Safety as Avoidance The language of ‘error’ is unhelpful when it comes to understanding human judgment and decision making. One can assemble pyramids of ‘unsafe acts’ and ‘unsafe conditions’, fault trees of ‘active and latent failures’, maps of ‘violations’, ‘slips’ and ‘missed barriers’, sets of … [Read more...] about Safety as Avoidance
Zero Harm
Supernatural Safety
Supernatural Safety Talking about the supernatural is not in vogue these days. The membership of the church is in rapid decline, there’s no longer ‘scripture’ in schools and the history of unethical behaviour by the clergy has put religion ‘on the nose’. So there’s not much talk of miracles, … [Read more...] about Supernatural Safety
Why Have Some Freedom in Safety When a Dose of Fear and Guilt Will Do?
Why Have Some Freedom in Safety When a Dose of Fear and Guilt Will Do? I was sent a rather sickening poster this today, another one of those pithy senseless aphorisms that now populate Linkedin. The poster read: ‘The person who choses safety is a person of conviction, character and caring’. This … [Read more...] about Why Have Some Freedom in Safety When a Dose of Fear and Guilt Will Do?
The Repression of Uncertainty
The Repression of Uncertainty The belief is that the solution to every safety problem must be a rational systems process, hence the ever growing overload of paperwork in the workspace driving new cultural problems of ‘tick and flick’, overconfidence and ‘dumb down’ thinking. The most common words … [Read more...] about The Repression of Uncertainty
The Ethics of Safety
A very popular article by Dr Rob Long from the recent past: The Ethics of Safety Quote: The key to the effectiveness of an ethic in safety is the humanization of others and the building of relationships. It is strange that the vice of intolerance is advocated in the workplace but we would never … [Read more...] about The Ethics of Safety
Absolute Shocker of the Week
Absolute Shocker of the Week Guest Post By Dr Rob Long – see more of his articles HERE Isn’t it amazing how people in the safety profession think it is wonderful to parade photo-shopped images of people being illogical, irrational and nonsensical? It primes the population with the idea that … [Read more...] about Absolute Shocker of the Week
If you truly believe in zero it will happen
If you truly believe in zero it will happen - Safety as Faith Healing Guest post by Dr Rob Long The logic of faith healing is quite simple: believe in something and if you truly believe and believe enough it will happen. If it doesn’t happen then you don’t believe enough - a wonderful get out … [Read more...] about If you truly believe in zero it will happen
Risk, Safety and Fundamental Attribution Error
Risk, Safety and Fundamental Attribution Error What do they say about damn lies and statistics? Well, maybe safety hasn’t heard about that one, nor it seems has the CFMEU or ACT Regulator. Recently the Secretary of the CFMEU trotted out yet again the statistic that the ACT Building and Construction … [Read more...] about Risk, Safety and Fundamental Attribution Error
Snap, Crackle, Pop. That’s the Sound we Love to Hear
Snap, Crackle, Pop. That’s the Sound we Love to Hear Rice Krispies were first released by Kellogg in 1928, and introduced in Australia as Rice Bubbles. The breakfast cereal is made of ‘crisped’ rice (toasted rice). The marketing that accompanied the launch of Rice Bubbles was associated with the … [Read more...] about Snap, Crackle, Pop. That’s the Sound we Love to Hear
Santa, Myths and Regulators.
Santa, Myths and Regulators. I was at a building site yesterday and up pulled a ute full of cases of beer, gifts for loyal and faithful service. A few weeks ago the same company hired a cruise boat for a Christmas party complete with endless alcohol and strippers as a way of saying thanks to the … [Read more...] about Santa, Myths and Regulators.