This audio summary explores the provocative concept of "safety anarchism" through a conversation with Professor Sidney Dekker, author of The Safety Anarchist. Originally broadcast in 2017, the discussion challenges conventional views on workplace safety and bureaucracy, contrasting the disorder of anarchy with the collaborative ethos of anarchism. Dekker critiques Australia’s massive compliance burden and questions whether increased regulation has actually improved safety outcomes. He advocates for decentralised authority, ground-up innovation, and a reimagining of the safety profession—moving beyond surveillance and paperwork toward embedded expertise and genuine responsibility.

This is the first in a three-part series revisiting key ideas from the original interviews.