Jump to Content

Media Release

May 16, 2005

World experts look at life’s risky business

The chance of a plane crash, train or trucking accident or fatal medical mistake in Australia is a lot higher than you might think. That’s why world experts on safety management are meeting in Adelaide on Thursday, May 19th.

The goal is to try to prevent accidents in Australia’s “high-risk” industries that could have deadly consequences. Stakeholders in key industries such as aviation, defence, transport, mining and health care will find out what they can do to avoid catastrophic accidents thanks to innovations in safety management.

“Even after decades of safety improvements, by their very nature, high-risk industries are still 'risky', “says Dr Matthew Thomas from the University of South Australia’s Centre for Applied Behavioural Science.

“Planes and trains are involved in accidents, ships sink and people die in hospitals due to adverse medical events. The situation would be much worse if advances hadn't already been made, but there's still a lot of room for improvement."

Experts say we’re exposed to these kind of risks every day – taking public transport to work, driving down the highway, living or working near refineries and factories, or flying off for a holiday. The devastating plane crash in far-North Queensland recently has highlighted this – and the urgent need for improvement.

“Improving safety and not putting the public at risk is about uncovering the hidden threats, before it’s too late," explains Dr Thomas.

“To do that, high-risk industries need to have special systems in place to monitor and evaluate risk. UniSA is a world leader in this area and we're committed to boosting safety in Australia.”

To address this critical issue, UniSA’s Centre for Applied Behavioural Science will be holding this special workshop for high-risk industries as well as launching three exciting new post-graduate programs in safety management.

“By training new experts in this field, we believe we are making a long term contribution to making environments safer for all Australians,” Dr Thomas said.

Event Details

When: Thursday, May 19th, 9am - 5pm
Where: Brookman Hall, UniSA City East Campus (corner of Frome Rd. & North Tce.)

Media contact

top^