Any approach to tackling risk is a moral activity, because the outcome of the way risk is tackled implies an outcome for persons. How people are treated in the process of tackling risk is a moral challenge. This is the challenge of An Ethic of Risk (https://cllr.com.au/product/an-ethic-of-risk-workshop-unit-17-elearning/).
If you want to develop an Ethic of Risk, the last place to seek intelligence is HOP. Without a clearly articulated ethic, there can be no principles, values or moral meaning. Instead, what is dished out are slogans into the vacuum.
But it is not just HOP, it is common to all traditional safety. You won’t find any clarity in the safety industry about: ethics, morals, belief, values, principles, virtues, ontology or standards. Indeed, when you read the AIHS BoK Chapter on Ethics, Ethics and Morals are declared the same thing!!! These are not interchangeable as this chapter claims. What is clear, if you want to be an amateur in safety, seek knowledge from the AIHS.
I know, when you want to know about ethics, ask an engineer. This is the safety way. (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-the-expert-in-everything-and-the-art-of-learning-nothing/ )
Didn’t you know, Safety is the source of all wisdom on mental health, psychosocial well-being, ethics, culture and anything else for which it is not qualified (https://safetyrisk.net/when-you-dont-know-ask-safety-safety-knows-best/).
The last thing Safety wants to do, is seek knowledge outside of its own bubble. Without a Transdisciplinary orientation to risk, one is not likely to understand ethics.
This is why Safety never articulates a methodology about what it is doing. This is what enables the brutalism of zero to be sustained. What Safety has become expert in is, speaking nonsense to people: https://safetyrisk.net/safety-experts-in-speaking-nonsense-to-people/. You certainly won’t find the ideology of zero in any profession (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/zero-the-great-safety-delusion/). Just imagine what hospitals and schools would be like if they believed in the nonsense of zero!
Real professions know what principles are and articulate them clearly. They don’t spruik the kind of ignorance you hear on safety podcasts. For example, in Nursing four simple principles dominate all discourse, these are:
- Autonomy (respect individuals’ freedom and choice),
- Nonmaleficence (not harming others),
- Beneficence (doing good for others), and
- Justice (broadly understood to include distribution of material and social goods, rights, and terms of cooperation)
These are moral principles that guide the profession.
When my daughter studied Nursing, Ethics was her first subject. The challenges of that study set the foundation for her entering that profession. My other daughter studied similarly in her degree in Education. It is clear that when dealing with people who are ill and the education of children, ethics matter. An articulated ethic and moral philosophy are foundational of professionalism.
If we look at the first principle alone (Autonomy), we see that Safety doesn’t accept such a principle.
When academics claim that Safety can override culture (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-gives-me-the-right-to-over-ride-your-rite/ – Hopkins), you know it has no respect for Autonomy. When academics think that zero is a moral goal (https://safetyrisk.net/zero-is-an-immoral-goal/ ), you know it has no idea about ethics.
Expecting perfection from fallible moral persons is an immoral principle.
When Safety thinks it has primacy over the choice of others, even their choice to harm, you know that Safety places itself over the principle of Autonomy.
Safety, does not give you the right to dominate others. Moreso, when safety=zero, any injury and risk is made evil and must be eliminated. The outcome is the demonisation of persons, the adoration of power and the delight in overpowering others, in the name of safety. In this way Safety makes bullying moral.
When psychosocial health is defined by ‘hazards’, no wonder safety views humans as a ‘hazard’ (https://safetyrisk.net/the-enemy-of-safety-humans/) and therefore the enemy of safety.
A principle is a fundamental truth that emerges out of a moral philosophy. It is not a slogan made up to sell a ‘mindset’. And we already know that the slogan ‘blame fixes nothing’ is not a fundamental truth (https://safetyrisk.net/blame-fixes-many-things-and-the-slogan-trap/).
Slogans are most often propaganda to hide a moral philosophy (https://safetyrisk.net/why-deliver-outcomes-when-propaganda-will-do/). Every Nazi slogan that was pumped out was always packaged in the language of good. Not good for persons, but what was deemed good for the Nazis.
Ethics doesn’t start from the foundation of a fad and slogans. Ethics starts by articulating a moral philosophy that drives: belief, values, principles, virtues or standards. In this way, one’s methods are developed and are ‘held together’ by this founding philosophy. Safety is not a philosophy. It is an outcome of a philosophy.
If you want to better understand ethics and how to become professional in a positive and constructive manner, you can start here: https://cllr.com.au/product/an-ethic-of-risk-workshop-unit-17-elearning/
Dr Rob Long
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Rob Long says
Damien. I don’t demonise safety, just the unethical aspects of safety that demonise persons. and, I always offer a practical positive alternative. I always provide evidence for my argument and this is never contested. Glad this one connected with you.
Damien jameson says
As someone who has worked in the area of ‘Safety’ for nearly 20 years this article makes so much sense. I admit having struggled at times with Dr Rob’s articles demonising everything around Safety, but reading this article has given me an ‘aha’ moment. Thanks, Rob … I think I finally get it… I’ll be checking out the ethic of risk workshop today