Safety has much more to do with Art, History and Philosophy than it has to do with Science, Engineering and Law. I recently wrote The Target Drives the Method about the subjectivity of determining ‘significance’ that is a precursor to this discussion. Despite the perception that so many in safety … [Read more...] about Safety is an Art
injury data
Forecasting Safety
Here’s the challenge for anyone who holds to the mantra ‘all accidents are preventable’. Ask them to predict how long it will be in their organisation or any organisation for that matter, that they will be harm free. Hopefully they will go to their injury data and based on the history of injury at … [Read more...] about Forecasting Safety
Injury Rates and the Danger of Eating Sultanas
Injury Rates and the Danger of Eating Sultanas We read recently of the rise in car crashes In Australia caused by eating sultanas. Of course you have to laugh because this is the same binary logic that dominates the safety industry as a reality, driven by Zero. Tim Minchin also captures this error … [Read more...] about Injury Rates and the Danger of Eating Sultanas
Measurement in Safety, You’ve Got it All Wrong
I read a recent article by Alan Quilley (http://www.safetyresults.ca/) on measuring safety by injury rate and was fascinated by the logic. I enjoyed the video on regression to the mean (Prevention of Incidents VS Creating Safety) and the discussion on injury goals. But I thought Alan, you have all … [Read more...] about Measurement in Safety, You’ve Got it All Wrong
Making the World fit the Safety Worldview
Making the World fit the Safety Worldview One of the drivers of the work of Martin Heidegger was his reaction to the determinist and reductionist view of Rene Descartes . The Cartesian worldview understands the world in an atomistic way, reducing certainty down to first causes. This is the view … [Read more...] about Making the World fit the Safety Worldview
The Problem With ZERO Goals and Results
The Problem With ZERO Goals and Results By Alan Quilley I've been doing a great deal of thinking and writing about the variety of associated problems with using injury data to support the belief that low injury/damage results equate to a corporation being safe. The truth is that very safely … [Read more...] about The Problem With ZERO Goals and Results