SafetyProSafety Culture Archives

02 Oct

2018

Safety Culture – a steam in a teacup?

Simon Lawrence Safety Culture, Safety Strategy Comments Off

Last month, I was asked to speak at a meeting of one of my long-term clients. The subject was “safety culture”. It’s something I’m interested in, but I decided I’d better do some research. And it turns out there is neither a consensus about what it is, nor that it is even needed! The scientific paper I used The paper is …

13 Apr

2018

Road safety and “Zero Harm”

Simon Lawrence Managing Risk, Road Safety, Zero harm No Comments

Hey, Road Safety Summit team in Wellington. I see the Minister wants “A new road safety strategy and the steps we need to get there.” She needs “A clear idea of the outcomes we want”. She has also been using THAT word “transformational”. The one the Boss uses. So I’m here to help! “Audacious!” The “audacious” …

27 Mar

2013

Zero Harm with Murray Hurry – he’ll see you right

Simon Lawrence Blogs, Murray Hurry, Safety Culture, Zero harm No Comments

Zero Harm is easy if you know how. This is the third article in our What Not Safety Series – a light hearted look at safety management systems. Gidday mate, Murray Hurry again, your Corporate Safety Officer. This month, mate, we’re introducing Zero Harm. I know there’s only a week left in the month but Heinz the internal auditor just reminded …

20 Mar

2013

Safety Culture – something that happens, not something you do

Simon Lawrence All Articles, Blogs, Safety Culture No Comments

I have always felt uneasy whenever I hear organisations crowing about their ‘Safety Culture’. Even worse, their ‘Safety Culture Programme’. To me, that’s a bit like talking about how to be happy or excited. You either are or you’re not, but talking about it, having a programme for it? Even measuring it seems …

06 Oct

2010

Fear of failure and pencil-whipping

Simon Lawrence Blogs, Grumpy, Safety Culture, Zero harm No Comments

I suspect that directors and managers so often end up injecting fear into their organisations by their table thumping approach to health and safety. How many times have we found that organisations claiming to have long and distinguished “zero accident” records are simply kidding themselves? They may even believe their own all-important statistics, …

26 Apr

2009

Balanced risks in society

Simon Lawrence Blogs, Grumpy, Managing Risk, What's New No Comments

The Fire Service is in a dangerous business. They walk into places when we are running out. It’s their job. Tempting, perhaps, to assume that accepting danger is part of the deal. But the Fire Service Commission has the same safety responsibilities to their employees as any other employer. They just can’t walk away when the going gets tough. …