Kirrilly R Thompson | CQ University Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by Kirrilly R Thompson

Australian Journal of Emergency Management

As pet ownership influences responses to the threat of bushfire, current preparedness communicati... more As pet ownership influences responses to the threat of bushfire, current preparedness communication acknowledges the pet-owner relationship as a key reason for including pets in emergency plans. However, not all pet-owner relationships are the same. Some people are physically and emotionally ‘closer’ to their pets than are others, a difference that could impact survival plan intentions. This South Australian study examines how differences in pet-owner closeness affects owners’ views of pets as a motivator for plan creation and of pet inclusion in planning across four survival-plan intention types: ‘stay and defend’, ‘split the household’, ‘wait and decide’, and ‘leave early’. Of several pet-owner closeness indicators, family membership of pets and anticipated separation distress influenced whether pets were considered a motivator and were included in plans. Intention-specific recommendations for creating motivating communications based on these effects are resented for emergency ser...

Clinical Psychologist, 2015

Background: Humanitarian migrants experience higher rates of mental illness than the resident pop... more Background: Humanitarian migrants experience higher rates of mental illness than the resident population, limiting their social and economic opportunities and contributions. Effective interventions are thus critical to improve the settlement outcomes. Many therapists employ narrative and expressive therapies because of their holistic approach to both trauma and psychosocial stressors, and their benefits for working with people with limited English literacy. A potential non-language-based intervention that has been effective with other groups, but which has not yet been evaluated in relation to refugees, is animal-assisted therapy. Animal therapy has been shown to reduce social isolation, increase well-being and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression in general and clinical populations. However, there is a need to understand if and how these benefits apply to refugees.

Environmental Hazards, 2015

ABSTRACT The influence of human–animal relationships upon owners' perceptions and behavio... more ABSTRACT The influence of human–animal relationships upon owners' perceptions and behaviours can lead to situations that place owners and animals at risk of harm. Pet ownership particularly is considered a risk factor for unsafe responses to natural hazards, though conversely, it can also be viewed as a protective factor that motivates disaster preparedness. However, each relationship should not be treated equivalently, as characteristics considered most meaningful within them differ across various types of pet–owner relationship and along multiple dimensions. A one-size-fits-all approach to applying the pets-as-protective-factor principle is then too broad in scope. This review outlines a novel psychographic profiling approach for archetypes of pet–owner relationship characteristics as a means of describing risk-preparedness foci and risk propensities within disaster contexts. Understanding those differences as detailed archetypes can help emergency services more effectively target pet owners through reframing disaster risk and preparedness communications in relation to prominent characteristics of relationship archetypes. We argue that this approach can improve the effectiveness of risk and preparedness communications by increasing pet owners' receptivity to, and cognitive involvement with, message content.

Human and pet-related risk factors for household evacuation failure during a natural disaster.

Lightning strikes in January 2014 caused a number of significant bushfire events in South Austral... more Lightning strikes in January 2014 caused a number of significant bushfire events in South Australia that continued into February. Fires in and around Eden Valley, Bangor and Rockleigh provided an opportunity to conduct research into the bushfire risk perceptions, decision‐making processes and behaviour of residents across three very different fire events involving a rapid‐onset fire (Eden Valley), a long campaign fire (Bangor), and repeat fire incidents (Rockleigh). During April and May 2014, 171 residents in affected communities were interviewed and 606 South Australians participated in a complementary online (statewide) survey. Approximately one in two (49%) survey respondents considered their residential area to have been impacted by fire, and almost one in five (17%) indicated that they were directly impacted by the fires, and one in five (20%) experienced fire threat without property damage. The aim of the research was to inform SA Country Fire Service about community members’ ...

Animal ownership has been shown to be a risk factor for the survival of humans during emergencies... more Animal ownership has been shown to be a risk factor for the survival of humans during emergencies and natural disasters largely due to evacuation failures. For livestock producers, it is often impossible to evacuate their animals given the need to ensure the safety of all persons, property (e.g. dwellings, equipment, paddocks), pets, and the welfare of their stock. To determine their use of information and warnings, and their planning and preparedness behaviour, 41 livestock producers from three field sites around rural South Australia that were threatened or impacted by significant bushfires in January 2014 were interviewed. The majority had a low level of concern for bushfire threat, with almost all opting to 'stay and defend' their property. Few had formally written 'bushfire risk management plans', adequate insurance for livestock, a contingency plan, or used information resources. However, they reported multiple other routine and ordinary practices contributing to their bushfire preparedness. Such activities used a more 'common sense' approach, conducted as part of everyday property management practices and farming culture. It is clear that livestock producers have different needs before and during bushfires, and have a different perception of risk than other animal owners or rural dwellers in general.

