A simple and practical guide to NZ Health and Safety

Does creating a culture of safety mean getting rid of the 'ol number 8 wire'? This is a general 'fear', 'concern' or misconception I come across on a regular basis when talking to people about health and safety.  Before we can answer that question, we should look at three things, what is 'culture'?, what is 'safety'? and what exactly is the 'ol number 8 wire'? Culture  is defined in many ways by people. However a couple definitions that resonate with me are   ' Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. In this case 'safety' By Kim Ann Zimmerman The  Center for Advance Research on Language Acquisition  goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group ...

         Are you a competent risk taker? Is it a straight yes or no type question? I don't know, but I wanted to find out. During a discussion with a colleague earlier this year he left me with some parting words which have stuck in my mind for some time, and that is the the theory of 'competent risk taking'. This  theory leaves me feeling fascinated and confused. I really do like it.  Thinking of my son aged 7 (pictured above), I can't dare not ask the question... are we not all competent risk takers? We all start taking risks at such an early age. I mean everything we do is about the 'severity of the consequence' vs. 'the likelihood of that consequence' (even though we not not consciously be saying that).  So thought I was best to start at the beginning, by breaking the words down; competent adjective having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully. risk This is not a board game! According to the ' International Or...