Dolphyn Newsletter–August 2017

One of the few Risk and Safety Newsletters worth reading these days

Reflections of a Great Mate

Remembering Max Geyer

It is with much sadness, yet at the same time some relief, that we open this Newsletter with the news of the passing of our dear mate Max Geyer. After a period of illness for the past year, Max passed peacefully during the morning of 2nd August 2017. The sadness will no doubt continue for some time, the relief though is that Max is now free from suffering and has his ‘wings’.
Max was a mate to many people who read this Newsletter and I know his cheeky wit, infectious smile and comforting hugs will be missed by many. I’ve written a reflection of our friendship which you can read here – http://dolphyn.com.au/reflections-great-mate-max-geyer/.

Sharing Our Memories of Max

There is little doubt in my mind that Max Geyer epitomised what we mean when we suggest that human’s are social beings. Max was always at the centre of connecting people and sharing with others.
It is only fitting then, that in his passing, many others share their thoughts about Max’s life and the impact and influence that he had on others. Dr Rob Long wrote of his memories of Max in a piece on SafetyRisk.net here – https://safetyrisk.net/in-memory-of-max-geyer/.
Rob’s words would have meant a lot to Max I reckon, as they reflect some of Max’s wonderful qualities. I also enjoyed reading the reflections of others in the comments below the article. It seems that our dear friend Max touched many people and will be missed, yet not forgotten.
Max is pictured below at his beloved The Wayside Chapel in Sydney’s Kings Cross, a place that easily found a way into Max’s heart. In lieu of gifts at Max’s funeral, his family have suggested a gift to The Wayside. If that is something that you would like to do in memory of a great mate, you can donate HERE.
This picture is special for a number of reasons, one of those is that it is when Max got his ‘wings’. He can now use these on his path to be free of the pain and suffering he endured over the past little while.
Vale and Rest in Peace our dear mate.
Rob Sams
Director and Principal Consultant
Dolphyn

Sharing our Work in the USA – Chicago Safety and Environment Conference

In mid September this year, Dolphyn’s Rob Sams will present both a  Keynote presentation along with a full day Workshop on the topic of Social Sensemaking at the Chicagoland Health, Safety and Environment Conference being held in Chicago, USA. Copies of Rob’s book will be available for sale during the Conference.
If you are interested in learning more about the Conference program, you can check out the website HERE.
For readers in the USA who may be interested in attending the Conference, you can register HERE.

An Update on Lifeline – Working in Lifeline

August marks 6 weeks in my role working in Lifeline and it has been a time of much learning and exploring. The team we work with are passionate about what they do, and the work we do is certainly rewarding. The seemingly endless quest to find the funds to support our work is challenging, yet leads us to some great conversations with people keen to support our work.
In the coming months we have a number of events that are bound to appeal to a range of people. You can see all of our events HERE. Some of the more interesting events are:

• The Lifeline Golf Day at Newcastle Golf Club on Friday 11 August – see more details HERE.
• Loud Love Music Concert on Thursday 16 August – where local artists will be raising funds for Lifeline – see more details HERE.
• The Lifeline Classic Surfing Competition on the Central Coast on 28th October – local ‘Boardies’ surfing in teams with local Pros – see more details HERE.

If you are interested in learning more about the work we do at Lifeline you can drop me a line at robert@lifelinehunter.org.au, perhaps we could catch up for a cuppa.

The Power of Silence

A most profound learning for me over the past few years has been the importance of listening. Not just hearing the words that others are saying, but active listening, without any other agenda than to allow others to share their story.
During my recent experiences in counseling, this has taken one step further to understand the critical importance of not only listening, but of silence.
I read this article recently where a husband shares his experiences with his wife who regularly experiences challenges with her mental health. The following quote sums up the article well, it is well worth a read:
“And then she left me stunned. “Thank you for listening to me,” she said, pulling my hands to her lips to kiss. “It’s so nice to talk to you. I feel a lot better.”
I hadn’t said a word. It dawned on me how little I had been listening to her, without judgment or rush to action. She didn’t need me to tell her that everything was going to be OK. That didn’t help. She needed me to hear her pain. Being heard somehow made it more manageable.
On that afternoon I finally learned that when any of us is in pain, the greatest gift you can give is to listen, patiently and purely.”

