Dr. Matt Woolley

Causation Analysis & Reporting for Serious Workplace Incidents (Australia & New Zealand)

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Providing independent incident causation and control failure analysis investigation, review and reporting for insurers, lawyers, counsel and coroners.  

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01   Background

Dr Woolley brings more than twenty years of investigative, regulatory and legal practice to the analysis of high-consequence, low frequency incidents. He began his career as a detective with the Queensland Police Service, where evidence-led investigation was the discipline of every file. Dr Woolley went on to serve as Principal Investigator and Prosecutor with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, with a focus on serious injury and fatal workplace incidents.

As National Group Manager for Health, Safety, Environment and Training with a multinational construction and mining group, Dr Woolley also designed and implemented integrated, ISO audited safety and health management systems whose failures he is now retained to examine.

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Dr Woolley is also an admitted solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand regularly accepting matters involving complex systems failures and causation

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02   Methodology

Dr Woolley’s doctoral research at the University of the Sunshine Coast developed systems-thinking methods for investigating and analysing high-impact workplace incidents. Dr Woolley’s approach is informed by state-of-the-art human factors and sociotechnical systems thinking, to consider the full range of factors that lead to control failures.

The practical consequence is an analysis that does is not confined to the proximate cause. It identifies the range of control failures and factors that emerged and explains, on a defensible evidentiary footing, the responsibility for those failures. That research, including peer-reviewed work, has been published in internationally recognised journals and recognised as leading contributions by the broader academic and operational sectors.  

 

03   Engagements

Instructions are accepted from plaintiff and defence, prosecution and respondents.

 

Typical engagements include:

• Independent causation analysis and expert reports for prosecution, defence, civil and coronial proceedings.

• Review and critique of opposing or existing expert opinion.

• Early causation and merits assessment, before a forensic position is fixed.

• Examination of safety management systems, chain of responsibility and the adequacy of risk controls.

 

04   FOCUS AREAS

Dr Woolley accepts briefs across all industries and offers a specific focus on construction, mining injury incidents and broad psychosocial risk.

• Psychosocial injury causation and workplace systems failure.

• Building, construction and mining operations, risk and project delivery systems.  

• Workplace relations, bulling and harassment incidents and investigations.

• Manufacturing, heavy vehicle and mobile plant.

• Local and State Government operating systems and environments.

• Emerging industries (surf parks / wave pools, adrenalin sports).

 

05   Independence

Dr Woolley’s engagement proceeds on the footing that reports are prepared to comply with the expert evidence code applicable in the jurisdiction of the proceeding with reasoned and supported opinion.

 

06   Jurisdiction

Reports are prepared for proceedings throughout Australia and New Zealand. Dr Woolley is based in Queensland and accepts instructions nationally and across the Tasman with availability to travel, participate in teleconferencing and to appear to give evidence.

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To discuss a matter, or to request a conflict check, please make contact directly.

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