One of the grand delusions of Safety observations and behaviourism are that observations are objective. They are not! Here are some critical questions one should consider when thinking about safety observations: What are you observing? Who are you observing? Do they know you are … [Read more...] about Observation is neither neutral or objective
Behaviour Based Safety
No Paradigm Shift with BBS
The cardinal rule in safety is to present what you are not by stating what something is, then claiming the myth created as true. Then anchor a symbol and ritual to that myth and it becomes the new truth. Is it true? No! Does it work? No! But why let reality get in the way of a good myth. This is the … [Read more...] about No Paradigm Shift with BBS
No Safety in Numbers
No Safety in Numbers I was asked to present recently to a group in the USA on the fixation/psychosis of Safety with numbers. I started with the title of this blog making two points: that you are no safer in a crowd/group, dispelling the myth ‘there is always safety in numbers’ and then spoke on the … [Read more...] about No Safety in Numbers
Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health
The foundation for behaviourism is the myth of ‘in and out’. This simplistic discipline imagines that fallible humans respond to positive and negative reinforcement like computer-like objects. Behaviour then becomes the sum of inputs and outputs. Nothing could be further from the truth. All of this … [Read more...] about Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health
Safety Doesn’t Understand The Dance of Risk
I wrote about ‘understanding risk’ 6 years ago (https://safetyrisk.net/understanding-risk/) referencing the work of Kahneman, Slovic, Plous and Tversky. Their work on risk decision making first emerged in the 1970s. This ground breaking researched should have shifted the addiction of Safety to … [Read more...] about Safety Doesn’t Understand The Dance of Risk
Seven Ways To Tell If BBS Is Right For You
By Phil LaDuke. First published here As many of you know I rarely miss a chance to take a cheap shot at Behavior Based Safety so it might surprise you that I am writing an article that supports the use of BBS in some circumstances. There are indeed many circumstances where BBS isn’t just the … [Read more...] about Seven Ways To Tell If BBS Is Right For You
Tackling the Challenge of Heuristics in Safety
The recognition of heuristics as the foundation for all human decision making is critical to skill development and implementation of SPoR (https://safetyrisk.net/spor-and-disposing-of-bad-myths/) in the workplace. One of the silly myths of behaviourism in safety is the complete ignorance of … [Read more...] about Tackling the Challenge of Heuristics in Safety
SpoR and The BBS Myth
Continuing our series on Safety Myths – see them all hereThe BBS Myth (https://safetyrisk.net/is-bbs-credible/) is founded on the erroneous assumptions of behaviourism. Behaviourism is an antiquated idea developed in the 1930s based on simplistic binary notions of humans as objects … [Read more...] about SpoR and The BBS Myth
More Safety Code to Disguise Behaviourism
It’s always entertaining when Safety talks about what it believes in and it’s ‘values’ by omitting what it believes in and naming its values. Such is safety code (https://safetyrisk.net/deciphering-safety-code/). Take for example this piece, clearly Behaviourist (SHP meets Bertrand Gibert) that … [Read more...] about More Safety Code to Disguise Behaviourism
Why Safety is Attracted to Behaviourism
There is no doubt that simplistic back and white binary thinking and methods are attractive. Who wants complex or ