It is pointless to talk about blame and ‘principles’ outside of a mature and well-articulated ethical framework. We read in the HOP Discourse the obsession and fear of failure and blame indeed, the slogans that accompany this fear are called ‘principles’. They are not. The central slogans of HOP … [Read more...] about The Blame Game in Safety
Safety Investigations – Are they VUCA, BANI, or Wicked?
We’ve all heard about VUCA (Volatile, Unpredictable, Complex and Ambiguous) - https://safetyrisk.net/kiss-safety-in-a-vuca-world/) and now there is BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Non-Linear and Incomprehensible - … [Read more...] about Safety Investigations – Are they VUCA, BANI, or Wicked?
Using The Label of ‘Science’ to Validate Safety Mythology
From Heinrich to Dekker, the safety world loves to use the word ‘science’ to validate what it does. The word ‘science’ in safety is a just a brand, like MAGA, it doesn’t mean anything ‘scientific’ is going on just as MAGA is making nothing ‘great’. It’s just more ‘noise’. But, goodness me, its … [Read more...] about Using The Label of ‘Science’ to Validate Safety Mythology
Study The Psychology of Risk
The Psychology of Risk I can personally vouch for the incredible learning and experience anyone involved in safety and risk will get from this course. The video below features some of my fellow students sharing their thoughts and feelings – I have seen them all come such a long way on this … [Read more...] about Study The Psychology of Risk
Read Everything!
I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher in a primary school about a FB post trend of putting up all the books people have read in the past year. Not the Teacher’s reading list. In her current role, literacy is part of her job and luckily part of her passion. But she lamented to me … [Read more...] about Read Everything!
That Wasn’t on my 2026 Scorecard
And we are off and running into 2026! And here we are, only 5 days in and that world of certainty has been torched already, plans have been changed and altered, and that Caribbean cruise you were dreaming about doesn’t seem so appealing now! … [Read more...] about That Wasn’t on my 2026 Scorecard
Who is Responsible?
Who is Responsible? This is the question that consumes safety and it most often leads to blame, finding fault and superiority. This is evident in the language of the ‘safety is a choice’ discourse ( Safety Is Not Just a Choice , Safety Is a Choice You Make). The reality is that life is random, … [Read more...] about Who is Responsible?
Safety-1, Safety-2, Safety-3
Safety-1, Safety-2, Safety-3 The idea that there are two safeties endorses a binary mindset that supposes that the second safety is radically different from the first. The general idea is that Safety-1 is a system that focuses only on what goes wrong, Safety-2 is a system that focuses on what goes … [Read more...] about Safety-1, Safety-2, Safety-3
We are in Control and Other Such Delusions!
We are in Control and Other Such Delusions! First published August 2014, republished by request It was sad to hear about the death of the genius man, Robin Williams. It was even sadder to hear the reason why. This is a man many of us have followed, watched, laughed with, cried with and grown up … [Read more...] about We are in Control and Other Such Delusions!
An Awesome Safety Motivator or Pure Evil?
An Awesome Safety Motivator or Pure Evil? Safety Officers around the world have latched onto this piece of prose (below) for use in tool box talks and safety flyers, one describing it as “An awesome motivator to use when the crew needs a good pick me up”. The current manifestation of this, … [Read more...] about An Awesome Safety Motivator or Pure Evil?