The Safety Profession’s Disconnect Between Process and Purpose -- Ep. 80
In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Greg Smith, an international award-winning author and qualified lawyer who has spent more than two decades specializing in Safety and Health management. Greg is also regarded as a leading provider of Safety training, particularly in the areas of management responsibilities and contractor safety management.
Describing himself as ‘Safety agnostic’, Greg doesn’t care how HSE professionals approach Workplace Safety - he just wants to help you be effective. However, he knows how challenging this can be and explains why Safety is a ‘wicked problem’ that is essentially unsolvable.
Gregs discusses the impact of legal frameworks on Safety Management and shares real-life examples of the unintended consequences of the criminalization of Safety.
Safety processes and measurement are the key themes of this fascinating conversation, as Greg highlights where the profession has become disconnected from its purpose and how this can be addressed.
Greg’s highly acclaimed book:
Paper Safe https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Safe-tri...
Greg recommends the following podcasts:
Safety Labs by Slice https://safetylabs.sliceproducts.com/
The Safety of Work https://safetyofwork.com/
Speak https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...
Rebranding Safety https://open.spotify.com/show/4xs4Khs...
Also this subscription service:
OHS Alert | Premium Workplace health and safety news https://www.ohsalert.com.au/
And Ben Hutchinson’s research: / benhutchinson2
Greg Smith on LinkedIn: / greg-smith-6a63449
Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: https://www.sliceproducts.com/
If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]
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TABLE OF CONTENT
0:00 Intro
02:14 Why Safety is a ‘Wicked problem’
05:03 The impact of legal frameworks on Safety
08:20 Safety blaming
14:15 The unintended consequences of the criminalization of Safety
20:20 Safety bureaucracy
22:35 Ineffective Safety Measurement
28:07 Corruption of purpose
32:11 The advantages of an inquiry-based model
37:00 Safety is a narrative, not a number
40:50 A lack of Safety literacy
43:18 Creating an environment to achieve better Safety outcomes
47:49 Empathy, curiosity and keeping in touch
49:20 Recommended resources for Safety professionals