It’s a fascination how zero poses huge problems for mathematicians but causes no problems for safety (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRRolKTlF6Q). It’s fascinating how zero can mean many things for linguists (In football zero is ‘Nil’, in a telephone number its Oh, in decimals its ‘naught’ … [Read more...] about The Problem With Zero
Search Results for: zero
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
No Reckoning for Zero
I watched Mission Impossible, The Final Reckoning last night and was not surprised about the repeated use of the words ‘in the blink of an eye’. As the film reached its many crescendos, this phrase, metaphor, idiom and mantra was repeated, just in case the audience forgot its apocalyptic … [Read more...] about No Reckoning for Zero
If you truly believe in zero it will happen
If you truly believe in zero it will happen - Safety as Faith Healing Guest post by Dr Rob Long The logic of faith healing is quite simple: believe in something and if you truly believe and believe enough it will happen. If it doesn’t happen then you don’t believe enough - a wonderful get out … [Read more...] about If you truly believe in zero it will happen
When The Goal is Zero, Make Sure You Don’t Address Anything Significant
Many traffic authorities and road transport groups continue to manufacture the delusions of zero harm (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/zero-the-great-safety-delusion/ ), none more so than Transport for NSW Toward Zero Campaign (https://towardszero.nsw.gov.au/). They have kept up this … [Read more...] about When The Goal is Zero, Make Sure You Don’t Address Anything Significant
How to Escape the Safety=Zero Cult
There is little doubt that Safety=Zero is a cult (https://safetyrisk.net/the-cult-ure-of-zero/). As I looked at the documentary Escaping Utopia (documenting the Gloryvale cult in NZ (https://iview.abc.net.au/show/escaping-utopia) I saw such similarities in the Indoctrination of … [Read more...] about How to Escape the Safety=Zero Cult
How Do You Know Zero Doesn’t Work
I had to have a laugh when I read this pseudo-research on zero (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022437524001178 ). One thing is most certain. If you want critical research that considers ethical and moral meaning, don’t ask Safety. The paper starts out assuming there is … [Read more...] about How Do You Know Zero Doesn’t Work
Tier One Miners, Psychosocial Risk and Zero
We learn yet again through the work of Rio Tinto and BHP that the language of zero is toxic for psychosocial safety (https://michaelwest.com.au/mining-giants-sued-over-alleged-sexual-harassment/). And if there’s one kind of language and discourse tier one’s love so much, it’s zero. Zero … [Read more...] about Tier One Miners, Psychosocial Risk and Zero
More Nonsense from the EHS Insight – Zero Injury Cultures???
In the long tradition of speaking nonsense to people (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-experts-in-speaking-nonsense-to-people/) we have a recent publication by EHS Insight (https://www.ehsinsight.com/safety-maturity-assessment-and-model). Of course, one thing you can sure of, when safety says it has an … [Read more...] about More Nonsense from the EHS Insight – Zero Injury Cultures???
How the Ideology of Zero Destroys Learning in Risk
I read recently about what Zero is doing to recreational enjoyment in New Zealand. This is the lunacy of the absolute of Zero. This is the nonsense you get from the delusion of absolute-safety (Amalberti) and the quest for zero (Taleb). The quest for absolute safety simply makes the populace more … [Read more...] about How the Ideology of Zero Destroys Learning in Risk