Recent Blogs and Articles

With my move into Lifeline over the past few months, it has left little time for writing and sharing Blogs. I continue to keep my reflection diary and will share further ideas in coming months, however for now, it is really pleasing to be sharing the work of others who are writing on the topic of Social Psychology and Risk. This includes new pieces by friends Zoe Koskinos who works for a Tier One construction company in Australia and Matt Thorne who is the Principal Consultant at Risk Diversity, an Adelaide based risk consultancy. I’ve included links to both Blog articles below, along with a cracker from Dr Rob Long on the topic of Resilience, considered from a social perspective..

Why is Fallibility so Challenging in the Workplace?
By Zoe Koskinos

Zoe asks; “So why is it that we go about human/personal growth within our jobs as if fallibility is a weakness and create no solicitude for mistakes? When anyone who has achieved anything great, anyone who has changed the world, has at some point made a choice to embrace their flaws instead of fighting them.”
Want to learn more? Read the full article HERE.

‘Paper Systems’ and Safety Management Systems
By Matt Thorne
Matt writes; “One thing that stands out is and is common, is that people remain are confused by all the fear mongering and snake oil being peddled in the risk and safety market. It seems remarkable that this level of heightened confusion continues and is even propagated by the safety sector itself. The level of myth making and anxiety making is astounding. Most think that all systems have to be paper-based systems and that systems are only systems if they are written down.”
You can read Matt’s full article HERE.

A Social Ecology of Resilience
Dr Rob Long
Rob writes; “So this discussion is about a social ecology of resilience in contradistinction to the reductionist and positivist notion of ‘resilience engineering’. The idea of ‘resilience engineering’ and its mechanistic discourse, is not the only way to understand resilience. Indeed, to criticize the commonly accepted safety understanding of resilience (eg. Hollangel and resilience engineering) is understood as some kind of evil in the church of safety.”
Read the Full Article HERE.

The CLLR is continuing its study program in 2017. CLLR is the only Centre in the world that accredits studies in the Social Psychology of Risk.
Upcoming Programs
The Social Amplification of Risk (Unit 8)
Risk is amplified or attenuated by a range of social psychological conditions that affect the unconscious. The workshop looks at how humans manufacture risk and risk aversion unconsciously. A range of tools are provided to help tackle the challenges of risk amplification
Dates: 18, 19 & 20 October 2017
Venue: Brisbane Australia View Hotel Hamilton
For more information click HERE
Due Diligence Workshop – Auckland NZ
Following in the wake of the new WHS Act in New Zealand Dr Rob Long and Greg Smith are proposing to hold their One Day Due Diligence Workshop in Auckland on 30 and 31^st August. The workshop will be held in Auckland.
Dates: 30 & 31 August 2017
Venue: Auckland, New Zealand
For more information click HERE

A Community in Practice

Dolphyn – In Community With Others
Being in community with others is important for us here at Dolphyn, thanks for being part of it. We look forward to sharing and learning with you throughout 2017.

• Bio
• Latest Posts
• More about Rob

Rob Sams

Owner at Dolphyn

Latest posts by Rob Sams (see all)

• What Happens when Safety is a ‘Battle’? - April 19, 2025
• Who Decides What is Ugly? - March 21, 2025
• ‘Conversations on the Couch’–Biases - March 2, 2025
• Jerry won the safety award (but he didn’t do anything!) - December 15, 2024
• Gab and Rob–One Brain, Three Minds - December 2, 2024

Rob is an experienced safety and people professional, having worked in a broad range of industries and work environments, including manufacturing, professional services (building and facilities maintenance), healthcare, transport, automotive, sales and marketing. He is a passionate leader who enjoys supporting people and organizations through periods of change. Rob specializes in making the challenges of risk and safety more understandable in the workplace. He uses his substantial skills and formal training in leadership, social psychology of risk and coaching to help organizations understand how to better manage people, risk and performance. Rob builds relationships and "scaffolds" people development and change so that organizations can achieve the meaningful goals they set for themselves. While Rob has specialist knowledge in systems, his passion is in making systems useable for people and organizations. In many ways, Rob is a translator; he interprets the complex language of processes, regulations and legislation into meaningful and practical tasks. Rob uses his knowledge of social psychology to help people and organizations filter the many pressures they are made anxious about by regulators and various media. He is able to bring the many complexities of systems demands down to earth to a relevant and practical level.