In an era where we scarcely blink when a probe lands on an asteroid, why do major industries continue to kill in the same old ways? Professor Michael Quinlan has studied the causes of workplace tragedies. He has reached a clear conclusion. A lack of will and not a lack of know-how is behind ‘ten pathways to death and disaster’.
“Global supply chains are increasingly facilitating the erosion of safety standards by moving work to countries with minimal safety standards and no protocols for raising standards as part a free trade agenda. The 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh which killed over 1,100 – mainly garment factory workers, many producing clothing for the West – exemplifies this,” he says.
“These facts are eloquent testament to the point that irrespective of the rhetoric, workplace safety doesn’t come first, or even second or third when it comes to the priorities of governments or most corporations.”
Ten pathways to death and disaster, Michael Quinlan, The Federation Press, ISBN 9781862879775, December 2014.