Dr Simon Bennett is the Director of the Civil Safety and Security Unit at the University of Leicester, UK. After ten years in IT management, Simon obtained a PhD in the sociology of scientific knowledge. He also has a BA in Public Administration and an MA in Communications and Technology. Simon has worked as a consultant to both the aviation and rail industries and sits on the Editorial Board for the journal Risk Management. He edits the Vaughan College (University of Leicester) series of monographs and is the author of A Sociology of Commercial Flight Crew. His latest publication, The Pilot Lifestyle: A Sociological Study of the Commercial Pilot's Work and Home Life, is the product of a six-month research contract for the British Air Line Pilots' Association.
'This collection is a significant contribution to the literature on risks and disasters in contemporary societies and how to manage them. It is a rich source of new ideas for academics, students, policymakers and practitioners. Written in an accessible style, the book is wide in scope and fertile with ideas. It is timely and challenging and provides new insights and understanding.' John Benyon, Professor, University of Leicester, UK and Chair, College of Learned Societies, Academy of Social Sciences 'This book offers genuinely original thinking that will be of interest to academics as well as practitioners in the emergency services and policy makers. Overall, it is an optimistic book which says that the problems we face in the 21st century are not intractable: what is needed is a little less dogma and a little more imagination. A sentiment with which many can agree.' The ROSPA Occupational Safety & Health Journal 'Inspired by discussions over late-modernity, but drawing upon many vivid examples, this collection takes a critical look at contemporary risk management. Issues of the democratization of knowledge, of corporate social responsibility, and of the quality of life powerfully emerge. A book which puts risk firmly in social and political context - with important implications both for academic analysis and institutional practice.' Alan Irwin, Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark