ESSAYJanuary 2026
A Thought Piece on Care, Culture, and Safety
After more than three decades working in and around underground tunnelling, one thing has become very clear to me: tunnelling remains a deeply human activity.
READ[ THE BOOK SHELF ]
WHAT
DALLAS
IS READING.
A working library of books, essays, and conversations that have shaped the way Dallas talks about safety. New entries are added when they earn their place.
[ DALLAS WRITES ]
IN HIS OWN
WORDS.
Long-form essays, profiles, and conversations from Dallas. Most are also catalogued in latest news.
- INTERVIEWMay 2022
The Ultimate Sacrifice. Improving Worker Safety Underground.
Imagine losing not only one but two of your immediate family members to a workplace accident. Dallas Adams knows the cost of unsafe practices firsthand.
READ - TALKOngoing
Digging Deeper, the podcast
Long-form conversations with people on the tools, in the field, and around the boardroom about the human side of high-risk work.
OPEN
[ RECOMMENDED READING ]
ON THE
SHELF.
Books Dallas returns to. Each one earns its spot because it shifts how a leader, supervisor, or crew thinks about the work.
SAFETY CULTURE03 VOLUMES
SIDNEY DEKKER
The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error'
Dekker reframes human error as a symptom of trouble deeper inside the system. Reading this changes how you respond after an incident.
SIDNEY DEKKER
Just Culture: Restoring Trust and Accountability in Your Organization
What separates blame from accountability. The book that argues for restorative practice over punitive culture, especially after harm.
SIDNEY DEKKER
Safety Differently: Human Factors for a New Era
Stop measuring absence of incidents. Start asking why work goes right. A new lens for crews and leaders.
LEADERSHIP03 VOLUMES
PATRICK LENCIONI
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, results. A simple model for what's quietly missing in most crews.
DANIEL H. PINK
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Autonomy, mastery, purpose. Why people show up, especially in environments where compliance is the default ask.
BRENÉ BROWN
Daring Greatly
On vulnerability as a strength. Useful for supervisors who feel they need to know everything before they can speak.
GRIEF & RESILIENCE02 VOLUMES
SHERYL SANDBERG & ADAM GRANT
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
Written after sudden loss. A practical companion for anyone, on or off site, walking through grief while still expected to lead.
MEGAN DEVINE
It's OK That You're Not OK
Rejects the tidy stages of grief. The most honest book Dallas has read on what it actually feels like to lose someone.
SYSTEMS THINKING01 VOLUMES
MATTHEW SYED
Black Box Thinking
What aviation gets right that other industries miss. A study in learning from failure rather than burying it.
[ KEEP READING ]
GOT A RECOMMENDATION?
Read something that changed how you think about safety, leadership or grief? Send it through. The shelf grows because of crews and colleagues who pass titles forward.
SEND A TITLE TO DALLAS