One of the temptations of working in safety is to portray a ‘wicked problem’ as black and white, simple and easy (https://safetyrisk.net/risk-and-safety-as-a-wicked-problem/ ). A wicked problem is any problem that cannot be ‘fixed’ or ‘solved’ and the more one attempts to do so, the more ‘wicked’ … [Read more...] about Coping With Paradox and Ambiguity in Safety
wicked problem
The Safety Worldview and COVID19
The Safety Worldview and COVID19 If you look at safety sites to do with COVID19 you would be mistaken to think that the threat of COVID19 is just a physical/biological thing (Safe Work Australia, AIHS, NSCA Foundation ). Don’t you love it when Safety releases ‘statements from experts’ about … [Read more...] about The Safety Worldview and COVID19
Zero as Morally Wicked
Ravetz in the foreword to Independent Thinking in an Uncertain World, A Mind of One’s Own talks about ‘post-normal science’, ‘box-ticking culture’ and the ‘poverty of normal science’. He sets the scene for a conversation about the limits of the myth of objectivity and tackling some of the … [Read more...] about Zero as Morally Wicked
Safety ‘Solutions’ Won’t Move a Hippo!
Safety ‘Solutions’ Won’t Move a Hippo! So how do you move a Hippo? Well according to a kids book I read my 5 year old the other night it’s quite simple if you’re willing to learn the message. So the story goes that there is a Hippo lying on the bridge asleep and in the way. The other animals … [Read more...] about Safety ‘Solutions’ Won’t Move a Hippo!
