We were recently asked if we could post this research survey, I hope you can all Take 5 to help them out Request: I have been following your website for a number of years. I am seasoned safety professional currently on my last stage of a masters degree. As part of my degree I am undertaking a … [Read more...] about Take 5 Research Survey
Safety Statistics
The Curse of Dataism
The Curse of Dataism Beard writes: ‘The scions of Silicon Valley have introduced our world to a new religion of ‘Dataism’. In its extreme form proponents of the Dataist worldview perceive the entire universe as a flow of data, see organisms as little more than biochemical algorithms, and believe … [Read more...] about The Curse of Dataism
It’s alright ma I’m only bleeding
It’s alright ma I’m only bleeding A healthy loyalty is not passive and complacent but active and critical Harold Laski 1 The 21st October 2016 commemorated half a century since the Aberfan disaster in South Wales, United Kingdom which resulted in the deaths of 116 school children and 28 adults … [Read more...] about It’s alright ma I’m only bleeding
Safety in Numbers
Safety in Numbers With all the talk about safety and zero we would have to wonder how ZERO will ever be achieved. Recently there was a job that had about 30 first aid cases. (These ranged from a minor scratch to a sprained wrist.) What the company decided was that there had not been enough hazards … [Read more...] about Safety in Numbers
Target Trade-Offs and Numeric Goals
Target Trade-Offs and Numeric Goals We learn recently that Victorian Police – a supposed institution of trust, has fabricated numbers over the past 5 years in order to meet targets. It is reported today that Victoria Police have fabricated 258,000 breath tests in order to meet targets. How is this … [Read more...] about Target Trade-Offs and Numeric Goals
I am a Spreadsheet King
I am a Spreadsheet King I have had numerous conversations with safety people this week who lament the amount of time they have to spend doing spreadsheets reporting on everything from injury rates, TRIFR, near miss etc. One a GM of a tier 1 organisation tells me he hasn’t had time to walk the floor … [Read more...] about I am a Spreadsheet King
WHS Reporting and Due Diligence: Some practical thoughts
By Greg Smith, WHS Lawyer. First published here Quote from the article: If two people die in an electrical incident at your workplace, nobody cares what your last safety culture survey reveals. You need to demonstrate how the risk of electrocution was managed in your organisation, and whether it … [Read more...] about WHS Reporting and Due Diligence: Some practical thoughts
Measuring and Reporting on Work Health & Safety
Greg, the author of this article (first published here), certainly does upset some safety people on Linkedin! He makes an excellent point here – you may get 97%, a big tick or a star for having a plethora of JHAs (or SWMS, JSAs, SOPs etc), another for them being extremely comprehensive and a few … [Read more...] about Measuring and Reporting on Work Health & Safety
What Are The Odds Safety Statistics Are Tarnished?
What Are The Odds Safety Statistics Are Tarnished? Guest post by Ken Roberts – HSE Specialist – LinkedIn Profile: Ken R. Roberts Did you know one of the smallest risks that statisticians have ever measured is—dying as a result of cancer caused by the release of plutonium from a deep space probe … [Read more...] about What Are The Odds Safety Statistics Are Tarnished?
Courage to Challenge the Great TRIFR and LTIFR Delusion
Courage to Challenge the Great TRIFR and LTIFR Delusion It was Marx (The German Ideology) who said ‘as individuals express their life, so they are’. At the heart of this aphorism is the idea that what is normalized in a culture comprises what the culture is. One of the things that have become … [Read more...] about Courage to Challenge the Great TRIFR and LTIFR Delusion