Embracing Differences

Greg Smith, author of 'Paper Safe,' enlightens listeners about the intricacies of critical risk management. He emphasizes the necessity for organizations to focus on significant risks to prevent major disasters, especially in industries like shipping. The conversation also highlights the importance of imagination and critical thinking in safety audits, encouraging a culture of thorough analysis. Additionally, Smith delves into the challenges of navigating assumptions in safety practices, advocating for open dialogues despite time constraints.

Greg Smith, an influential author known for his insights on safety and risk management, dives into the complexities of his latest work, Proving Safety. He discusses the critical gap between legal compliance and true safety management, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of risk. The conversation highlights the variability of safety practices in workplaces, the disconnect between safety protocols and legal frameworks, and the pursuit of meaningful safety metrics that go beyond mere data collection. A must-listen for anyone passionate about enhancing safety!

Greg Smith, a health and safety law expert and author, shares his journey from law to operational safety in the oil and gas sector. He discusses the disconnect between organizational priorities and genuine safety practices. Personal experiences play a pivotal role in shaping perceptions of workplace safety, as illustrated through impactful anecdotes. The conversation shifts to how advancements in communication and psychologically safe environments are vital for frontline workers, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based discussions to tackle critical risks.

This podcast is a discussion between Ron Gant and Nippin Anand about learning within the context of accident investigations. Ron and Nippin discuss the underlying beliefs, myths and the narratives of accident investigations and what it takes to learn from accidents. The podcast is based on Nippin’s recent book, ‘Are we learning from accidents?’.     Further details about the book can be found here: https://novellus.solutions/product/are-we-learning-from-accidents-nippin-anand/

In this podcast, Greg and Nippin discuss how can we learn from accidents. Greg asks Nippin a range of questions including who needs to learn, why we need to learn, and whether or not learning is even an issue of importance within organisations. You will discover some uncomfortable truths and deep-seated beliefs about how investigations are conducted and why we are so far away from learning from accidents.

In this podcast, Nippin speaks with Ivan Pupulidy and Crista Vesel about their latest book, ‘Human and Organisational Potential.’ The two authors discuss the motivation to write the book and the practical benefits that it brings to the risk and safety world which, in recent years, has become increasingly conscious about understanding and improving the human condition at work.  You can order their book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Human-Organization-Potential-Ivan-Pupulidy/dp/B0CQ477B5F/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?crid=2UIL4MMCBZZ55&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3ua2ZUpC5HER7YpS6A1Y5gv6dwF1lfxjI50SWN9KHKQ4ZP5UnMz5-WNwU2MHiBjN.Gn63gIh8L78EMaqukBdKpziseYctWQySILIOqxqvSmw&dib_tag=se&keywords=ivan+pupulidy&qid=1714564069&sprefix=%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-1-fkmr0  

I was in Athens a few weeks ago and I visited a church there. Upon seeing a picture hanging on the wall, I told the priest, ‘We have a very similar image in Hindu temples.’    And you know what the priest said, ‘but this is real.’ So, my faith is mythical and yours is real!    In science, we do the same.    A quest for ‘root cause’ is real. ‘Swiss Cheese’ is real, and witch hunt is mythical?   How interesting, huh??   Our ‘progressive society’ is so busy ‘debunking’ myth and creating a divide between what is mythical and what is real. But what really is a myth and can science and our quest for truth ever replace myth? And when we ‘debunk’ a myth what do we replace it with? Is science not a myth?   Here's a podcast recorded in an Indian temple with my two friends Dr Rob Long and Matthew Thorne where we talk about myth, mythology and mythosphere and discuss a few popular myths of risk and safety.   I hope this podcast will make you think, give you an alternative view on myth not better or worse, just an alternative view) and why human beings can never do away with myth in this day and age or in the future.   If you are left confused or disturbed, that is not necessarily a bad thing. What could be detrimental for learning is the temptation to dismiss an alternative viewpoint and especially one that challenges our deepest beliefs (and myths).   Disagreements and differences are so very welcome – how else do we learn!  

We often hear during risk and safety discussions that methodology does not matter, methods don’t matter, philosophy doesn’t matter, what matters is results, what matters is that whatever we set to achieve – we can achieve. And so, results matter, process is not important. Is that so?   What is a methodology?   Why do we need one?   Can we escape methodology and method?   What are we really saying when we say that methodology does not matter?   Can we ever abandon methodology?   What is the hidden message here?   What are the dangers of falling in the trap of a ‘methodology free’ world?   I hope this podcast will make you think and reflect on a simple question – what is your methodology when it comes to tackling risk?  And should that matter?   The podcast was done on a motorway whilst driving in Chennai, India. If you really want to enjoy the feeling of this podcast, I suggest watching it and not listening to the audio alone. The noise of the traffic and the feeling of being thrown around on bumpy roads makes it so much more fun. but of course, it is available both as an audio and video podcast. I hope you will enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. About Novellus: We are an internationally recognised team with a focus on risk management, safety culture and organisation learning using proven methods in Social Psychology of Risk.

This is the second in a series of 2 episodes on psychosocial harm. The question we ask in this two-part series – how safety practices can do more harm than good? In the first episode, our focus was more on understanding the problem of psychosocial harm from a legal and organisational perspective. In this episode, we focus on some practical ways to address these issues. I hope you will enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed creating this episode and it will make you think and reflect.    Rob, Greg, Pedro and Nippin are conducting a series of workshops in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong in May 2024.   Event dates: https://novellus.solutions/events/   About Novellus: We are an internationally recognised team with a focus on risk management, safety culture and organisation learning using proven methods in Social Psychology of Risk.   

Someone in your workplace has been bullied, discriminated or harassed. What do you do? Do you think people in your organisation are prepared to deal with these issues.    This podcast focuses on psychosocial risks and we question if we are doing more harm than good in the name of safety practices.    This is the first of a series of 2 podcasts where Greg Smith, Rob Long and Nippin Anand discuss the psychosocial harm that results from safety practices (for instance investigations, audits, inspections). The discussion takes a broader view of the problem from a legal, organisational and regulatory perspective.   We hope that this discussion will trigger some questions and introspections in you and within your groups.