Mike Esbester

Dr Mike Esbester is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and the School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature. He is a leading scholar in transport and mobility history, with a focus on railway worker safety, accidents, and risk in 19th and 20th century Britain and Europe. He is actively involved in the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation, the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures, and the Centre for European & International Studies Research.

His research centers on the history of safety, risk, and industrial accidents, particularly within the railway sector. He explores themes such as occupational health, labor conditions, public perceptions of safety, and the governance of risk in modern Britain. His work bridges academic history and public engagement, often involving digital humanities and crowdsourced projects.

Mike Esbester’s recent publications reflect a strong trend in using archival data to examine railway accidents, worker fatalities, and safety policy evolution. His research combines meticulous historical analysis with innovative digital dissemination, including blogs, exhibitions, and public talks. He frequently collaborates with institutions like the National Railway Museum, the Office of Rail and Road, and the British Safety Council.

• Editorial: A fundamental threat to our field (2022)
• Health and Safety in Contemporary Britain (2019)
• Governing risks in modern Britain (2016)
• Transformative Propaganda: Opening the Archives of the British Safety Council (2018)

He has advised on and led public history projects, including exhibitions such as 'Caution! Railway Safety Since 1913' (2014) and '100 years of RoSPA' (2017). He is currently accepting PhD students and promotes research in British and European transport and safety history. His work is supported by extensive archival research and public collaboration, emphasizing the importance of historical insight for contemporary safety policy.

Dr Esbester leads the 'Railway Work, Life & Death' project, a major initiative digitizing and analyzing historical railway accident records. This project includes public exhibitions, blog posts, and collaborations with family history societies. It exemplifies his commitment to co-production, crowd-sourcing, and making academic research accessible to wider audiences.