Risk! Engineers Talk Governance

In this episode of Risk!Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis explore organisational Cunning versus Smart and why it matters deeply for health, safety, and governance.
Richard draws on decades of observing large organisations and argues that the people who rise to the top aren't always the most competent, they're often the most cunning. But cunning alone isn't enough. The real sweet spot, what Richard calls wisdom, is the rare combination of intellectual smarts, real-world experience, and strategic savvy.
The conversation turns to boards and the growing concern that professional board members are increasingly disconnected from the industries they govern and they reflect on how this experiential gap is shifting boards toward managing legal liability rather than optimising safety, and what that means for organisations operating under SFAIRP obligations.
They also dig into the tension between institutional knowledge and innovation. Why you need people who've lived and breathed an industry, complemented with fresh eyes willing to challenge the status quo, and how engineering's broader role in building a better society fits into all of it.
And don’t miss Richard’s Kardashians vs Muppets joke at the end and how it relates to the topic.
 
If you’d like us to cover a specific topic or have any feedback we’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected].
For further information on Richard and Gaye’s consulting work with R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au, where you’ll also find their booklets (store) and a sign-up for their quarterly newsletter to keep informed of their latest news and events. 
Gaye is also founder of Australian women’s safety workwear company Apto PPE https://www.aptoppe.com.au.

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis explore the use of ignorance in health and safety decisions and how it’s being used to not make decisions and not deliver the best safety outcomes for organisations.
Richard and Gaye examine the growing trend of shorter board tenures and how this lack of long-term intellectual property can affect diligent decisions, especially when directors lack deep familiarity with the technical hazards their organisations face. They also discuss how decision-makers often surround themselves with people who won't ask uncomfortable and challenging questions, or filter information that reaches Boards.
They also discuss optimism bias and the commercial tendency to dismiss risk as pessimism. They argue that the SFAIRP (So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable) framework demands more than just taking action on known hazards. It requires a clear, documented justification for inaction — and that justification needs to be revisited continuously as technology, knowledge, and circumstances evolve.
They conclude that genuine safety governance isn't about guaranteeing nothing bad will ever happen, but being able to look the next of kin in the eye and say, hand on heart, that everything reasonable was done.
The SFAIRP moral imperative versus commercial reality.
 
If you’d like us to cover a specific topic or have any feedback we’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected].
For further information on Richard and Gaye’s consulting work with R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au, where you’ll also find their booklets (store) and a sign-up for their quarterly newsletter to keep informed of their latest news and events. 
Gaye is also founder of Australian women’s safety workwear company Apto PPE https://www.aptoppe.com.au.

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss Delaying Decisions to avoid SFAIRP (So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable).
Their conversation covers:
if lack of a decision is the result of ignorance and poor governance rather than deliberate strategy
how the elimination option often gets tested far too late in the design process
why briefing board members and their legal counsel on WHS legislation obligations is often what finally moves the needle
the example the case of the Port of Auckland's Chief Executive serve as a reminder that commercial priorities don't shield senior decision makers from criminal consequences
if you're going to delay or decline a safety decision, you must document your reasoning thoroughly, revisit it regularly as circumstances change, and understand that sitting on a decision is itself a courageous choice.
 
If you’d like us to cover a specific topic or have any feedback we’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected].
For further information on Richard and Gaye’s consulting work with R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au, where you’ll also find their booklets (store) and a sign-up for their quarterly newsletter to keep informed of their latest news and events. 
Gaye is also founder of Australian women’s safety workwear company Apto PPE https://www.aptoppe.com.au.

In this episode, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss New Zealand's Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill and explore why New Zealand is leading the in workplace health and safety.
They break down the key changes in the amendment, including a sharper focus on critical risk and what this means for both large organisations and small PCBUs. 
The conversation touches on the real-world prosecutions that appear to have motivated the reform, including the White Island volcanic eruption and the conviction of the former CEO of the Port of Auckland.
Richard and Gaye also reflect on how many organisations are getting too consumed by lower-level compliance activity while the critical risks get deprioritised or ignored entirely.
 
If you’d like us to cover a specific topic or have any feedback we’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected].
For further information on Richard and Gaye’s consulting work with R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au, where you’ll also find their booklets (store) and a sign-up for their quarterly newsletter to keep informed of their latest news and events. 
Gaye is also founder of Australian women’s safety workwear company Apto PPE https://www.aptoppe.com.au.

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss Resilient Infrastructure, Risk & Adaptation Strategies.
Following their attendance at the recent forum hosted by Engineers Australia's Risk Engineering Society and the Institute of Strategic Risk Management they unpack the big questions it raised about resilient infrastructure.
From Victorian bushfires to the Dreamworld tragedy, to Finland's invasion-proof subways, they explore what resilience really means in practice; who defines it, who's responsible for it, and why "future proofing" is often considered optional.
They discuss why resilience can't be managed in silos, how it means different things to different people, and how a due diligence and SFAIRP approach can shift resilience from a reactive response to a proactive strategy.
 
If you’d like us to cover a specific topic or have any feedback we’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected].
For further information on Richard and Gaye’s consulting work with R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au, where you’ll also find their booklets (store) and a sign-up for their quarterly newsletter to keep informed of their latest news and events. 
Gaye is also founder of Australian women’s safety workwear company Apto PPE https://www.aptoppe.com.au.