Vertical Safety is in principle a business technique or process that optimizes safety in any organization (even countries), by vertically integrating horizontal layers of technical and managerial endeavour. See the Safety Pyramid below:

The above depiction shows horizontal layers affecting safety where a bottoms-up, vertically oriented, iterative process resulting in a positive spiraling safety output is achieved. That is why the end result of the process is sustainable, i.e. safety is determinable and therefore sustainable.

The term Vertical Safety is an attempt to differentiate this safety technique from current best practices, all of which are horizontally oriented. There is nothing wrong with horizontal techniques but they are designed to operate at the Occupation or Integrate levels shown above. In fact, those processes are essential at that level.

An example of a well defined horizontal process is as follows:

The point being made by highlighting Vertical Safety is not that everybody should now start using it as the latest fashion. No, one should in fact use both processes for what they were designed to do.

This is another reason why the Vertical Safety products are not in competition with other safety suppliers, in fact Vertical Safety has no competitors, just colleagues, partners and participants.

Since the concept of Vertical Safety was identified, analysis by Multiply Safety and Johann Theron identified 6 product lines supporting the implementation of the overall vertical process with respect to sustainability.

Naturally only one product will make an initial safety improvement all on its own, but implementing all six products at National level will improve the sustainability of the country and at lower levels, organizations and communities.

But still the question arises, where does all this come from?

Safety performance improved as technology became more reliable after WW2. Despite Moore’s Law however, safety improvements did not “double” with every technology jump which is only partly responsible for the notice-able slowdown in safety performance metrics. The primary reason for a persisting Safety Plateau is the social de-construction of safety into many disconnected parts.

When safety became a moral voter issue in Democratic countries, politicians referred this “risk” issue to their legal advisors because they had no “Systems” champion.  Regulations raised the risk liability where the risk was then referred back to finance managers which insured themselves and their companies.

Spreading or (de-constructing) the risk of safety does not actually solve the original problem of the people. What Vertical Safety promotes is that the “opportunity” of the risk be exploited as opposed to the liability.

This is only possible by referring back to technical means (Systems) where processes allowing the balancing of safety and economics can be developed.

What made a workable solution possible was that the Military already applied these techniques because they are “effectiveness driven”. The Military is therefore able to answer a simple question posed during a recent Automation World Webinar-6029 namely: Where is the next level?

Vertical Safety has identified the next level and adapted it by means of the trademarked Vertical Safety Technique for Industry.

If you would like to know more about Vertical Safety contact us or call us on +27 71 881 3577 for further assistance.