondered about the tightrope walk that subcontractors do, balancing on the edge of safety in high-hazard industries? Our exploration into the world of subcontracting safety is eye-opening and crucial, as we dissect the factors that leave these workers more vulnerable to workplace accidents. This episode serves as an investigation into the findings of the paper, "Behind Subcontractor Risk: A Multiple Case Study Analysis of Mining and Natural Resources Fatalities," by Charan Teja Valluru, Sidney Dekker, and our own Andrew Rae.

Who would have thought that ‘safety in the workplace’ would eventually extend to our homes? As we navigate the new normal, work-from-home arrangements have emerged as a key component of business continuity plans. This episode unravels the intricacies of health and safety management for remote workers, as we investigate the findings of the paper, "A Systems Model for the Design of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, Inclusive of Work from Home Arrangements," published in the Journal of Applied Ergonomics. As we share our candid thoughts on the study conducted, we voice our concerns about the imbalance in participant representation.

Can you envision your organization setting a goal that seems impossible to achieve? Join David and Drew as they dissect the paradox of stretch goals and discuss the overarching impact of aspirational objectives on an organization's performance. We take you through the controversial concept of ‘zero harm’ and why it's so scarcely represented in academic literature.