Zero Survey Update

Originally posted on November 13, 2022 @ 8:52 AM

We first launched the Zero Survey 2 years ago and safety people have been steadily responding to it. You can respond here: https://spor.com.au/zero-vision-survey/

We reported findings of the survey after one day (https://safetyrisk.net/first-report-on-zero-survey/) and since then with more than 4000 responses, the ratio of results has not varied.

90% of respondents identify as people working in the risk and safety industry.

The survey is quite simple and provides a Likert scale in response to the following statements (current results in brackets):

1. Humans are fallible, mortal and the world is random (95% agree)
2. I believe in zero (85% disagree)
3. All accidents are preventable (72% disagree)
4. Safety is a choice you make (61% disagree)
5. Safety is a wicked problem (63% agree)
6. Zero is unachievable (92% agree)
7. Zero in s a religious ideology (74% agree)
8. Zero leads to bullying (68% agree)
9. Zero causes dishonesty in managing safety (89% agree)
10. The safety industry would be much better off without zero (93% agree)

The survey continues to demonstrate that organisations that maintain the delusion of zero ideology are out of sync with people in the safety industry. It also demonstrates that zero is primarily a management delusion and that workers in the field think it is unethical, delusional and disconnected from reality.

These results demonstrate that zero is NOT a vision but is rather a divisive ideology fixated on a psychosis with numerics/metrics as evidence of safety, which it is not.

The results demonstrate that zero doesn’t inspire or motivate anyone to safety indeed, it is a de-motivator, anti-learning and anti-safety.

Won’t it be fascinating when world Zero meets in November Sydney in 2023. When all the deniers of zero meet under the banner of zero and raise hands to another Hillsong conference to the most divisive symbol in safety. I wonder if they will release another religion of zero video before then? (https://safetyrisk.net/the-spirit-of-zero/).

I wonder if there will be a session during the conference reporting all the data showing zero is unachievable?

Maybe they might claim that the world is now 1% safer! (https://safetyrisk.net/1-safer-than-what/).

So, watch a promo video (https://safety2023sydney.com/news/video-library) and no mention of zero. This is how zero is disguised. The theme is ‘Shaping Change’, which of course in safety code (https://safetyrisk.net/deciphering-safety-code/) meaning there will be nothing at the congress about a change in safety.

What this means is that the congress will be about how the world is changing and safety is not. More paperwork, more policing, more PPE, more numerics/metrics, more parading heroes and certainly no change to zero. Book your tickets for November 2023, Zero will be there probably disguised as a non-zero rhetoric of zero. It’s the basic strategy of safety, stating what is by what it is not. The perfect strategy for an industry that adores compliance and despises critical thinking.

I guess you can’t wait to see how the underlying ideology of zero  will be masked. This is what the 1% movement does (https://safetyrisk.net/zero-is-not-a-target-or-vision-its-a-language-discourse/). A smoke screen for the undiscerning. Zero by another name is still the language of zero, numerics and metrics.

And if you read the welcome to in the proposed program you will find zero buried in the welcome notes. Here is some (p.9)

‘The ISSA promotes the values of prevention through its powerful set of tools, such as the Guidelines on occupational risk prevention, workplace health promotion and return to work. The ISSA’s Vision Zero strategy offers easy-to-implement solutions for companies and policy makers. There are companies that have managed to reduce their Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate by applying the ISSA’s Vision Zero proactive leading indicators, and social security institutions who have had a great outreach success by aligning their prevention strategy to the Seven Golden Rules of Vision Zero. Furthermore, the European Union has declared Vision Zero as their strategic goal to reduce fatal work-related accidents by 2027. There are many success stories to be shared around Vision Zero and the ISSA will showcase how Vision Zero is shaping change at the World Congress.’

Inside this welcome is this cherry: ‘There are companies that have managed to reduce their Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate by applying the ISSA’s Vision Zero proactive leading indicators, and social security institutions who have had a great outreach success by aligning their prevention strategy to the Seven Golden Rules of Vision Zero’. Which is of course an unsubstantiated untruth and the so called Seven Golden Rules are just the same old basics of safety.

It’s all about reduction in LTIs. Ha ha, ha, nothing will change in the congress of Shaping Change.

This is how to play the game of zero as a global by-line (https://safetyrisk.net/sia-has-a-bet-each-way-on-zero/). More linguistic gymnastics for the undiscerning.

Meanwhile, on the ground and at the work coalface, no one believes any of it. A sure recipe for a schizophrenic and un-professional industry.

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Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

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PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.