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 ‘insight’ or ‘vision’, you know it’s the opposite. This document demonstrates this. The evidence is overwhelming.
What we have introduced on page 5 in this document is this bizarre idea of ‘zero injury cultures’. Here once again, is the fixation of numerics, as the definition of safety and the crazy idea that a quantifiable number can define the unquantifiable nature of culture. This illogical stuff is a characteristic of ‘safety culture’.
The coupling of these two together (metrics and culture) demonstrates that EHS Insight has no insight nor any idea about culture. This is similar to the https://safetyculture.com/ group that sells products and has no idea of culture either. Why define culture when selling checklists is so profitable? Indeed, selling checklists enables ‘tick and flick’ culture that is dangerous.
Of course, in this document Safety Maturity Model, A Guide to Understanding and Improving Your Organisations Safety Culture, culture is not defined. The step model produced on page 3, is a re-hash of Hudson’s model that has been about for many years. Maturity is also not defined.
When we get to page 5 and this idea of ‘zero injury cultures’ is introduced we return to the same old tired gobbledygook of Zero where the level of gobbledygook amplifies. For example, it clearly states that zero risk is unachievable and it talks about a ‘reduction in injury rates’ and then proposes that:
‘They go beyond recordable counts and incident rates and look at the health of the programs in place designed to prevent injuries and illnesses.’
So, now a zero-injury culture doesn’t count injuries anymore but measures the ‘health of the programs in place designed to prevent injuries and illnesses. Therefore, a zero-injury culture now has nothing to do with zero injuries. You could make this kind of nonsense up.
The language moves from zero injuries to metrics on programs to achieve ‘success’. The language of zero disappears in the discourse to the language of success. So, success in safety is now assumed to be zero what???
Then, the document regurgitates the tired old discourse on moving from lag to lead indicators, that makes no difference and has nothing to do with safety culture. Yet, the language is all about how this ‘improves’ safety yet there is no evidence globally anywhere, that demonstrates this. So, the document is obsessed with the language of measurement and moves to discuss everything that cannot be measured, the qualitative quality of safety management programs.
Trying to assess the value of a safety program is a qualitative process not a quantitative process.
The idea that lag and lead indicators improve safety culture is pure mythology. This is what Greg Smith calls ‘the illusion of safety’ (https://www.amazon.com.au/Proving-Safety-problems-management-tyranny-ebook/dp/B0CYNVZ7H7).
So, here’s the big insight and vision from EHS Insight, measure safety programs as lead indicators and safety culture improves. Wow, such insight, such vision. No need to change traditions, systems or safety programs, methodology or methods and safety culture improves. Don’t consider alternatives that work (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/it-works-a-new-approach-to-risk-and-safety-book-for-free-download/) that are in practice all over the globe. Just put the washing on rinse and recycle and, all will come out like brand new.
Everything that follows in this document just traces the 5 steps of Hudson and is qualitative (subjective) and not measurable.
So, the document moves from ‘zero injury cultures’ that anchor to perfection and measurement to, qualitative assessments of safety programs. This is how you speak nonsense to people, a lagging characteristic of safety culture.
In all of this, nothing changes to the practices of traditional safety. Keep systems the same, change a few slogans and safety culture improves, in exact replication of the HOP fairy tale. In all of this there is no alternative methodology or method to traditional safety management systems. This is the well-known ‘safety miracle’ where an act of ‘safety faith’ makes all things new by doing the same old tired out things.
The document concludes with more anchoring to traditional safety in a section called ‘organizing compliance tasks’. You knew it was coming. What safety document can be produced without the tired old favourites control and compliance.
Fantastic, do more of the same, implement traditional safety management systems, count lead indicators and safety culture will improve.
This is the grand insight. Whacko, what a vision. Roll up roll up and get your continued fairy tale and safety faith nonsense here.
Unless there is a shift in methodology and method, there can be no change in safety culture. Publishing slogans and calling them principles or counting lead indicators, move nothing.
If you want to know about an alternative, proven methodology and method being rolled out across the globe that works in maturing organisations in safety culture, you can find out by a simple email: admin@spor.com.au
Dr Rob Long
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Billy Snead says
Excellent review Rob-
The stagnation never ends in risk and safety practices-
The industry relies on outdated safety protocols and cannot navigate out of the past-
Without innovation, they risk ignoring the evolving landscape of challenges and opportunities.
Thanks for taking the time to review the article.
Billy
Rob Long says
Hi Billy,
The trouble is, when you have a mono-disciplinary industry that fears anything outside its own bubble, that doesn’t consult and doesn’t trust expertise, you get this kind of nonsense.
What comes out of all this stuff is the same old goop with a few more slogans but nothing of substance, nothing new and nothing that works.
But that’s safety culture: much marketing and re-badging of the same olde stuff to ensure that nothing changes and nothing improves.
Rob