• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • 500 OF THE BEST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychological Safety
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
    • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
    • What is Psychological Safety?
    • Understanding Psychological Terminology
    • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
    • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
    • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / Robert Long / Standing on the Myths of Safety

Standing on the Myths of Safety

May 5, 2021 by Dr Rob Long 1 Comment

Standing on the Myths of Safety

Most people confuse the definition of myth with fable, when this is not the case. When I use the word ‘myth’ in the tradition of Social Psychology its meaning is synonymous with symbolic reality. In Social Psychology a myth and symbol are the flip side of the same coin (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305078334_Ricoeur_on_myth_and_demythologising ). Such an understanding is common in the disciplines associated with Semiotics, Poetics and the arts. For example, when discussing the power of a symbol we associate a narrative with the symbol and this is coupled to the symbol as its myth.

Something can be factually false but be mythically/symbolically true.

The best way to understand myth/symbol is through example. Let’s take the myth of Simpson and his Donkey (https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/forging/australians/simpson). Most of the story attributed to Simpson is simply not factually true. His name was not Simpson it was Kirkpatrick, a two times deserter who was confused in art for another person who used a donkey to work with the injured at Gallipoli, a New Zealander Richard Henderson.

· https://www.smh.com.au/national/behind-the-anzac-myth-of-john-simpson-kirkpatrick-and-his-donkey-at-gallipoli-20150505-ggu8rz.html

· https://independentaustralia.net/article-display/lest-we-forget-the-real-truth-of-simpson-and-his-donkey,15000

· Wilson, G., (2012) Dust Donkeys and Delusions, The Myth of Simpson and his Donkey. Big Sky Publishing. Newport. https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/books/dust-donkeys-and-delusion/

Research the Simpson myth and the history and making of the myth and you find out that most of the story is factually incorrect. Yet, the power of the symbol remains and the statue of Simpson and his donkey stands at the entrance to the Australian War Memorial.

clip_image002

You can read the myth here: https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/forging/australians/simpson

Mythical truth is like metaphorical truth, as we find meaning and purpose in the symbol/myth not necessarily any factual truth. When we make symbols of things and raise up the myths attached to such symbols, we make the meaning of the symbol a truth, to us. We do this all the time in culture, where we turn cultural events and stories into symbol myths. One such myth is that of the ANZAC, often immortalized in memorials that never represent the truth of war . We also see this in religion/theology where events are immortalized as myth/symbol that have only a small skerrick of factual truth.

The point is this. Myths are constructed and attributed with meaning regardless of factual truth and are made truth by a culture that wants them to be so. We see this all the time in the safety industry where various projected theories and ideas like: Heinrich ratios, bow-ties, swiss-cheese, pyramids, risk matrices etc and all kinds of symbolic metaphors created by Safety to try to understand risk then given mythical status regardless of reality or truthfulness.

However, when it comes to truth telling in a court of law, none of these safety myths stand. As Greg Smith has stated these are often his ‘go to’ starting points for pulling apart are defence of method in court (https://vimeo.com/showcase/3938199 ). One of the most important things people in safety need to do is sort out the myth from reality. Most of the concocted myths/symbols that safety believes in are simply unhelpful in a court room. Just try for one second in a court room to bring up a discussion on the nonsense of zero and see how far you get. Perhaps tell a lawyer about Heinrich ratios and see where it goes.

You are standing in a court room being tried for a fatality or serious injury and then tell the court that you believe in zero, you would be laughed out of court. The whole purpose and meaning of the court exists in denial of the myth of zero. That’s why the court exists, because zero is factual nonsense.

So, if you ever get to court and I hope it doesn’t happen to you, and you want to come out the other end in one piece don’t try for a second to stand on the myths of safety.

3. PAPERWORK from Human Dymensions on Vimeo.

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
  • More about Rob
Dr Rob Long

Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Dr Rob Long

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual) - January 23, 2023
  • Getting the Balance Right in Tackling Risk - January 23, 2023
  • What is SPoR? - January 23, 2023
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety - January 23, 2023
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety - January 17, 2023
Dr Rob Long
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.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Robert Long, Safety Myths, Semiotics Tagged With: myths, safety myths

