The Westray Chronicles

A Case Study in Corporate Crime

Edited by Christopher McCormick

In this book authors from backgrounds as diverse as engineering to public relations are brought together to create a holistic picture of what happened at Westray. From an analysis of the geology of the underlying coal seam to an assessment of the difficulties of pinning legal responsibility on the company, the government or any of the managers, this book constitutes one of the few case studies of corporate crime in Canada. The contributors offer the reader challenging new ways to think about workplace disasters and occupational injuries. Each contributor brings their special expertise to bear in a way that makes complicated issues transparent to the most general reader. At the same time, footnotes and references guide the reader who desires more extensive information.

About the Author

Chris McCormick teaches criminology at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick.