Book Review: The SAFE Leader

Mark McBride-Wright MBE CENG; ISBN: 979-8887970738; Publish Your Purchase; 2024; US$25.40 (Print)

WHAT a breath of fresh air. As a professional development practitioner of both engineering staff and students, I believe The SAFE Leader couldn’t be more timely. The unspoken realities in the complex world of engineering practice are currently bubbling below the surface in our engineering classrooms and workspaces, in many cases a pressure keg waiting to erupt.

Engineers are meant to be problem solvers at the interface of science, technology, society, and nature (UNESCO, 2010). The primary criterion in any engineering activity is safety. It is in this space – underpinned by the broadest definition of safety – that Mark McBride-Wright takes us on a journey below the surface.

Long gone are the notions that engineering is about technical knowledge and skills in some idealised context devoid of humans. All engineering activity, whether in education or practice, involves people and is in the service of society. The sheer scale of mental health issues that has emerged post-Covid – across professions – demands attention, along with the uncomfortable conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).