Goldsmith Collins: Footballer, Fencer, Maverick Litigator

The surge in 'litigants in person' is a challenge for contemporary courts. At the extreme end are a small group of vexatious litigants or querulents who persistently and unsuccessfully pursue litigation until banned by the court. But who are they and what motivates them? This article traces the story of one of this small band of persistent litigants, Goldsmith 'Goldie' Collins (1901-1982). As a young man Collins was a champion Australian Rules Footballer with the Fitzroy Football Club. He found later notoriety through his provocative legal proceedings as a self-represented litigant against the Northcote City Council that rapidly escalated into a legal assault against all persons and institutions drawn into that web. Jn 1952 Collins was the fourth Australian to be declared a vexatious litigant. As the first person declared by the High Court, his declaration the next year by the Victorian Supreme Court (its third) made him the first person to be declared in two jurisdictions. Despite his declarations and being gaoled a number of times for contempt of court, Collins continued as a legal 'maverick' into the 1970s. In providing context for Collins' litigation this article will demonstrate the difficulties faced by other litigants, the profession and the judiciary when dealing with an unpredictable, even aggressive, litigant who determinedly challenges authority. Drawing on recent psychiatric literature it will also demonstrate that the vexatious litigant sanction is an inadequate response to the challenge a litigant, such as Collins, presents to the courts

Managing production pressures through dangerous informality: a case study

Purpose: It is well-known that significant production pressures exist on many construction projects and previous studies have suggested that this pressure is a contributory factor in safety incidents on sites. While research has established that production pressures do exist on sites, less is understood about the construction practices that occur when projects are under such pressures in practice and their repercussion for safety. Design/methodology/approach: Through an ethnographic approach on a large construction project in the UK, these practices were explored and unpacked. The lead researcher was a member of the Health and Safety department for three years, and adopted a participant observer role to collect a variety of data. Findings: It was found that informal, covert and dangerous ‘piecework’ strategies were adopted at the site level in direct response to scheduling demands. Construction workers were incentivised through extra finance and rest periods to finish the work quickly; which in turn prioritised production over safety. Unreasonable production pressures remain an unresolved problem in the construction industry, and are, perhaps consequentially, being informally managed on-site. Originality/value: This study contributes important research knowledge to help understand the complexities involved in unresolved production versus safety demands, which marks a step towards addressing this substantial challenge that is deeply ingrained within the industry

Problems with safety observation reporting: a construction industry case study

Many large construction organisations use safety observation reporting (SOR) as part of their safety management system on sites, although research around their effectiveness in practice is limited. During an ethnographically-informed research project, the lead author spent three years working with the health and safety team on a large (+£500m) construction project in the United Kingdom with such a system in place. The SOR system encouraged everyone on site to report unsafe acts or conditions, either via computer or handwritten cards, for subsequent action by the health and safety team. Despite good intentions, problems with the SOR system emerged. These included: significantly increased administration to deliver predictable data; poor data quality; an unwelcome focus on the number rather than content of the reports; their use as a tool to ascribe individual or organisational blame; and the perception that the SOR forms were being censored before they reached the health and safety team, which ultimately eroded trust between the workforce and management. Overall, the system as implemented on this site had the potential to cause more harm than good, and both disengage the workforce and frustrate the health and safety team. Although presented as a case study, it is suggested that the research methods used here have been able to expose and illuminate issues that would otherwise go unreported. It is recommended that these issues be considered within the design and implementation of such SOR systems in the future

Communicating health and safety on a multinational construction project: challenges and strategies

The health and safety (H&S) of workers is a critical project management goal in construction. As globalisation and migrant movement increases, construction projects are becoming more nationally diverse. Amongst multinational workforces, language barriers present an obvious but largely unresolved H&S communication challenge, with current strategies in use yet to be assessed. On a large construction project in the United Kingdom, H&S communication strategies were explored through an ethnographic approach. This paper contributes by revealing the impracticalities of using employees as interpreters in workgroups of six or more; the limitations of technologies in a dynamic construction site environment, and highlights the unresolved challenge of translating safety videos in multiple languages. Challenges arose including translators refusing to translate, as they were not receiving extra financial benefits and it was not recognised as part of their workload; and translators being given favourable treatment during disciplinary processes as they were crucial to the continued operation of the site team. This reveals the complexities involved in implementing effective H&S communication strategies on international and multinational projects, which have previously remained largely ignored

Exploring Safety Management Challenges for Multi-National Construction Workforces: A UK Case Study

