Balance

Behold, my passion for graphic design.

I have been thinking a lot about the why the numbers haven't changed, and what might be the cause of it.

As part of that, I have now had a think about how to express the relationship between jobs, the work required to complete jobs, the cost of supplying that work and the level of risk that is accepted for those doing the work.

I ended up having to draw it out.

Here's how I think it all works:

Any given job will take an amount of time (T) to complete. It requires an amount of work (W). It is completed with an acceptable level of risk (R). It will cost a certain amount (C).

This is our starting point. T = 0, W = 0, R = 0, C = 0.

By allowing a higher level of cost (C), we can influence other parts of the project.

The additional C can be used to increase the supply of Work (W) that is available.

This over supply of W can be used to reduce the required time (T) needed to complete the job.

However, in most circumstances, reductions in T try to be accomplished without a corresponding increase in W. This comes about from a strong desire to not oversupply C.

So how do we do this?

Back to square one, where all our variables are back at 0.

The only way, and unfortunately the most common way, is to accept a higher level of risk (R) than we otherwise would.

Increasing the accepted level of risk will allow for the time required to reduce.

However, it is in these situations where fatal workplace accidents tend to occur.

With an arrow pointing to the relevant bit

Now, some might argue that this is simplistic and, in a way, it is. But that simplicity slices a couple of different ways.

Yes, I have absolutely dumbed down and taken a lot of complexity out of how decisions are made in the workplace. Of course I have. This is a broad representation of key components. It cannot, and will never, be able to account for the infinite variables that exist once you take something out of the theoretical space and make it practical.

But it does also show quite clearly the fundamental decisions that are made and how they come to be made.

A lot of the discourse around workplace safety centres on building buy-in and better procedures and more equipment and knowledge. And that's all well and good, but for mine none it is ever going to lead anywhere positive and unless we start discussing things in terms of reality.

This is, again for mine, reality. These are the decisions that are made on a daily basis. These are the decisions that lead to workplace accidents.

This is where the conversation needs to change