Donald P. Dingsdag

A study of construction site safety culture and implications for safe and responsive workplaces

The high injury rate with in the Australian construction industry necessitates proactive action on the behalf of rehabilitation professionals. Safety Culture is a concept that is gaining traction within this sector as a useful concept to further reduce fatalities, injuries and incidents. 10 focus groups were completed with Australia’s largest constructors to investigate this concept of safety culture and to further evaluate the skills, knowledge and abilities required by people who hold influential and key roles. Data interpretation revealed three important personal characteristics that underlie a positive safety culture: safety knowledge, user / interpersonal skills and appropriate attitudes and beliefs. These findings are applied to the rehabilitation process and it is concluded that rehabilitation professionals need to contribute to the development of a positive safety culture by enhancing the workforce’s understanding of injury management.

Risks of Coal Seam and Shale Gas Extraction on Groundwater and Aquifers in Eastern Australia

In the developed world there are growing concerns about water security due to the increase in exploration and production of coal seam and shale gas in peri-urban areas using both the hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technique of gas production and the method of extraction of naturally occurring groundwater by pumping it from coal formations to release coal seam gas (CSG). In Australia there is a competing prerequisite to maintain and increase the natural resource base as well as the need to protect and sustain the supply of potable and agricultural groundwater in peri-urban areas. One identified issue for this chapter is whether the increasing popularity of fracking in peri-urban and semi-rural areas in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland poses a risk to the quality of groundwater supply as well as its contamination. The other main issue is whether the extraction of groundwater from coal seams where fracking is not needed has a major impact on groundwater depletion; and, if so, investigating the appropriate risk assessment and risk management approaches.