national-level campaigning, I have pushed for a ban on engineered stone to create safer working conditions for Australian workers. Receiving an OAM for services to workplace health and safety was a humbling recognition of this work and reaffirmed my commitment to driving meaningful change in occupational health. As the founder of Cole Health, how do you balance your hands-on technical consultancy work, particularly when acting as an expert witness in complex legal matters? Balancing technical consultancy with expert witness responsibilities requires a structured and evidence-driven approach. I ensure that all assessments are grounded in rigorous, evidence-based methodologies, allowing me to provide objective, defensible analyses that hold up under legal scrutiny. My hands-on consultancy work also keeps me closely connected to real-world industry practices, enhancing the depth and relevance of my expert opinions. By maintaining this dual focus, I can deliver both practical solutions and authoritative testimony in complex legal matters. “Meeting my first tunnel worker diagnosed with silicosis—and then another— reinforced the urgent need for stronger dust control measures.”
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