What Safety and Risk Could Learn from Patch Adams

What Safety and Risk Could Learn from Patch Adams Last night I watched the movie Patch Adams starring the late, and amazingly talented, Robin Williams. The story for those who don’t know it is broadly based around the work and life of the real life medical doctor called Patch Adams. The real Patch is the […]

Learning About Learning in Risk and Safety

A Google search of ‘risk and safety training in Australia’ reveals more than 103,000,000 results. The focus of such training seems to be programming people to absorb information on legislation, safety processes and engineering based subjects. This seems to be the common method we use in risk and safety, and one might be easily seduced into […]

The Challenges for Organisations in Dealing with Mental Health

How does adopting a ‘reductionist’ approach impact on mental health at work? If organisations are to better support the mental health of their employees, adopting a more holistic approach, to firstly better understand, and then deal with mental health at work, is required. A holistic approach to dealing with mental health includes understanding biological factors […]

Learning Doesn’t Provide Immunity

Just because I’ve learnt a little about how I make decisions and judgments, it does not mean that I will always make better decisions. I know that I am vulnerable in my decision-making and that it is thick with bias. Perhaps the best I can hope for is to recognise through reflection, sharing and good […]

The Banned Objects Index – A New Development in Safety Culture

If we adopt an approach to safety that is focused on controlling others then banning things in the name of safety is a perfect solution to dealing with the grey, messiness and ambiguity of risk. There is no grey in banning something, right? Have you heard of the ‘Banned Objects Index’ (BOI)? It is the […]

What can Safety Learn from the Gympie Gympie Stinging Tree?

What can Safety Learn from the Gympie Gympie Stinging Tree? This week I have been holidaying in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is a warm climate and a great way to welcome Spring and all that comes with a change in season. As my wife and I love to do when on holidays, there has […]