Author - Are We Learning from Accidents? | Founder at Novellus | Associate Research Fellow Cardiff University | Host of the podcast Embracing Differences
This is the final in a series of 3 podcasts on Proving Safety with Greg Smith In this podcast, we discuss the notion of critical risks and critical risk controls. The idea of critical controls tends to assume that there is a shared view about what is critical within the organisation. Do we really share the same view on risks and their criticality? Critical risk controls on the other hand creates the illusion that risk is under control, and it is no surprise that we become all too focused on consequences. Risk therefore becomes a consequence and risk management initiatives become far too focused on controlling the consequences. Ou initiatives lack imagination and discussions about scenarios, vulnerabilities, interdependencies and most importantly we rarely discuss the role of people. Finally, the idea of critical risk controls also leads us to a single-minded focus on ‘prevention’. When prevention becomes the focus, we are in a denial that things can go pear-shaped. I once asked an officer on a ship, ‘what may happen if the lifeboat wire parts whilst lowering the boat?’ His response was ‘that this is why we do a risk assessment to prevent accidents.’ If you use the language of ‘critical risks’ and ‘critical risk controls’ how often do you slow down and question your views, methods and risk assessment tools? Happy listening, pondering and wondering. Towards the end you will hear something exciting – hold your breath :) #embracingdifferences #podcast #criticalrisk #criticalriskcontrols #metaphors #language #riskmanagement #safetymanagement #riskperception Novellus Novellus link (Knowledge Space with the entire series) https://lnkd.in/eZedMWBy Spotify link (also available on Podbean, Anchor and others) https://lnkd.in/eBFsyW8e YouTube link https://lnkd.in/eWe7Ku_t
Proving safety (3): a three-part series
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Thanks for sharing Nippin Anand. For most problems, no matter how complex, there are typically objective or at least known criteria that can be applied to decide whether a solution to the problem is correct. Workplace health and safety have no such criteria. Proving Safety! A great book to reflect on.
Occupational Health & Safety Professional ( Multidisciplinary & Psychosocial ) | Empowering Safer Workplaces with Regulatory Insight |
6moNippin Anand and Greg Smith some amazing discussions and to the point. I loved the discussions around - doing less, so far as is reasonably practicable (which imo is an obligation to achieve a highest level of compliance) and managing critical risks, which I believe allows an organization to be objective and leverage its efforts for a broader impact. On the discussion around suicide and what more can and cannot be done from the work perspective, what Dr John Fitzgerald in the following podcast (FlourishDx: https://youtu.be/CohsSF5B6BU?si=XCDPD4Rkqs0J3xGX) talks about HOPE and HOPELESSNESS (at 01:05:51 to 01:08:00) is something that organizations can probe. Do our policies , processes , systems (formal and informal) create a sense of hope or hopelessness in employees?? Looking forward to more such content, great stuff!! 👍