Citation

McKenna FP. J. Occup. Accid. 1990; 11(3): 171-181.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

While McKenna (1987) defended the usefulness of conventional safety measures against the attacks offered by risk homeostasis theorists, Wilde (1989) has replied arguing that the empirical evidence does not contradict risk homeostasis theory and that McKenna has misunderstood the concept of homeostasis. It is shown that Wilde's use of the term homeostasis is inconsistent and the position presented by Wilde (1989) is at variance with the authority he cites. It is also shown that the position offered by Wilde when attacking conventional safety measures differs from the position he adopts when defending the theory against empirical evidence and that the very "flexible" position adopted by Wilde when he defends the theory completely undermines his attack on conventional safety measures.