The Australian Educational Researcher, 2013

ABSTRACT Under pressure from crowded immigration detention centres and an election commitment to ... more ABSTRACT Under pressure from crowded immigration detention centres and an election commitment to remove children from detention, in 2010 the Australian government opened a low security immigration detention facility for families and children in the Adelaide Hills. Children from this alternative place of detention (APOD) attend nine local schools. However, many local residents feared their enrolment would create conflict, reduce educational outcomes for local students, and overburden teachers and school resources. To answer these concerns we conducted an ethnography of the schools and interviewed school teachers, principals, parents, the education managers in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS). This paper reports our findings on the impacts of the new arrivals on school finances, teacher time and resources, the local children, and the broader Hills community. As did previous quantitative studies, we found no negative effects. Rather, the new arrivals created a newly enriched learning environment and social experiences. The schools also played an integral role in changing the initially hostile community attitudes towards asylum seekers. Our qualitative research approach allowed us to explore factors that created this outcome. We found that the absence of negative impacts was the result of the funding for specialised support staff, the social justice orientation of the school’s leaders and staff, and a school-wide commitment to values of inclusivity and diversity. This research provides further empirical evidence on the impacts of immigration on education, increases our understanding of the factors that mediate these impacts, and provides a useful case study for schools that teach asylum seeker children.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early ca... more Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early career researchers in building a successful track record which can lead to a successful academic research career. Design/methodology/approach -This paper draws on more than a decade of experience designing, implementing and evaluating professional development programmes for early career researchers in universities. Findings -If an early career researcher is to achieve long-term success, the first five years after graduating with a doctorate are critical in establishing long-term career success. Professional development programmes for early career researchers are more successful if they are supported by organisational strategies around workload, performance management and accountability. Originality/value -If implemented, these organisational strategies can assist early career researchers to build a successful track record, which can lead to a successful research career and contribute towards increasing aggregate institutional research performance for universities.

Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 2015

Current patient safety policy focuses nursing on patient care goals, often overriding nurses' saf... more Current patient safety policy focuses nursing on patient care goals, often overriding nurses' safety. Without understanding how nurses construct work health and safety (WHS), patient and nurse safety cannot be reconciled. Using ethnography, we examine social contexts of safety, studying 72 nurses across five Australian hospitals making decisions during patient encounters. In enacting safe practice, nurses used "frames" built from their contextual experiences to guide their behavior. Frames are produced by nurses, and they structure how nurses make sense of their work. Using thematic analysis, we identify four frames that inform nurses' decisions about WHS: (a) communicating builds knowledge, (b) experiencing situations guides decisions, (c) adapting procedures streamlines work, and (d) team working promotes safe working. Nurses' frames question current policy and practice by challenging how nurses' safety is positioned relative to patient safety. Recognizing these frames can assist the design and implementation of effective WHS management.

ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires app... more ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires applying judgement to minimise risks, while accomplishing work goals. Safety information is designed to guide safe practice, providing the foundation for decisions required quickly. Consequently, the work health and safety management system (WHSMS) is regarded as a key source of safety information for nurses. Nurses also use clinical information to determine safe practice. Yet, there has been little empirical research into how safety-related information is accessed and applied in the nursing environment. Aims: This paper aims to describe how nurses use safety information to inform their manual handling practices. Method: This qualitative research interviews twenty-seven nurses in two small private hospitals. We consider their interactions with safety information in relation to manual handling. Healthy and safe practice is mediated through interactions with colleagues, building on nursing experiences and in the context of caring for patients. Results: While newer nurses relied more on safety information to determine appropriate practice, experienced nurses drew on their own contextual experience, supplemented by that of their colleagues. Through the formal communication processes of the WHSMS and the informal communication channels inherent in small work teams, nurses integrated principles for safety into their frames of nursing practice. Conclusions: Nurses are more likely to access safety information when it is integrated into patient-related tasks and their associated protocols. In achieving safe practice, nurses most valued communication, experience, problem solving and highly effective teamwork as key factors. ©O'Keeffe et al: Licensee HFESA Inc.

ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires app... more ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires applying judgement to minimise risks, while accomplishing work goals. Safety information is designed to guide safe practice, providing the foundation for decisions required quickly. Consequently, the work health and safety management system (WHSMS) is regarded as a key source of safety information for nurses. Nurses also use clinical information to determine safe practice. Yet, there has been little empirical research into how safety-related information is accessed and applied in the nursing environment. Aims: This paper aims to describe how nurses use safety information to inform their manual handling practices. Method: This qualitative research interviews twenty-seven nurses in two small private hospitals. We consider their interactions with safety information in relation to manual handling. Healthy and safe practice is mediated through interactions with colleagues, building on nursing experiences and in the context of caring for patients. Results: While newer nurses relied more on safety information to determine appropriate practice, experienced nurses drew on their own contextual experience, supplemented by that of their colleagues. Through the formal communication processes of the WHSMS and the informal communication channels inherent in small work teams, nurses integrated principles for safety into their frames of nursing practice. Conclusions: Nurses are more likely to access safety information when it is integrated into patient-related tasks and their associated protocols. In achieving safe practice, nurses most valued communication, experience, problem solving and highly effective teamwork as key factors. ©O'Keeffe et al: Licensee HFESA Inc.

The daily rail commute for over 6.4 million Indians on the ‘lifeline of Mumbai’ is more than a si... more The daily rail commute for over 6.4 million Indians on the ‘lifeline of Mumbai’ is more than a simple mode of transport: it is a complex storyboard of shared experiences. In peak times, with a super-dense-crush-load of up to 16 people per meter square, Mumbaikers have developed methods to endure minimal motility and sometimes cessation as the endless crush of the crowd ebbs and flows around them. Through results garnered from 49 in-depth passenger interviews and 48 hours of ethnographic observations on Mumbai’s suburban rail network, this paper examines the passenger experience beyond the metric of the meter square. The paper explores how commuters cope in the crowded environment and the unique behaviours, both positive and negative that contribute to the enjoyment of the crowded journey. We find that rail commuters in Mumbai bear their mobile journey together, rather than Goffman’s typified individualistic Western commuter. Finally, we explore how the ability to organise the carria...

ABSTRACT In a world with increasingly crowded rail networks, there is a limited understanding of ... more ABSTRACT In a world with increasingly crowded rail networks, there is a limited understanding of passenger’s experiences and choices in the enclosed moving space of the carriage. This paper will explore influences of internal carriage design on passenger’s chosen location within the carriages of suburban trains in India and in Australia. An understanding of the ways in which carriage design, particularly handhold layout influences passenger’s experience of crowding and their crowding-related choices is required to improve services, comfort and crowding tolerance. To better determine these effects in varying levels of crowding, we will report on findings from research in Australia and India. We report on the findings from two studies. The first is from a 2009-2011 Australian study of metropolitan rail users spanning five Australian capital cities. The mixed methods research design involved ethnographic participant observation of rail passengers, focus groups and a national online stated preference choice experiment. The second study was conducted in Mumbai, India in 2012. In the first stage, an online travel survey with 142 regular local train users was undertaken. Following this, the protocol of Stage One from the Australian study was followed with 49 interviews rather than focus groups. This paper presents findings specifically around the influence of carriage design on passenger perspectives, journey tolerance and travel mode choice. The following four points will be discussed: 1) Using Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life we will examine how passengers experience and construct perceptions of crowding through interactions with each other and the physical carriage environment. 2) Based within Branton’s person-centred ergonomic approach, the location of handholds and how they influence passenger placement within the carriage will be explored. 3) Extending from the previous point, specific handhold designs and locations favoured by Australian and Indian passengers will be discussed. 4) Finally, findings from India will explore what passenger behaviours allow for efficient passenger flows in high-density crowing situations. This is particularly relevant for countries like Australia where crowding levels are speculated to increase dramatically over the next few years. We conclude with observations on the significance and implications of these four discussion points for future carriage designs and patterns of passenger behaviour in countries with future expectations of high passenger densities.

