Articles by Dr Rob Long

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020

The Power of Symbols in Safety

We saw the story recently of the Nazi flag being flown in Beulah Victoria. Interestingly, the etymology of the word ‘Beulah’ designates a mystical place tied to Jewish identity. The controversy over the flying of the flag demonstrates the power… Read the rest

January 19, 2020January 19, 2020

Wisdom Based Safety

In a appreciative response to a blog on A Philosophy of Safety John Phillips used the phrase ‘Wisdom-Based Safety ‘(WBS), what a wonderful expression. What a delightful expression and far better than the brutalism of BBS. More on WBS later.… Read the rest

January 18, 2020January 18, 2020

There is no ‘Dumb Way to Die’

The sad story of Wilson Gavin serves as a case study for the naivety and unethical focus of Safety. When one defines Safety as zero (http://visionzero.global/node/6) (the global mantra) as the absence of injuries, then whatever follows must be unethical.… Read the rest

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020

Fluffy Ethics and Safety

There is nothing quite like a good façade to make sure nothing changes. Trot out some spin, drop a few definitions and Bob’s your uncle. The best way to test fluffy ethics is to investigate the rigor in topics of… Read the rest

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020

Bridging the Disciplines for Better Outcomes

One of the challenges of a closed knowledge culture is that such will not help us meet the needs of the future. Whether one understands intractable complexity as a ‘wicked problem’ or just complexity there is no doubt that the… Read the rest