WARNING: This episode discusses workplace fatalities and complex injuries
Season 06 Episode 01 is a special release extended episode, recorded live on stage at the Mechanical Engineering Safety Seminar 2024 sponsored by the New South Wales Resources Regulator (NSW MESS 2024).
The WhyWork Podcast rabble rousers, Alan Girle, Trajce Cvetkovski, and Sara Pazell wrestle with the idea of good design strategy in mining. “Section 22,” prompts Alan, referring to the Australian Work Health and Safety Act sections 22, 23, 24, 25(4) – “…give adequate information, including any conditions necessary to ensure safe use of the plant.” Sara seeks statements from members of the audience in this live recording at the NSW Mechanical Engineering Safety Seminar 2024 on some recent design-related system failures in mining with mobile plant. The team debate these issues, including recent case law. Alan shares his ideas on the consequences of being placed under investigation. The team consider the sections of the law pertaining to design provisions and pit them against what is reasonable and practicable. Listen to Trajce get excited over his latest jurisprudential project on “proximate causation.” The podcasters discuss the risk of under-design in systems and the ‘over-design’ in some technologies with plenty of bling that might not solve the intended problems. “Don’t overcook the chook!” exclaims Trajce.
“Is it fail safe or safe-to-fail design strategy?” asks Alan. The team explore these differences in philosophy, use cases, and design approaches. They consider a holistic approach to design thinking: the context; the environment; the task; the machinery; the operator; the work system; the job design; the management; the governance and regulations; and the people, pedestrians or other vehicle and plant operators, around the machinery that might act in unpredictable ways. Sara advises the team on her strategy to prompt this deep thinking in organisations when adopting new technologies or constructing new environments by asking three simple questions, “Is there a way?” “Can you play?” and “Can you stay?” She waxes lyrical about the enduring impact of good design and her passion to help organisations get this right if they want to achieve resilience, productivity, and sustain their desirable health and safety outcomes.
This episode presents ideas on:
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Design thinking and design strategy in mining
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Case review on mining equipment and system design
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Investigating design-related equipment and system flaws
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System design and resilience, closing the communication loop on design-related realities to cause ongoing improvements
Note: The WhyWhork Podcast sends a special shout out to Dr Martin Stirling of HILTI Australia for his useful explanations on being a “value engineer” and “co-operation”, Japanese style, in his conversations with Trajce. We love your work!