"Preface" [2010] ELECD 540; in Lewis, B. David (ed), "A Global Approach to Public Interest Disclosure" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010)

Book Title: A Global Approach to Public Interest Disclosure

Editor(s): Lewis, B. David

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848448995

Section Title: Preface

Number of pages: 2

Extract:

Preface
It is worth noting that the manuscript for this book is being submitted in
the same month as the twenty-fifth anniversary of the world's worst indus-
trial disaster. This took place in Bhopal, India and is estimated to have
led to the deaths of over 20 000 people with a further 80 000 still affected
by the aftermath. As in other major accidents, safety risks and defects had
been reported well before the gas explosion occurred but those responsible
chose not to deal with them. While it is not claimed that whistleblower
protection laws would have prevented this catastrophe, it is asserted that
effective confidential reporting policies and procedures which provide for
external disclosures of information where appropriate can play a signifi-
cant role in disaster management. It is hoped that this book will stimulate
further debate about the value of, and mechanisms for, establishing a
whistleblowing culture in modern society.

David Lewis
16 December 2009




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