Quantitative risk assessment techniques, or those that assign numerical or statistical ratings to risk and safety issues, are used to estimate risk or find the probability of something going wrong. It’s the sort of approach that results in those workplace safety signs you’ll see spruiked on business entrances such as “200 days without an incident”. …
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Seventy-two people died when Grenfell Tower, a 1970s high-rise apartment block in west London, was engulfed in flames in June 2017. Whole families perished, including a six-month-old baby found cradled in her mother’s arms. Another man burned to death staying behind with his two bull terriers. A 24-year-old artist whose work was being shown at …
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The death of 12 people at a Californian bar on Wednesday takes the number of mass shootings in America to 311 this year. As distasteful as it feels, people need to think about what their response plan would be, if it happened to them. When Kristina Anderson’s Professor of French told the class to call …
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The feedback for Roadies: The Secret History of Australian Rock ‘n’ Roll, since its release in late September, has been hugely positive from the industry it puts the spotlight on. It’s a book that looks at Australia’s greatest behind-the-scenes players of tours by the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, INXS and more. What it’s achieved is giving …
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Game of Thrones is the television series that has it all—dragons, zombies and epic battle scenes. Its mix of dramatic power plays, graphic violence and beautiful scenery has made it hugely popular the world over. But between all the swinging swords and windswept clifftops, how does this juggernaut manage safety and risks on set? Strategic …
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At the start of every shift, Chad Francis drops into a pit between 240 and 365 metres below ground that is held up by a system of scaffolding, bolts, straps and glue. “That’s a lot of cover over the top of you,” says the 39-year-old West Virginian coalminer. “As time goes by, there’s a lot …
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With the nickname “Risky”, it’s hardly surprising that Paul Chivers has a passion for workplace risk and safety. But his most recent experience as a risk adviser with the reality-TV series I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! was on another level. “We had a cast and crew of 400-plus in the South African jungle, …
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Encouraging staff to adopt safe workplace practices often comes down to one simple quandary: to dangle a carrot or wield a stick. While this may be an old question, there’s a new a reason we really don’t need to tie ourselves in knots over which method produces results. Behavioural science in occupational health and safety …
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In June 2017, US rock climber Alex Honnold scaled the legendary 900-metre El Capitan cliff in Yosemite National Park, the first person to do so ‘free solo’, that is, alone and without ropes or safety gear. Even a quick look at the footage is terrifying: Honnold is hundreds of metres above the ground, inching himself …
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