Is zero harm a utopian fantasy?

An interesting extract from Sherratt & Dainty’s much debated 2017 paper – covered in tomorrow’s Safe AF podcast ep #8.

They argue that zero approaches are a utopia that:

“was challenged and even derided by the construction workers themselves, for whom the lived realities of their working lives tells them Zero is, and is likely to remain, a utopian fantasy, totally incompatible with the current challenges of production that they face on a daily basis”

And if zero should be more about the vision inspiring change, then:

“such innovative change cannot readily be identified in UK construction safety management; there has been a lack of identifiable development in work practices beyond the simple application of ‘Brand Zero’”.

Make sure to subscribe to Safe AF on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.

I also have a Safe AF LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.

Links below.

Ref: Sherratt, F., & Dainty, A. R. (2017). UK construction safety: a zero paradox?. Policy and practice in health and safety, 15(2), 108-116.