Meet Andrew Hopkins: sociologist, storyteller, academic.

His books about man-made disasters – gas plant accidents, oil well blowouts, train crashes, coal mine explosions – are best-sellers, read by audiences all over the world. His books have been described by reviewers as page turners of scholarly thoroughness.

By his own admission, this book is “idiosyncratic” - first, he explains what led him to write books about disasters in the way he did. Second, he discusses the role of academics in bringing about social change and third, he suggests that sociologists should address people outside their discipline, and that hazardous industries and their regulators should look to sociology for input.

Read the story behind the storyteller and why Andrew Hopkins’ sense of quiet outrage about corporate negligence has contributed to making the world of work safer.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• A left leaning world view
• Marxism
• Sociology
• The meaning of injury rates
• Communication and Clarity
• Engaging with industry
• The Australian Defence Forces
• Seven Theses on Culture
• What kind of sociology?
• Encounters with Risk
• Conclusion

Read the SafetyAtWorkBlog review.