Risk! Engineers Talk Governance

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss R2A's preferred approach to due diligence.

They explain why they start with a top-down approach, usually starting with the military intelligence, threat and vulnerability technique. And how often organisations who have started with a bottom-up process have been floundering for some time, come to R2A to cut through the detail.

Richard and Gaye also discuss:

· importance of selecting the right tools and techniques for the job,

· need for multiple perspectives and approaches to ensure a comprehensive analysis,

· importance of bringing key stakeholders together and the challenges of working in silos,

· need for preparation and adaptability in the due diligence process.

Please note the matrix mentions is available in all R2A publications. You can find these at https://www.r2a.com.au/store
If you'd like to learn more about Richard & Gaye's due diligence work at R2A, head to www.r2a.com.au or get in contact at [email protected].

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss control and reasonableness in WHS/PHS legislation.

They explain that the WHS/OHS legislation is a statutory statement of the common law duty of care and a defence against negligence, and that there’s two primary controls for negligence defence: no power defence (lack of control) and doing every reasonably practicable thing to address the matter. The aspect of control is built into the reasonableness decision in the legislation.

The episode also covers:

• the importance of not getting caught up in arguments about responsibility and instead taking collective responsibility for addressing hazards.
• Lord Atkin's question "Who is my neighbour?" and how the legal ruling relates to design process and retrospective design review.
• the benefits of the due diligence approach in bringing key stakeholders together to collectively address safety issues.

The Criminal Manslaughter booklet mentioned can be found at https://www.r2a.com.au/store/p/r2a-criminal-manslaughter-directors-booklet

For more information on Gaye and Richard’s due diligence work at R2A, head to https://www.r2a.com.au/

In this episode of the Risk! Engineers Talk Governance podcast, Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss the relationship between art and engineering.

They draw parallels between the roles of artists and engineers, highlighting the importance of composition, execution, and management in both fields. They outline the different types of engineers, such as creators, managers/consultants, and specialists, and the need for all three types in successful engineering organisations. Richard emphasises the importance of recognising and focusing on one's strengths in order to have a satisfying and successful career.

Their conversation also touches on the challenges of small businesses, the role of innovation, and the limitations of relying solely on standards in engineering.

If you’d like to learn more about Richard and Gaye’s work, head to https://www.r2a.com.au.

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss Code of Practice and WHS/OHS confusion in relation to a presentation they delivered to the Dam Owners and Operators' Forum in Queensland recently, called "How do we do ALARP? Meeting a duty of care."

They explain how the Code of Practice doesn’t align with WHS/OHS legislation and if you conduct an “augmented ALARP” as suggested by the ANCOLD (Australian National Committee on Large Dams) Guideline it does not promote innovation or an efficient due diligence process. and that this exists in a number of industry guidelines.

They also discuss the Oroville & Edenville Dam breaks (USA), how risk is multidimensional, how many industry guidelines have the same issues, and considering reciprocity as part of diligent decision making.

Discover more about Richard and Gaye’s work at https://www.r2a.com.au.

In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss the application of due diligence in the Marine Pilotage industry.

They discuss various consulting work they’ve done with Marine Pilots across Australia and New Zealand ports, and summarise the key take-away that the process is no different for pilotage due diligence reviews than any other (industry’s) due diligence review.

That is,

• There needs to be an argument as to why all the credible critical issues have been identified.
• In a port, they typically look at all the user groups and what activities they're doing.
• Look at all the controls that can be put in place, which are reasonable in the circumstances.
• Always needs to be a quality assurance system to make sure that what is being put in place are sustained and managed accordingly.

But, noting, there will be site specific or port specific issues so the controls put in place may be different.

Find out more about Richard and Gaye’s consulting work at https://www.r2a.com.au.