Episode notes
Season 06 Episode 12: It's going SWM'ingly
The podcasters, Trajce, Alan, and Sara, discuss the conventions of establishing Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS). Alan likens SWMS to mythology, rigorously enforced from powers that be, though he believes that the legal doctrine supporting them is unclear. Alan asks, “Do they really work?”
Trajce shares his research on breaches of work health and safety law, including fatal events. “In these cases,” he reveals, “90% of the defendants presented a SWMS – 517 cases, in fact.” In these cases, the SWMS were either not followed, not well considered or constructed, or work simply changed and the workers were confronted by unexpected events. “These ‘unexpected events’ are customary,” remarks Sara, “not unusual.” “To sink or swim?” she asks. Trajce uses the phrase, “The Holy Grail of SWMS.” They con ...
Keywords
work health safety lawgood work designhuman factorswork heath lawcaselawwork health safetytransformative work designwork health safe work method statementsresearch