I get sent safety ‘goop’ every day and it’s hard to keep up with just how dumb this industry can get.
The latest in the endless safety saga of speaking nonsense to people is this one (see Figure 1. Zero Harm in Our Lifetime).
Figure 1. Zero Harm in Our Lifetime
Of course, there can never be zero harm in any life time or in a million lifetimes. This is because zero harm is a phoney concept based on the denial of fallible mortal human life.
But just like ‘believe the impossible’ and all language of utopia and perfectionism (https://safetyrisk.net/utopian-language-and-the-quest-for-perfection-in-safety/) that saturates this silly industry, no one in safety believes it. This is supported by thousands of people who have responded to the zero survey (https://safetyrisk.net/take-the-zero-survey/).
It makes you wonder how these dreamers and fallibility deniers can keep coming out with this ‘goop’ as if no one understands just how dumb it is. If you want to read more of this stupidity have a look here at the speech presented at this summit: file:///Users/rl/Downloads/mhsc-ohs-summit-2022-nfakude-13october2022.pdf
Just read some of this nonsense:
‘The “in our lifetime” part makes all the difference because it signals that this is not a pipedream but something that we want to achieve with urgency’.
Of course, this goop is a pipedream. Just how are fallible mortal people in a random world of risk going to achieve perfection? How does setting a lifetime goal make any difference? How does any of this nonsense help anyone tackle risk?
And more:
‘But we know that words alone are not enough. It is the actions, the leadership, and the passion that make these declarations come alive’.
So, something comes alive by being a passionate declaration. This is the same in any claim of any religion. It must be true because I’m passionate about it and declare it to be true.
Then the speech continues to present all the injuries and fatalities in the mining industry. All premised on the nonsense idea that numerics is a demonstration of safety, which of course it isn’t. It’s all attribution and utter nonsense.
The speech continues by declaring that the industry never achieves its targets but never mind let’s set a new unachievable target ‘by the end of our lifetime’. Of course, you will forget that nothing was achieved in your lifetime, that way in thesnext lifetime the next lot can set a new goal of achieving zero in the next lifetime.
Then typical of zero perfectionism comes the mandatory blaming:
‘At present, people die or get injured because they don’t fully appreciate the risks they are exposed to, or because they’re prepared to tolerate them’ … ‘Or, worse, others might be injured or killed through the concealing of problems in the hope that they will never be noticed’.
Blind Freddy can see where all of this must end up, in brutalism (https://safetyrisk.net/nothing-is-learned-through-brutalism/ ).
Here’s more on the safety record on speaking nonsense to people:
· https://safetyrisk.net/believe-the-impossible-and-speak-nonsense-to-people/
· https://safetyrisk.net/spin-nonsense-language-and-propaganda-in-safety/
· https://safetyrisk.net/talking-zero-nonsense-to-people/
· https://safetyrisk.net/nonsense-goals-and-language-on-display/
One of my favourites in speaking nonsense to people is from back in 2010 with Balfour Beatty proudly spruiking nonsense about achieving zero harm in 2012. (See Figure 2. Zero Harm by 2012).
Figure 2. Zero Harm by 2012
Of course, any goal for zero can never be achieved.
The language of zero is not just nonsense but it is dangerous nonsense.
What’s more, none of this zero ‘goop’ is needed. None of this nonsense zero speak helps anyone tackle risk indeed, it turns the industry into a laughing stock and frames the work of safety as injury reduction in petty safety.
Poor olde Safety questing for perfection, the sure evidence of a mental health disorder.