Safety for True Believers
Is the safety industry a religion? You work it out.
Religion | Safety |
| God ordains salvation | Individuals ordain salvation – ‘safety is a choice’ – ‘unsafety is a choice’ |
| Aspiration to perfection God is omniscient | Aspiration to perfection – Humans are omniscient ‘All accidents are preventable’ |
| Sense of the sacred | Sense of the sacred, safety is above all things and justifies all power over others |
| Sacred texts dictate knowledge | Sacred texts dictate knowledge (SWMS, Risk Assessments) |
| Studying sacred texts, can’t be taken away | Studying sacred texts: legislation, regulation, standards and codes of practice, can only be added to, can’t be taken away |
| Belief in the absolute (zero=infinity) | Belief in the absolute (zero=infinity) https://www.learner.org/courses/learningmath/number/pdfs/session1/session1.pdf |
| ‘Cardinal’ rules/sin | ‘Cardinal’ rules (eg. https://asciano.com.au/system/ckeditor_assets/attachments/34/patricksafetycardinalrulesjune2011.pdf) |
| Delusions visions | Delusions visions http://oshwiki.eu/wiki/Zero_accident_vision http://www.robwel.ca/documents/zero_incident.pdf |
| Original sin (humans are innately sinful) | Original sin (Humans are innately unsafe – Bradley Curve ‘Natural Instincts’ http://www.dupont.com.au/products-and-services/consulting-services-process-technologies/brands/sustainable-solutions/sub-brands/operational-risk-management/uses-and-applications/bradley-curve.html |
| Disbelief results in excommunication Believers and unbelievers | Disbelief in zero results in excommunication Believers and unbelievers |
| Infallibility – God Mortality – humans | Infallibility – Humans Mortality is denied |
| Shibboleths for in-out groupness | Shibboleths for in-out groupness |
| Binary opposition irrationality | Binary opposition irrationality |
| Taboos | Taboos |
| Professionalised class of people | Professionalised class of people |
| Vestments | Salvation through PPE fixation |
| Mantras as absolutes | Mantras as absolutes |
| Gobbeldygook language | Beyond zero, zero plus etc http://nsca.org.au/beyond-zero-harm-human-factor-safety/ http://www.beyond-zero.com/ http://www.cos-mag.com/safety/safety-columns/zero-tolerance-rules-are-anything-but-absolute.html |
| Priests as gatekeepers | Zero Harm Managers as gatekeepers |
| Intolerance | Intolerance http://www.z-safetyservices.org/en/zero-tolerance.cshtml?nav=2 |
| Sunk cost in traditions | Sunk cost in traditions |
| Acknowledgement of suffering and pain as the human condition | Denial of suffering and pain as the human condition |
| Exclusive knowledge and language | Exclusive knowledge and language |
| Faith and belief irrational discourse | Faith and belief in irrational discourse – eg. LTIs as a measure of culture, Heinrich’s pyramid |
| Rituals and symbols | Rituals and symbols |
| Unquestioned traditions | Unquestioned traditions |
| Certainty in the face of uncertainty | Certainty in the face of uncertainty ‘All accidents are preventable’ |
| Internal cults | Internal cults |
| Eugenics, weed out non-believers | Eugenics, weed out non-believers http://sia.org.au/forums/showpost.asp?ContentID=105270&ContainerID=2960&TopNodeID=105270 |
| Narrow training 70% of religious studies is on the shape of belief | Narrow training 70% of safety training is on Legislation and Regulation, the shape of belief |
| Military language of warfare | Military language of warfare http://www.safetydifferently.com/lean-green-safety-machine-part-3/ |
| Identity against the enemy | Identity against the enemy http://www.safetydifferently.com/lean-green-safety-machine-part-1/ |
| Fear and lack of critical theory | Fear and lack of critical theory |
| Entitlement in knowledge, religious knowledge extends to all of life | Entitlement in knowledge, a Dip WHS and safety experience makes one expert in everything (apparently) |
| Making things holy | Non-negotiables |
| Denial and defensiveness | Denial and defensiveness |
| Hierarchies and pyramids | Hierarchies and pyramids |
| Calculative culture, who is saved and not saved, presence of something by the absence of something | Calculative culture, who is saved and not saved, presence of something by the absence of something, injury as a measure of safety |
| Enculturated overconfidence, we have all the answers | Enculturated overconfidence, safety has all the answers (positivism) |
Dr Rob Long
Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)
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- Presentation Tips for Safety People - July 29, 2020
PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.