Framework of Flesh: Builders Labourers Battle for Health and Safety

By tracking on-the-job experiences of demolishers, dog-men, hod-carriers and navvies, renowned historian, Humphrey McQueen has written an extensively researched history of the Builders Labourers Federation (BLF).

The stories stretch back to the convict era and use the labourers’ own words to describe their struggle for health and safety: their battles around scaffolding and shithouses, for the safe removal of asbestos, prompt and adequate compensation, a decent burial and finally their dismantling of the framework of fear erected by the Building and Construction Commission.

• Year of Publication: 2009
• Genre: Non-Fiction
• Audience: Adult