It is simply laughable to observe the gobbledygook written about zero by Safety. The latest I read was from here: New SA mine health and safety targets can be reached, but zero harm will remain elusive When will Safety get it into their silly thinking that zero is impossible? When will Safety … [Read more...] about Zero is NOT Noble, Moral or Sense-able
Robert Long
Injury Response
Injury Response I’ve had several conversations with safety people about response to events and incidents on site. One mate on a tier 1 site explains the Safety Advisor role as simply ‘demoralising’. So I thought I would try to mimic the typical safety spud head response to an … [Read more...] about Injury Response
Trying to Rationalise the Non-Rational in Risk
There is no such thing as a neutral or objective worldview when discussing risk. The way we understand and approach risk is through the lens of our worldview. It’s just that in Safety this is rarely forthcoming or articulated. Often a view is given as a ‘principle’ when it’s just a slogan or assumed … [Read more...] about Trying to Rationalise the Non-Rational in Risk
Where Does Forgiveness Fit in Safety?
I read an academic paper the other day about the need for forgiveness in safety. It was laced with theological concepts and metaphors about what to do with ‘wrongdoers’. The paper also used extensive theological language (from a non-theologian) about: atonement, grace, justice, morality, repentance … [Read more...] about Where Does Forgiveness Fit in Safety?
Safety as a Blessing Scam
It’s so easy to fall victim to a scam. We generally want to believe the best in people or find ourselves in a situation where things make sense but mask a hidden reality. I fell victim to the Netflix scam myself, quite easily. When scammers know enough about you, human psychology and common … [Read more...] about Safety as a Blessing Scam
Intermediate and Advanced iCue Workshop
iCue is one of the foundational methods of SPoR. iCue emerges out of the Existentialist Dialectic methodology of SPoR that is clearly articulated in many of the free books offered by SPoR. iCue is a visual verbal method for mapping: risk, relationships, social meaning, social causality, … [Read more...] about Intermediate and Advanced iCue Workshop
Sesame Street Safety
Sesame Street Safety Sesame Street was first broadcast in 1969, a TV show aimed to help preschool children prepare for schooling, particularly in literacy and numeracy. As I presented to safety advisors this week at a conference I was stunned that no one in the room (all highly experienced safety … [Read more...] about Sesame Street Safety
Safety sexism and misogyny looking for a scapegoat
It never takes long when Safety is on the case in seeking a scapegoat, to show its ideology immersed in sexism and misogyny: It has only been a few days and we already have safety crusaders on social media targeting the female Commander of the HMNZS Manawanui looking for ‘root cause’. We know … [Read more...] about Safety sexism and misogyny looking for a scapegoat
Semiotics and Safety
Semiotics and Safety I read with interest a conference proposed for November 2014 entitled ‘Beyond Zero Harm, Human Factors Safety’. The subtitle of the conference is ‘Humanising impacts in safety operations to reengineer safety approach for enhanced productivity and business profitability’. Oh … [Read more...] about Semiotics and Safety
Framing and Priming Investigations, The Manawanui Tragedy
The sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui demonstrates how traditional safety ‘frames’ and ‘primes’ investigations. Here we have reported by the Chief of Navy for New Zealand stating: ‘Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said it was “too early to speculate” whether mechanical failure or human … [Read more...] about Framing and Priming Investigations, The Manawanui Tragedy