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bernard Corden says

    May 7, 2021 at 2:08 PM

    Well worth a read:

    http://honesthistory.net.au/wp/lake-marilyn-et-al-whats-wrong/

    Reply

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,495 other subscribers

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

SAFETY MYTHS SERIES

The Mythic Symbology of Safety

Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics

Safety Mythbusters

Don’t Be Emotional! Another Safety Myth

Tackling the Challenge of Heuristics in Safety

The Myth of Normal

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Recent Comments

  • Rob long on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Matt Thorne on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Anonymous on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Jason on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Admin on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Gustavo Saralegui on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Rob long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Wynand on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Rob Long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • simon cassin on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Rob Long on Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Matt Thorne on Free Online Workshops
  • Rob long on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Brian Edwin Darlington on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Risk Diversity on Book Launch – For the Love of Zero – in Portuguese
  • Rob Long on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Risk Culture Builder on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Mark Taylor on All Things Must Pass in Risk

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Footer

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • 500 OF THE BEST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
  • Safety Acronyms
  • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
  • 15 Safety Precautions When Working With Electricity

Recent Posts

  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Getting the Balance Right in Tackling Risk
  • What is SPoR?
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety
  • When You Don’t Know What to do in Safety, Have Another Blitz!!!
  • Gloves and Glasses Compliance
  • A Case of Desensitisation – What Would You Do?
  • How to Leave the Safety Industry
  • The Mythic Symbology of Safety
  • Dark Waters, The True Story of DuPont and Zero
  • 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Am I stupid? I didn’t think of that…
  • Don’t Look Now Safety, Your Metaphor is Showing
  • Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
  • To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Culture as a Wicked Problem, for Safety
  • Safety Leadership Training
  • Cultural Orientation in Risk
  • The Stanford Experiment and The Social Psychology of Risk
  • Objectivity, Audits and Attribution When Calculating Risk
  • Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Zero, The Seeking of Infinity
  • Safety Leadership Essentials
  • What Can Indiana Jones Tell Us About Culture
  • Safety as a Worldview
  • The Loathing of Limits
  • Culture Cannot be Framed Through Safety
  • Free Online Workshops
  • Safety Culture–Hudson’s Model
  • Book Launch – For the Love of Zero – in Portuguese
  • Advancing Backwards in Safety
  • The ‘Noise’ of Safety, Silence and Practicing of Mindfulness
  • All Things Must Pass in Risk
  • I’m just not that into safety anymore
  • Sticks and Stones and the Nonsense of Zero Harm
  • Courting Infallibility in Safety
  • Indicators of Risk
  • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
  • No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Just as Well Culture Doesn’t Listen to Safety
  • What Are the Benefits Of Social Psychology of Risk?
  • Short-Sighted Lenses by Safety
  • Is Safety the Empire of Non-Sense?
  • No Wonder Safety is Confused About Culture
  • Building High Performance Safety Cultures
  • Understanding iCue, a Visual, Verbal, Semiotic Method for Tackling Risk
  • On Culture and Safety
  • Focus on ‘Meeting’ people, not legislation – a path to risk maturity
  • The Moral Harm of the Zero Cult

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

Something Different To Safety

The Safety Cacophony Cupboard

The Essentialist Pleasure Of Safety

Shopping for Safety

Risky Conversations, The Law, Social Psychology and Risk

Risk and Safety Starts with Being?

Selective Safety and Well Being

Emotions, Bias and Heuristics in Risk

SAFETY IS A MYTH, LONG LIVE SAFETY

Face to Face SPoR Workshops 2022

Are You a Safety Fool?

Resilience and Safety

European Tour Dr Long 1-5 June 2020

Counter Intuitive Safety

Symbols Matter

Suggested Safety Reading for 2018

Risk Culture and Cultural Risk

I DON’T KNOW

Banning Head Protection is Safer

Why Some People Never Achieve

Why Safety Isn’t a Choice You Make

The Safetyization of Normal Life

The Brain as Computer Myth

How I Feel About Risk

Don’t Dare Speak the ‘f’ Word

Envisioning and Creativity in Safety

Anchoring Safety to Objects

Themes and Concepts in Risk – Requests

Developing Our Inner Introversion

No Evidence for the Religion of Zero

The Safety Worldview and the Worldview of Safety, Testing Due Diligence

Four Indicators of Toxic Safety Culture

Looking for Another Side

Perfectionism in Safety and the Denial of Humanity

WHS Legislation is NOT about Safety it’s about Culture

Like a Rhizome Cowboy

Knowledge and Curriculum for Risk and Safety People

Emotions are not the Adversary

What Does SPoR Do?

The Less You See, the More Likely to Die

More Posts from this Category

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,495 other subscribers

How we pay for the high cost of running of this site – try it for free on your site

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?