The Wrong Mindset!

Kia Ora,

With the on going bad weather it seemed to at least in my area cut down incidents.

But some of the things going on this last week showed how little New Zealanders actually have a culture of risk assesment.

Of all the cultures in the world the worst I come across in this respect is everytime I return home. It seems to be getting worse.

The mindset is totally wrong in this country. What we see time & time again in security is that people seem to think those warning signs are for everybody but them.

The incidents this week were people ignored road closed signs, removed or moved them was just idiotic, even having to result in the police in arresting one person at least.

We often joke that if it was ten foot high neon & flashing, Kiwis would still think it is for everyone else but them.

It is not just a one off either. We see it on our roads were nice quiet people take undue risks.

The following two incidents probably best give the attitude to safety & the mindset of New Zealanders to their health & safety as well as that of those they supposedly care about.

Twenty minutes was all that was between these two incidents.

Based in a fenced area where fireworks were to be set up (they were on site) with signs on the fences saying explosives keep out.

The first incident just blew me away. A couple with two children aged about 3 or 4 moved the end of the fence & entered the area.

When challenged  the response was the standard "use some commonsense you idiot, it is the shortest route". There was the question asked as if they were fit parents to be bringing young children into an area signposted as dangerous.

The second incident was four 20 something's with two males & two females climbing the fence.

Again challenged, again the same answer. When it was pointed out that they had climbed a fence with signs saying "Explosives! Keep Out!" Their response was "where didn't see one?" "You climbed over one."

From there their reaction was again normal Kiwi. It was your fault & we are going to smash you & keep going anyway. Just happened to be their bad day as at the end of the area there was a security briefing in progress combined with police elements.

Now we all do silly things at times, but there needs to be a huge change in mindset.

But that mindset comes back to why it is so hard for the NZ security industry to actually carryout a true risk assessment for events such as the Rugby World Cup 2011.

It is also why it is hard to convince the industry to adopt a risk assessment culture that is dynamic & on going as they walk into situations.

It does not mean we don't do anything.  If we did risk assessment in the way NZ does we would of never gone out on task in Iraq. There was a risk, we knew it, but by again having that dynamic risk assessment as we moved along, you mitigated your risk.

                                         http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz