Safety at the Margins I note with interest the disappointment with mainstream Safety with being on the political margins, evidenced in recent blogs (The party politics of safety , The politics of safety, OHS is largely overlooked even on its special day ). However, there are good reasons why Safety … [Read more...] about Safety at the Margins
Research Basics for Safety
Nearly every person that has ever registered for study in SPoR in the past 20 years from the safety industry, doesn’t read. If they do read it is usually the same old suspects and never anything that challenges the safety worldview. This is indicative of an industry that can do quite well by … [Read more...] about Research Basics for Safety
We Need Communities and They Need Us
We know that as humans we are social creatures and being part of a community gives us meaning and purpose. Communities are about connecting and being with others and we strive to ‘belong’ as isolation can be the hardest emotion to deal with. When we are in community with others, we give as well as … [Read more...] about We Need Communities and They Need Us
Researching Within The Safety Echo Chamber
One of the most reliable things about Safety is that it has no interest in broad diverse research nor what it means to be professional. Such is the safety code that always describes what it is by what it isn’t. The latest example is the AIHS BoK Chapter 39 (2nd Edn) ‘The OHS Professional as a … [Read more...] about Researching Within The Safety Echo Chamber
Confirmation Bias, Risk and Being Offensive
I was sent this funny clip (https://youtu.be/G1juPBoxBdc) of Tim Minchin presenting his understanding of Confirmation Bias yesterday. Minchin is much more than a comedian and musician, he is a philosopher, critical thinker and ‘thought leader’ in a true sense of what that should mean. I find it … [Read more...] about Confirmation Bias, Risk and Being Offensive
Lemmings for Lemmings in Leadership and Risk
The “Dancing Guy” video is a staple inclusion in many leadership training sessions and hailed by many as a great example of how easily 'leaders' can create a following . Dr Rob Long reveals the truth behind this video and how the dynamic of groupthink and mindless conformity is not an … [Read more...] about Lemmings for Lemmings in Leadership and Risk
Expertise by Regurgitation and Re-Badging
One of the fascinating things about the Coronavirus pandemic is watching Safety morph into epidemiology expertise. I would like a dollar for every flyer, presentation, podcast, powerpoint, checklist template, toolbox talk and poster set that had jumped into my inbox on a daily basis in the last … [Read more...] about Expertise by Regurgitation and Re-Badging
Zero Doesn’t Work, Road Fatalities Increase
We learnt yesterday sadly, that the fatalities on Australian roads have increased well over the rate prior to Covid. Most Road Authorities in Australia have been singing the ideological tune of Zero for over 10 years. The worst ad in the bombardment of Zero on our TV screens is this one from the … [Read more...] about Zero Doesn’t Work, Road Fatalities Increase
Can There Be Other Valid Worldviews Than Safety?
Can There Be Other Valid Worldviews Than Safety? This is the challenge worldviews is the challenge of the unknown unknowns. How can I know another worldview, when all I know is my own? Can there be a different view of the world other than the lens I use to see it? Could it be that another worldview … [Read more...] about Can There Be Other Valid Worldviews Than Safety?
Evaluating Value by the Value of What You Don’t Know
You can’t know what you don’t know and so you can only evaluate a value by what you do know, by your worldview/paradigm. However, regardless of that worldview, there are other worldviews that are just as valid. All worldviews compete just as all values compete, for power, within a culture. Unless … [Read more...] about Evaluating Value by the Value of What You Don’t Know
