The Safety of Work David Provan

Join us for a special episode where we navigate the intriguing world of safety professionals viewed through the lens of literature.

Today, we celebrate Dr. David Provan’s first published paper, “Bureaucracy, influence and beliefs: A literature review of the factors shaping the role of a safety professional” by David J. Provan along with Sidney W.A. Dekker and Andrew J. Rae.

Listen in as we explore the ever-evolving field of accident investigation research, where the shift from pinpointing causes to understanding contributors is gaining traction.

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.