One of the most amusing aspects of the Heinrich myth (https://safetyrisk.net/?s=Heinrich) is the sub-title of his book: A Scientific Approach. Of course, such is not the case. This is typical of Safety that most often seems to name what it is, by what it is not. The first place to start in … [Read more...] about The Non-Science of Heinrich
heinrich
The Domino Myth in Safety
Continuing our series on Safety Myths – see them all here It seems whenever a safety book wants to identify its roots it traces itself back to Heinrich, Bird, Weaver, Adams, Loftus, Reason and Petersen and the mythical domino construct (The Domino Delusion). Always be suspicious of engineers using … [Read more...] about The Domino Myth in Safety
Hoodwinked by Heinrich
Hoodwinked by Heinrich I have written before about the Heinrich Hoax and Delusion (https://safetyrisk.net/ration-delusions-and-heinrichs-hoax/), the Heinrich Hoodoo (https://safetyrisk.net/the-heinrich-hoodoo/) and Heinrich Propaganda (https://safetyrisk.net/the-heinrich-hoodoo/). All this critique … [Read more...] about Hoodwinked by Heinrich
Deconstructing the Myth of Heinrich
One of the most significant factors that enables the mythology of Heinrich in Safety is that people don’t read Heinrich, can’t access Heinrich and have no expertise in Historiography. Most often in Safety those profess some expertise in: History, Culture, Neuroscience, Habits or Psychology, have no … [Read more...] about Deconstructing the Myth of Heinrich
Triarachic Thinking in SPoR
One of the foundations of methodology in SPoR is triarchic thinking. Triarachic thinking understands the social world (Socialitie) in dialectic (dialogue). That is, there is something happening in the space between you and me, I and it, us and them. This is best represented by using a hyphen eg. … [Read more...] about Triarachic Thinking in SPoR
Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax There’s no doubt that founding interests in safety emerged from insurance and engineering. The concocted rubbish of Heinrich in 1931 was founded in mechanistic assumptions of apportioning blame and responsibility for compensation. It is from this foundation that … [Read more...] about Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
Advancing Backwards in Safety
I had a call from a mate this week, the board of his company have been mesmerised by a presentation of the latest advances in safety. So I asked to see a copy of this presentation expecting some astounding research and scintillating stuff taking safety into the future. So what did I see? Bradley … [Read more...] about Advancing Backwards in Safety
Incrementalism, Catastrophism and All That’s In-between
Dr Rob Long has posted many articles on the dangers of zero harm here. This is perhaps the heaviest argument he has ever written against zero – WARNING: Some traditional safety people may be offended or find themselves performing some complex mental gymnastics! Incrementalism, Catastrophism and … [Read more...] about Incrementalism, Catastrophism and All That’s In-between
The Voodoo of The Hoodoo
The Voodoo of The Hoodoo Deleuze rightly states that the idea of common sense is: a dogmatic, orthodox and moral image of thought. To recognise this is the first step in critical thought. If one cares to think about presuppositions in suppositions, then one is well on the way to thinking … [Read more...] about The Voodoo of The Hoodoo
The Heinrich Hoodoo
The Heinrich Hoodoo If there was ever a disastrous start to the birth of an industry it has to be safety. When Herbert Heinrich published Industrial Accident Prevention in 1931 he launched an industry that would be obsessed with numerics, metrics, counting and misattribution. Most of what Heinrich … [Read more...] about The Heinrich Hoodoo
