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Causality

Causality

By: The Engineered Network
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 Chain of Events. Cause and Effect. We analyse what went right and what went wrong as we discover that many outcomes can be predicted, planned for and even prevented.John Chidgey Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 63: Wittenoom

    63: Wittenoom
    Mar 7 2026
    With demand for Asbestos in building products in the 1940s, a discovery in Western Australia's remote Pilbara region of Blue Asbestos led to the creation of a mining town called Wittenoom. Despite the growing list of illnesses and deaths of workers from the mine and milling operation, the company pressed on until it closed for 'financial' reasons. We look at the dangers of dust inhalation and try to determine if we have collectively learned anything from the disaster at Wittenoom.
    With John Chidgey.

    News Articles:

    • Memories of Wittenoom
    • Exposure to Asbestos Takes Its Toll
    • CSR Still Fighting
    • Closure of Wittenoom
    • Wittenoom Riddled with Asbestos

    About Asbestos:

    • Asbestos
    • The Colours of Asbestos
    • What Is Asbestos and Where Does it Come From?

    About Engineered Stone:

    • Engineered Stone Fact Sheet
    • Engineered Stone Ban

    General Information:

    • Closure of Wittenoom
    • Asbestos fiber length as related to potential pathogenicity
    • Consequences of Wittenoom
    • Silicosis and Black Lung Cases Rising
    • Wittenoom
    • Australian Blue Asbestos
    • Selling the Wittenoom Dream
    • Wittenoom Health Disaster
    • Lang Hancock

    Support Causality on Patreon

    Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Steve Branam.
    Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.

    With thanks to Christian French for the topic suggestion.
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    31 mins
  • 62: OceanGate Titan

    62: OceanGate Titan
    Feb 2 2026
    A young company pushing to re-invent deep sea exploration with an initial focus on opening up tourism to the wreck of the Titanic, OceanGate garnered the fascination of many around the world. With a different approach to their hull design they forged ahead despite many warnings from experts in the field, concerned about their design decisions and materials choices. When the submersible imploded killing all five aboard including the company CEO, the experts were only surprised about how OceanGate had got as far as they had...before it all went horribly wrong.
    With John Chidgey.

    Formal Reports:

    • NTSB Final Report (PDF)
    • US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Final Report (PDF)

    General Information:

    • OceanGate
    • Titan Submersible Implosion
    • Antipodes
    • Oceangate Cyclops 1 (PDF)
    • OceanGate founder looks beyond Titanic to new deep-sea frontiers
    • The Titan Tragedy: A Deep Dive Into Carbon Fiber

    Support Causality on Patreon

    Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Steve Branam.
    Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • 61: West Gate Bridge

    61: West Gate Bridge
    Nov 29 2025
    Planned for nearly a century, when the time came to build a permanent link across the Lower Yarra River, a relatively new style of bridge, the box-girder, was chosen. Using new computer technology assisting the engineers to design a bridge that was too complex to calculate by hand, and using a unique lifting strategy promised time and cost savings. Ultimately though when the pieces didn't fit together in the air, their attempts to make them fit, didn't work. We dive into what went wrong on Australia's largest ever industrial disaster.
    With John Chidgey.

    Formal Report:

    • Victorian Royal Commission Report (PDF)

    Milford Haven Incident:

    • Cleddau Bridge disaster

    General Information:

    • Kentledge
    • West Gate Tunnel
    • Slide rule
    • Box girder bridge
    • Cleddau Bridge
    • Widening the West Gate Freeway
    • Melbourne October 15 Weather
    • The West Gate Bridge Memorial
    • Robbo Bennett’s Tribute
    • How the West Gate Bridge collapse changed Melbourne
    • 1970 West Gate Bridge Disaster
    • West Gate Bridge Image Gallery
    • The West Gate Bridge Collapse
    • West Gate Bridge Under Construction, 1969

    Support Causality on Patreon

    Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Steve Branam.
    Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Ian Gallagher and Jamie Russell.
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
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