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Framing Risk Through Regulation

  I watch with amusement every time some safety body claims ‘transformation’, ‘difference’ or ‘vision’. Then look at the next proposed conference and everything is just the same: opening speech by the Regulator, followed by legal speeches followed by the Minister for WHS and then further speeches on systems. Then perhaps turn to a published …

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Safety Sacraments and Rituals

Safety Sacraments and Rituals As Australians approach the time of year most dense with symbolism (ANZAC and Easter), it may be helpful to ponder the nature, power and significance of symbols, sacraments and rituals in relation to the safety industry. After all, the safety industry is now imbued with as many rituals as any religion, …

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Zero Vision but Purchase Insurance

Zero Vision but Purchase Insurance One of the realities of maturity in fallibility is understanding finiteness, vulnerability and risk. The profession of infallibility is a sign of a mental health problem. It’s because we don’t talk non-sense to ourselves that we purchase insurance. It’s because we know human life is random and not in our …

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Safety’s Garden of Eden Complex

Safety’s Garden of Eden Complex One of the enduring myths of the risk and safety industry is the naive belief in paradise. Paradise is that mythical place where no-ne will be harmed. We see this nonsense yearning for utopia demonstrated in the Bradley Curve  and the ideological nonsense of zero harm. The yearning for a …

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Vision Can’t Come from Safety Compliance

Vision Can’t Come from Safety Compliance One of the spin offs, trade-offs and by-products of Vision Zero is a lack of vision. The idea of vision comes from more than just seeing something but rather seeing beyond something. I will be writing about this in my next book Envisioning Risk, Signs and Symbols in Risk. …

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