Playing by the Rules: How Our Obsession with Safety is Putting Us All at Risk

by Tracey Brown, Michael Hanlon

Does an airline pilot really need to surrender his tweezers at airport security when he's about to board an aircraft equipped with an axe on the back of the cockpit door?
Can a mobile phone really cause a major explosion at a gas station?
And is there really a good reason why you should be be prevented from swimming in a lake more than a foot deep?

These rules exist, and they exist in the name of our own protection. But in this engrossing dissection of global health, safety and security regulations, authors Tracey Brown and Michael Hanlon dig a little deeper to discover the real reasons behind many of the instructions we obey without questioning their creators' motives. Their conclusions range from the startling to the staggering, and in presenting them the authors seek to empower readers to question the people and organisations who come up with them in the first place.

Previously published as In the Interests of Safety.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2016

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Atlantic article blown up to book size, this serves mainly as a catalog of ill-considered safety and security regulations, and how they're implemented out of fear (fear of lawsuit just as often as real public fear). It has some useful sidebars containing tips on how to challenge regulations that the reader may be skeptical of.

In the end, this book will probably get great reviews from people who wholeheartedly agree that we've long past the point of diminishing returns on trying to nerf our world but that's just preaching to the choir. In terms of useful revelations or the ability to persuade safety-conscious doubters, this book won't have much impact.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooof, a hard hitting read. It'd sure be nice to stick my head in the sand but sadly, I'm not surprised with their findings.
I consider myself both better informed and better prepared by reading this book. I work in a highly-sensitive-to-safety-issues field where both children and outdoor adventure activities meet, so this was extra relevant to me. Having said that, it's highly relevant to literally everyone. If you are a person that lives in a society that has some rules you must follow, you will be well served by reading this book.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book. The authors made some interesting points about safety and security regulations that end up backfiring and causing less of the very safety and security they're trying to preserve. I found the way that they sub-sectioned chapters to be confusing. It felt like they kept making the same points in different areas, like they were trying to fill more pages.

[judy weaver]

How and why of safety rules. each chapter has an Asking For Evidence section. Yellow Book.