Australian Journal of Emergency Management

As pet ownership influences responses to the threat of bushfire, current preparedness communicati... more As pet ownership influences responses to the threat of bushfire, current preparedness communication acknowledges the pet-owner relationship as a key reason for including pets in emergency plans. However, not all pet-owner relationships are the same. Some people are physically and emotionally ‘closer’ to their pets than are others, a difference that could impact survival plan intentions. This South Australian study examines how differences in pet-owner closeness affects owners’ views of pets as a motivator for plan creation and of pet inclusion in planning across four survival-plan intention types: ‘stay and defend’, ‘split the household’, ‘wait and decide’, and ‘leave early’. Of several pet-owner closeness indicators, family membership of pets and anticipated separation distress influenced whether pets were considered a motivator and were included in plans. Intention-specific recommendations for creating motivating communications based on these effects are resented for emergency ser...

Clinical Psychologist, 2015

Background: Humanitarian migrants experience higher rates of mental illness than the resident pop... more Background: Humanitarian migrants experience higher rates of mental illness than the resident population, limiting their social and economic opportunities and contributions. Effective interventions are thus critical to improve the settlement outcomes. Many therapists employ narrative and expressive therapies because of their holistic approach to both trauma and psychosocial stressors, and their benefits for working with people with limited English literacy. A potential non-language-based intervention that has been effective with other groups, but which has not yet been evaluated in relation to refugees, is animal-assisted therapy. Animal therapy has been shown to reduce social isolation, increase well-being and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression in general and clinical populations. However, there is a need to understand if and how these benefits apply to refugees.

Environmental Hazards, 2015

ABSTRACT The influence of human–animal relationships upon owners' perceptions and behavio... more ABSTRACT The influence of human–animal relationships upon owners' perceptions and behaviours can lead to situations that place owners and animals at risk of harm. Pet ownership particularly is considered a risk factor for unsafe responses to natural hazards, though conversely, it can also be viewed as a protective factor that motivates disaster preparedness. However, each relationship should not be treated equivalently, as characteristics considered most meaningful within them differ across various types of pet–owner relationship and along multiple dimensions. A one-size-fits-all approach to applying the pets-as-protective-factor principle is then too broad in scope. This review outlines a novel psychographic profiling approach for archetypes of pet–owner relationship characteristics as a means of describing risk-preparedness foci and risk propensities within disaster contexts. Understanding those differences as detailed archetypes can help emergency services more effectively target pet owners through reframing disaster risk and preparedness communications in relation to prominent characteristics of relationship archetypes. We argue that this approach can improve the effectiveness of risk and preparedness communications by increasing pet owners' receptivity to, and cognitive involvement with, message content.

Human and pet-related risk factors for household evacuation failure during a natural disaster.

Lightning strikes in January 2014 caused a number of significant bushfire events in South Austral... more Lightning strikes in January 2014 caused a number of significant bushfire events in South Australia that continued into February. Fires in and around Eden Valley, Bangor and Rockleigh provided an opportunity to conduct research into the bushfire risk perceptions, decision‐making processes and behaviour of residents across three very different fire events involving a rapid‐onset fire (Eden Valley), a long campaign fire (Bangor), and repeat fire incidents (Rockleigh). During April and May 2014, 171 residents in affected communities were interviewed and 606 South Australians participated in a complementary online (statewide) survey. Approximately one in two (49%) survey respondents considered their residential area to have been impacted by fire, and almost one in five (17%) indicated that they were directly impacted by the fires, and one in five (20%) experienced fire threat without property damage. The aim of the research was to inform SA Country Fire Service about community members’ ...

Animal ownership has been shown to be a risk factor for the survival of humans during emergencies... more Animal ownership has been shown to be a risk factor for the survival of humans during emergencies and natural disasters largely due to evacuation failures. For livestock producers, it is often impossible to evacuate their animals given the need to ensure the safety of all persons, property (e.g. dwellings, equipment, paddocks), pets, and the welfare of their stock. To determine their use of information and warnings, and their planning and preparedness behaviour, 41 livestock producers from three field sites around rural South Australia that were threatened or impacted by significant bushfires in January 2014 were interviewed. The majority had a low level of concern for bushfire threat, with almost all opting to 'stay and defend' their property. Few had formally written 'bushfire risk management plans', adequate insurance for livestock, a contingency plan, or used information resources. However, they reported multiple other routine and ordinary practices contributing to their bushfire preparedness. Such activities used a more 'common sense' approach, conducted as part of everyday property management practices and farming culture. It is clear that livestock producers have different needs before and during bushfires, and have a different perception of risk than other animal owners or rural dwellers in general.

