1. Risk and Safety Maturity-: Thinking about the human dimensions
“Social psychology knows that we don’t have much
control of our decisions and that many of our decisions
are conditioned by social arrangements and context.”
“It is a delusion to think the one chooses safety,
the idea that human will has power over social variables
is ludicrous.”
“Much of our decision making is shaped in our unconscious
And influenced by social context. Safety needs to grapple
with the fact that much of human decision making is
Undertaken in a state of non thinking.”
Dr Robert Long

2. Actus Prohibeo or, The Art of Zen and Risk Management 1
While the risk is present, it is no risk at all until we engage with it.
How we engage with it determines how the risk effects us.
If we engage with it in a state of unthinking we are fully exposed to the risk.
If we engage with the risk having consciously made decisions to limit its effects our exposure is diminished.

3. Actus Prohibeo or, The Art of Zen and Risk Management 2
How can a “society” influence the thinking of an individual at the unconscious level to create mindfulness to
influence behaviour and mitigate risk?
One of the most common statements made by persons after an accident is, I just wasn’t thinking!
What can be done to activate conscious decision making at the worksite, before the act. Actus Prohibeo

4. By understanding that for our purposes “society’’
translates to organisation and that within our
organisation we have established an arrangement, some
conditioning and context around the management
of risk we can also understand that we have established
a context in which there are strong variables aimed
at managing risk and staying safe.
Therefore a seedbed or platform has been established
into which more mature thinking on the human
dimensions of decision making around risk can be
introduced.

5. “They already know what to do.
Humanise and respect them.
Let them get on with it.
Let go.”
Dr Rob Long
The Smile of Reason

6. Humanise and respect them.
I know why it needs to be done
I know how to do it
I have all I need to do it with
I am valued for my skills and knowledge
You asked me and I listened to me
I can see my input in the system
You supported me
You showed me
You understood me
You understand and value my culture
The smile of reason
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is
excellent in others belong to us as well.”
Voltaire

7. Move
To
COMPLIANCE
REACTIVE
Know me
Value me
Ask me
Let me show
you
Listen
Start with me
See my
culture
Let me
I see results
It works
Its worthwhile
I’m supported
I’m valued
My culture’s
understood
I was allowed
Did it
P
R
O
A
C
T
I
V
E
C
A
L
C
U
L
A
T
I
V
E
Tell me
Check me
Make me
Don’t let me
Talk don’t listen
Start with you
Ignore my
culture
Blame me
HUMANISING
Fear & Systems
Driven
People Driven & Systems
Supported

8. The Art of Zen and Risk Management 4 Focusing consciousness
• Something that-:
• triggers a conscious focus on the work
• is small but startlingly SMART
• maintains focus from the beginning to the end
• will endure past normal distractions
• capitalises on the humanising culture in place

9. Focusing consciousness-: Reversing the Swiss Cheese Model
Reasons model uses the holes in Swiss Cheese as a mechanism to link causations leading to an incident
In effect it is a negative model as it illustrates what went wrong.
Thinking laterally the model , which is so familiar and well understood, can be used positively to link causations that
lead to an absence of an incident. In effect a visual map and proactive tool to focus consciousness and avoid incidents.
Bugger!
Didn’t
see that
coming!

10. What am I
doing now?
What are the
risks?
I have controlled
the risk
START
Using the Swiss Cheese Model
to focus consciousness
2 simple questions
1 powerful answer