Season 5 Wrap on Difficult Conversations & Engineering for Communities

Season 5 Wrap on Difficult Conversations & Engineering for Communities

Author: Richard Robinson & Gaye Francis May 31, 2025 Duration: 13:43
Drop us a note In this final episode of Season 5, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis conclude their theme of difficult conversations engineers need to have as well as discuss Engineering for Communities. They explore how engineering should focus on improving rather than maintaining the status quo, and the concerning trend of engineers being sidelined in critical decision-making processes. The discussion includes: How councils and planning decisions have become "de...

Ever found yourself wondering why safety and risk management in engineering feels so tangled, expensive, and disconnected from actual results? That’s the exact territory explored in Risk! Engineers Talk Governance. Hosted by Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis, both seasoned due diligence and risk engineers who co-direct the consultancy R2A, this podcast cuts through the complexity that’s grown around the industry. They’ve watched, with a practical engineer’s eye, as fields like OHS and WHS have ballooned into a costly business in themselves, often leaving organisations out of pocket without seeing meaningful improvements. What sets their conversations apart is a foundation in real engineering practice-they come from the tools-and-dirt side of things, not just a policy manual. Each episode digs into governance frameworks, decision-making, and compliance, but always through the lens of applied engineering logic and on-the-ground experience. It’s for professionals in technology, business, and management who are tired of checkbox exercises and want to hear frank discussions about making risk management sensible, effective, and value-adding again. You’ll get their direct, no-nonsense perspectives on bridging the gap between boardroom obligations and operational reality, making this podcast a unique resource for anyone tasked with building safer, more resilient organisations without the pointless overhead.
Author: Language: en-au Episodes: 75

Risk! Engineers Talk Governance
Podcast Episodes
AI (Artificial Intelligence), Robots, Controls & Liability [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:35
Drop us a note In this episode, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss controls and liability when it comes to AI and robots. OHS/WHS legislation require achieving the highest level of hazard c…
Major IT Outage - Criticality & Resilience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:50
Drop us a note In this special Risk! Engineers Talk Governance episode, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss the recent IT outage that affected systems worldwide and the importance of critica…
How Standards stifle innovation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:35
Drop us a note In this episode of Risk! Engineers Talk Governance, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis from R2A discuss how standards stifle innovation. They highlight the frustration of engineers w…
Risk Appetite versus Zero Harm & the Confusion at Board levels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:12
Drop us a note In this podcast episode, due diligence engineers Richard Robinson and Gaye Francis discuss the concept of risk appetite versus zero harm and the confusion it creates at board levels because they're trying…
Code of Practice & WHS/OHS Confusion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:13
Drop us a note 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 Opera…
Control & Reasonableness in WHS/OHS Legislation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:48
Drop us a note 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 sta…