Large construction projects frequently operate with multi-national workforces, utilising migrant workers to provide both skilled and unskilled labour. Multi-national workforces are also brought together through joint ventures, as companies from different countries collaborate and share their expertise to construct large and complex construction projects. A multi-national joint venture in the UK provides the case study for an examination of the safety management challenges found on such projects. Whilst language and communication issues amongst workers are typically primary concerns, here they have not been prioritised. Instead, findings are presented that illuminate more nuanced and unquantifiable problems that faced the safety management team. An ethnographically-informed approach was mobilised, with the lead researcher spending three years on the site with the safety team gathering data. Analysis revealed several challenges: problems with non-UK company compliance with UK legislation and standards; differences in working practices amongst both non-UK workers and their managers; differences associated with national cultures; and problems of poor worker welfare. It is suggested that awareness of these challenges should inform both the way in which such projects are initially contracted, as well as the development of more sophisticated safety management systems that better support multi-national construction projects in practice

‘Sea-glass survivors’: autistic testimonies about education experiences

This article is different. Original testimonies are reproduced, in full, from three autistic adults who reflect on their education experiences. These accounts evolved from a webinar which explored autistic ‘voice’ through research presentations and lived experiences, and this co-authored article seeks to communicate these reflections to a wider audience. The testimonies are brought together, interpreted and analysed through the lens of the social model of disability exposing the ableist systems in which these adults had to operate. All share the challenge of trying to fit in to a socially, neuronormatively constructed education system, experiencing marginalisation, lack of understanding and lack of appropriate support. However, all three writers emerge as more than ‘sea-glass survivors’, weathered and worn, having developed survival strategies, but demonstrate their determination to improve lives for those who follow in their wake. This article draws attention to the need to listen to autistic people more frequently, but more importantly to involve them as architects of change for the future. The article was co-created by three autistic people, who identify as neurodivergent, in discussion and collaboration with the lead author who is an autism ally, autism and education researcher, and parent to an autistic son.</p

'Sea‐glass survivors’: autistic testimonies about education experiences

This article is different. Original testimonies are reproduced, in full, from three autistic adults who reflect on their education experiences. These accounts evolved from a webinar which explored autistic ‘voice’ through research presentations and lived experiences, and this co-authored article seeks to communicate these reflections to a wider audience. The testimonies are brought together, interpreted and analysed through the lens of the social model of disability exposing the ableist systems in which these adults had to operate. All share the challenge of trying to fit in to a socially, neuronormatively constructed education system, experiencing marginalisation, lack of understanding and lack of appropriate support. However, all three writers emerge as more than ‘sea-glass survivors’, weathered and worn, having developed survival strategies, but demonstrate their determination to improve lives for those who follow in their wake. This article draws attention to the need to listen to autistic people more frequently, but more importantly to involve them as architects of change for the future. The article was co-created by three autistic people, who identify as neurodivergent, in discussion and collaboration with the lead author who is an autism ally, autism and education researcher, and parent to an autistic son.</p

An exploration into the implications of the ‘compensation culture’ on construction safety

In UK society there has been a growing perception that unjustified, frivolous or fraudulent legal claims are being made following safety accidents or incidents, in what has become known as a ‘compensation culture’. Participant observation of construction practice during a three year period enabled the unpacking of the complexity of the compensation culture as manifested on a large construction project (+£500m) in the UK, and revealed associated implications for safety management. The wider social perception a compensation culture exists in UK society was also found to being the case in the more narrow setting of this construction site, as making fraudulent compensation claims against their own organisations was a socially acceptable behaviour within some front-line workgroups. The organisation recognised this and took numerous steps to protect themselves from potential liability; which was unhelpful for safety, as actions were more about managing potential claims, than managing safety. This study demonstrates that the way H&S is viewed in a wider social context can influence the way H&S is managed in organisations, has provided deeper socio-cultural understanding into the complexity of safety practices, and raises important questions about our research approaches, which have traditionally focused in positivist roots, and have been unable to holistically capture social aspects that influence safety

Environmental Light Exposure is Associated with Increased Body Mass in Children - Data Set and Data Dictionary

<p>This data set is to support the paper entitled: <em>Environmental Light Exposure is Associated with Increased Body Mass in Children</em> in press at <em>PLOS One. </em>It is in xls format which includes a data dictionary and full variables used in the analyses. If there are any issues or questions please contact the Authors.</p

Residual deficits in infants, children and adults after CNS infection, and associated pathogens.

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