Dr Robert Long challenges work health and safety policy makers and industry to adopt a more social understanding of human judgement and decision making.
Dr Robert Long is an expert in social psychology. In this podcast he talks about the ‘social psychology of risk’ and what it offers the work health and safety industry.
Dr Long argues that the work health and safety industry must accept risk to allow genuine innovation to occur. He says that risk assessment should be based on people as the most important aspect of the workplace.
Dr Long says people are subject to biases and social influences that impact on:
- judgement
- decision-making
- risk management in the workplace.
He explains that people cannot be controlled or forced into compliance through bureaucratic systems, matrices and checklists. He says that a better approach to safety and risk analysis involves:
- social scientists
- lawyers
- engineers
- human factors specialists.
This interview brings a fresh perspective on risk within the safety industry.
Who is this podcast for?
This podcast is particularly relevant to:
- social psychologists
- health and safety professionals and educators
- government policy agencies
- academics with an interest in work health and safety.
About the presenters
Dr Robert Long has extensive experience in risk management and work health and safety in the construction, mining, government, education, and community sectors. He is the Director of Human Dymensions, with multiple specialisations including organisational learning and the psychology of work health and safety.
He:
- holds qualifications in work health and safety
- is a member of the Safety Institute of Australia and the Australian College of Education
- was a senior consultant for SAFEmap International and Safety4Life Australia.