Launched in Sydney on Wednesday night (29 June), the second edition of Safety, Security, Health and Environmental Law is updated to address the new Model Work Health and Safety laws and recent landmark decisions.

In his book, Tooma proposes 20 elements of safety, security health and environment (SSHE) management and highlights the legislative treatment of the areas in international jurisdictions.

Drawing on experiences from major international disasters including the Westray Mine disaster in Canada and the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the USA to inform his 20 elements, the book explores the implications of getting safety wrong.

"The work safety landscape has changed significantly in the last few years. Model laws which will commence on 1 January 2012 will usher in new proactive obligations on directors and managers making safety a boardroom issue more than ever before," he said.

The book analyses the new laws and takes a comparative global approach to the area.

"The experience and lack of response to nanotechnology today replicates the inaction to asbestos decades ago and to white phosphorous a century ago. We are in desperate need of major, bold reform. We turn a blind eye to the fact that fatality rates are still unacceptably high and the system that has essentially delivered that result has in essence survived unchanged, despite a major review," said Tooma.