Why Safety Isn’t a Profession

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Robert Long, founder of the social psychology of risk and an uncompromising voice in the world of safety.

Drawing on over 50 years of experience across multiple careers, Rob delivers a forthright challenge to the safety industry’s status quo, even maintaining that it doesn’t deserve to be called a profession.

“Nonsense” ideologies such as zero harm, and “meaningless” slogans like ‘blame fixes nothing’ are torn to shreds as Rob reveals safety’s ethical and educational deficiencies, and its lack of contextual awareness.

He critiques the dominant technicist worldview - narrowly focused on engineering and regulation - and calls for a radical shift towards a person-centered, transdisciplinary approach embracing disciplines outside of safety’s comfort zone.

This no-holes-barred interview will sound many alarm bells for safety ‘professionals’ who happily accept the current approaches to keeping workers safe.