Heretical, Unorthodox and Sacrilegious Safety I was training with some people the other day and we had been going about 50 minutes when the GM sitting up the front asked ‘Isn’t this heretical stuff’? I replied ‘it would be if safety was a religion’. The next question soon came from an engineer up … [Read more...] about Heretical, Unorthodox and Sacrilegious Safety
The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It
One of my favourites from the archives: The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It Being fallible doesn’t mean one is inevitably stupid, lazy, greedy or weak, there are as many advantages to being human and fallible as there are limitations. No one should want humans to be robotic - this would … [Read more...] about The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It
Hiding Harm in the Name of Safety
One of the best ways to hide harm is to campaign (propaganda) as the premier safety organisation in the world. The best way to do this is, to make up things like zero harm and the Bradley Curve to mask what is really going on. In safety where critical thinking is discouraged, marketing rules, … [Read more...] about Hiding Harm in the Name of Safety
Never Question the Zero Vision of Zero
The road toll is now at its highest for 15 years (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-23/road-death-toll-rises-to-15-year-high/105448142?) and what discourse has been common over that time in all state departments of road safety? Zero! Of course, zero is just a number, right? It’s just an … [Read more...] about Never Question the Zero Vision of Zero
Grenfell Uncovered, But Don’t Blame Anyone
If you get a chance to watch Grenfell Uncovered do so. The documentary tells the story of neglect, corruption, greed, incompetence, negligence and intentional unethical conduct by executives (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37024060/) that led to the deaths of 72 people. The fire started by an … [Read more...] about Grenfell Uncovered, But Don’t Blame Anyone
The Liars Bench – Heart to Heart and Soul to Soul
by Billy Snead Frank M. Hohenberger (American, 1876–1963) The Liars’ Bench The Liars Bench – Heart to Heart and Soul to Soul The “liars’ bench” has deep roots in American folk culture, especially in rural communities across the Midwest and South. It wasn’t just a place to sit—it was a … [Read more...] about The Liars Bench – Heart to Heart and Soul to Soul
Register for Free SPoR Module on Culture – Starting 9 July 2025
The next free module being offered by CLLR (https://cllr.com.au/) is on Culture. Places are limited to 50 places and we already have 15 registrations. So, if you want to learn about culture you can register here: admin@spor.com.au The free module will work through the book 51 Stories in … [Read more...] about Register for Free SPoR Module on Culture – Starting 9 July 2025
A Podcast with Dylan Evans
It was delightful this week to have a chat with Dylan Evans author of Risk Intelligence, How to Live With Uncertainty, Emotion, The Science of Sentiment and The Utopia Experiment. You can find the conversation on Spotify here: … [Read more...] about A Podcast with Dylan Evans
Is Complacency Evil?
Republished by request...... Is Complacency Evil? Lots of words are thrown around the safety sector with little definition. Everyone seems to know what everyone else is thinking and yet there is little clarification. The word ‘culture’ is perhaps the best example of an overused but under-defined … [Read more...] about Is Complacency Evil?
Risk Homeostasis Presentation
Risk Homeostasis Presentation VIDEO With much trepidation I have decided to put it out there…….. my presentation on Risk Homeostasis for Unit 1 of Graduate Certificate in Social Psychology. The video was recorded and edited brilliantly by Rick Long (more of his work here) See it here: Dave Collins … [Read more...] about Risk Homeostasis Presentation