Reframing Military Misconduct as a Safety Failure

The goal of occupational health and safety (OHS) is to prevent harm. The goal of most people is to not hurt others with their actions. However, some industry sectors don’t seem to apply these goals, or they rationalise the harm they cause for various reasons, including the greater good, or a corruption of the greater …

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Non-military safety lessons from the latest Royal Commission (open access)

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast an episode of The Signal on April 21, 2021, which discussed the complexity of the culture of Australia’s military, and I strongly recommend you listen to it. It does make some points about culture worth contemplating in the context of one’s own workplace and profession. The most useful point was … Continue reading “Non-military safety lessons from the latest Royal Commission (open access)”

Australia military and safety culture – update

Following repeated questions about the release date for the inquiry into the 2006 Blackhawk helicopter crash on HMAS Kanimbla and the publishing of some of the, supposed, recommendations in the Sydney Morning Herald, it is believed that the findings will be released around the middle of July 2008.

Australia military and safety culture

Australia is accumulating a considerable body of knowledge about safety cultures in workplaces.  Sadly most of the information comes from inquiries into disasters that involve multiple fatalities.  The UK has its body of knowledge from oil-rig explosions and train crashes.  Australia’s is predominantly from mining disasters, gas plant explosions and, also, train crashes. Now according … Continue reading “Australia military and safety culture”

Breaking the cycle of inquiry and inaction in emergency services reform

This week saw the release of an inquiry into the workplace culture of the New South Wales police force. The findings were damning, but even though all Australian jurisdictions have police forces, the report received little attention beyond NSW, perhaps because we have heard it before. Coincidentally, this report was published one week after Carlo …

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The Real Groundhog Day: Reports Change, Systems Don’t

Psychological health in the emergency services has come to the fore recently as governments pay more attention to using occupational health and safety (OHS) to push employers to prevent psychosocial hazards. In the emergency services, psychosocial hazards such as trauma cannot all be prevented; the best that can be achieved is lowering these risks as …

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‘I’ll Obey the Laws I Like’: A (Sad) Leadership Masterclass

The President of the United States has always been recognised as a major leader. The morality they display spreads to global corporate leaders, especially those in the United States, and is promoted by these leaders, business institutions and management publications to business leaders and senior executives in Australia. That is why some of President Donald …

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