Should risk matrices simply be abandoned because of their baked-in flaws?

Are risk matrices better than nothing? Should we use them because we don’t have a better alternative? Or, can matrices result in assessments **worse than random chance**, reward arbitrary calculations, and reinforce human perceptual filters and risk blindness? Are many of the issues of matrices baked into their design, rather than resulting from the users?… Continue reading Should risk matrices simply be abandoned because of their baked-in flaws?

Problems with Risk Matrices Using Ordinal Scales

This covers some core problems with risk matrices. It’s argued that while they’re established tools, appearing to be “authoritative, and intellectually rigorous”, this “could be just an illusion …bred by the human bias of uncertainty aversion and authority bias”. Hence, matrices have “many flaws” that can “diminish their usefulness to the point where they become… Continue reading Problems with Risk Matrices Using Ordinal Scales

Control charts for accident frequency: a motivation for real-time occupational safety monitoring

This paper compares real-time or active monitoring of safety incidents via cumulative sum (CUSUM) control charts. It’s an interesting read, and if you’re not savvy with control charts or statistics then just skip over the technical stuff. Some of the findings are still pretty relevant. In saying that, I’ve skipped most of the dense statistical… Continue reading Control charts for accident frequency: a motivation for real-time occupational safety monitoring

How to make injury metrics suck less?

How can we make injury metrics suck less? So this came out of a conversation with somebody (thanks Jordan Vince). I’m **not** a promoter of injury measures. I think we spend FAR too much time quibbling over what are, statistically speaking, quite rare events, when we have the entire spectrum of daily work to learn… Continue reading How to make injury metrics suck less?

Does probability exist?

Really cool article talking about probability – does it exist? Is it an objective property of the world, or a subjective and constructed phenomenon? And more. Thanks to Ben Cattaneo for putting this on my radar. Can’t do this justice and I’ve skipped HEAPS, so check out the full paper. Thanks to **** for highlighting… Continue reading Does probability exist?