The Australian Educational Researcher, 2013

ABSTRACT Under pressure from crowded immigration detention centres and an election commitment to ... more ABSTRACT Under pressure from crowded immigration detention centres and an election commitment to remove children from detention, in 2010 the Australian government opened a low security immigration detention facility for families and children in the Adelaide Hills. Children from this alternative place of detention (APOD) attend nine local schools. However, many local residents feared their enrolment would create conflict, reduce educational outcomes for local students, and overburden teachers and school resources. To answer these concerns we conducted an ethnography of the schools and interviewed school teachers, principals, parents, the education managers in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS). This paper reports our findings on the impacts of the new arrivals on school finances, teacher time and resources, the local children, and the broader Hills community. As did previous quantitative studies, we found no negative effects. Rather, the new arrivals created a newly enriched learning environment and social experiences. The schools also played an integral role in changing the initially hostile community attitudes towards asylum seekers. Our qualitative research approach allowed us to explore factors that created this outcome. We found that the absence of negative impacts was the result of the funding for specialised support staff, the social justice orientation of the school’s leaders and staff, and a school-wide commitment to values of inclusivity and diversity. This research provides further empirical evidence on the impacts of immigration on education, increases our understanding of the factors that mediate these impacts, and provides a useful case study for schools that teach asylum seeker children.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early ca... more Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe organisational strategies that support early career researchers in building a successful track record which can lead to a successful academic research career. Design/methodology/approach -This paper draws on more than a decade of experience designing, implementing and evaluating professional development programmes for early career researchers in universities. Findings -If an early career researcher is to achieve long-term success, the first five years after graduating with a doctorate are critical in establishing long-term career success. Professional development programmes for early career researchers are more successful if they are supported by organisational strategies around workload, performance management and accountability. Originality/value -If implemented, these organisational strategies can assist early career researchers to build a successful track record, which can lead to a successful research career and contribute towards increasing aggregate institutional research performance for universities.

Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 2015

Current patient safety policy focuses nursing on patient care goals, often overriding nurses' saf... more Current patient safety policy focuses nursing on patient care goals, often overriding nurses' safety. Without understanding how nurses construct work health and safety (WHS), patient and nurse safety cannot be reconciled. Using ethnography, we examine social contexts of safety, studying 72 nurses across five Australian hospitals making decisions during patient encounters. In enacting safe practice, nurses used "frames" built from their contextual experiences to guide their behavior. Frames are produced by nurses, and they structure how nurses make sense of their work. Using thematic analysis, we identify four frames that inform nurses' decisions about WHS: (a) communicating builds knowledge, (b) experiencing situations guides decisions, (c) adapting procedures streamlines work, and (d) team working promotes safe working. Nurses' frames question current policy and practice by challenging how nurses' safety is positioned relative to patient safety. Recognizing these frames can assist the design and implementation of effective WHS management.

ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires app... more ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires applying judgement to minimise risks, while accomplishing work goals. Safety information is designed to guide safe practice, providing the foundation for decisions required quickly. Consequently, the work health and safety management system (WHSMS) is regarded as a key source of safety information for nurses. Nurses also use clinical information to determine safe practice. Yet, there has been little empirical research into how safety-related information is accessed and applied in the nursing environment. Aims: This paper aims to describe how nurses use safety information to inform their manual handling practices. Method: This qualitative research interviews twenty-seven nurses in two small private hospitals. We consider their interactions with safety information in relation to manual handling. Healthy and safe practice is mediated through interactions with colleagues, building on nursing experiences and in the context of caring for patients. Results: While newer nurses relied more on safety information to determine appropriate practice, experienced nurses drew on their own contextual experience, supplemented by that of their colleagues. Through the formal communication processes of the WHSMS and the informal communication channels inherent in small work teams, nurses integrated principles for safety into their frames of nursing practice. Conclusions: Nurses are more likely to access safety information when it is integrated into patient-related tasks and their associated protocols. In achieving safe practice, nurses most valued communication, experience, problem solving and highly effective teamwork as key factors. ©O'Keeffe et al: Licensee HFESA Inc.

ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires app... more ABSTRACT Background: Nursing work is often fast-paced, where achieving safe practice requires applying judgement to minimise risks, while accomplishing work goals. Safety information is designed to guide safe practice, providing the foundation for decisions required quickly. Consequently, the work health and safety management system (WHSMS) is regarded as a key source of safety information for nurses. Nurses also use clinical information to determine safe practice. Yet, there has been little empirical research into how safety-related information is accessed and applied in the nursing environment. Aims: This paper aims to describe how nurses use safety information to inform their manual handling practices. Method: This qualitative research interviews twenty-seven nurses in two small private hospitals. We consider their interactions with safety information in relation to manual handling. Healthy and safe practice is mediated through interactions with colleagues, building on nursing experiences and in the context of caring for patients. Results: While newer nurses relied more on safety information to determine appropriate practice, experienced nurses drew on their own contextual experience, supplemented by that of their colleagues. Through the formal communication processes of the WHSMS and the informal communication channels inherent in small work teams, nurses integrated principles for safety into their frames of nursing practice. Conclusions: Nurses are more likely to access safety information when it is integrated into patient-related tasks and their associated protocols. In achieving safe practice, nurses most valued communication, experience, problem solving and highly effective teamwork as key factors. ©O'Keeffe et al: Licensee HFESA Inc.

The daily rail commute for over 6.4 million Indians on the ‘lifeline of Mumbai’ is more than a si... more The daily rail commute for over 6.4 million Indians on the ‘lifeline of Mumbai’ is more than a simple mode of transport: it is a complex storyboard of shared experiences. In peak times, with a super-dense-crush-load of up to 16 people per meter square, Mumbaikers have developed methods to endure minimal motility and sometimes cessation as the endless crush of the crowd ebbs and flows around them. Through results garnered from 49 in-depth passenger interviews and 48 hours of ethnographic observations on Mumbai’s suburban rail network, this paper examines the passenger experience beyond the metric of the meter square. The paper explores how commuters cope in the crowded environment and the unique behaviours, both positive and negative that contribute to the enjoyment of the crowded journey. We find that rail commuters in Mumbai bear their mobile journey together, rather than Goffman’s typified individualistic Western commuter. Finally, we explore how the ability to organise the carria...

ABSTRACT In a world with increasingly crowded rail networks, there is a limited understanding of ... more ABSTRACT In a world with increasingly crowded rail networks, there is a limited understanding of passenger’s experiences and choices in the enclosed moving space of the carriage. This paper will explore influences of internal carriage design on passenger’s chosen location within the carriages of suburban trains in India and in Australia. An understanding of the ways in which carriage design, particularly handhold layout influences passenger’s experience of crowding and their crowding-related choices is required to improve services, comfort and crowding tolerance. To better determine these effects in varying levels of crowding, we will report on findings from research in Australia and India. We report on the findings from two studies. The first is from a 2009-2011 Australian study of metropolitan rail users spanning five Australian capital cities. The mixed methods research design involved ethnographic participant observation of rail passengers, focus groups and a national online stated preference choice experiment. The second study was conducted in Mumbai, India in 2012. In the first stage, an online travel survey with 142 regular local train users was undertaken. Following this, the protocol of Stage One from the Australian study was followed with 49 interviews rather than focus groups. This paper presents findings specifically around the influence of carriage design on passenger perspectives, journey tolerance and travel mode choice. The following four points will be discussed: 1) Using Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life we will examine how passengers experience and construct perceptions of crowding through interactions with each other and the physical carriage environment. 2) Based within Branton’s person-centred ergonomic approach, the location of handholds and how they influence passenger placement within the carriage will be explored. 3) Extending from the previous point, specific handhold designs and locations favoured by Australian and Indian passengers will be discussed. 4) Finally, findings from India will explore what passenger behaviours allow for efficient passenger flows in high-density crowing situations. This is particularly relevant for countries like Australia where crowding levels are speculated to increase dramatically over the next few years. We conclude with observations on the significance and implications of these four discussion points for future carriage designs and patterns of passenger behaviour in countries with future expectations of high passenger densities.