Author:
Dixon Shane M.,Gawley Tim
Abstract
AbstractMedia influence how we define and engage with our world, shaping our interpretations, attitudes, behaviours. Feature films in which work-related injuries, deaths, and disasters are the storylines can convey occupational safety messages to large, diverse audiences. Films can entertain, act as “powerful” and “poignant” memorials to workers, heighten peoples’ awareness of events, and even deepen their understanding of the causes of workplace disasters. However, it is unclear how films actually represent the complexities of workplace injury and industrial disaster. We examined the film Only the Brave (di Bonaventura, Luckinbill (Producers), Kosinski (Director) in Only the Brave [Motion Picture] (Columbia Pictures, United States, 2017)), which recounts the story of the deaths of 19 wildland firefighters in America. In particular, we examine how the film portrays workplace disaster and the factors which led up to the event. We discuss some strengths and limitations of feature films as a form of visualizing workplace disaster.
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
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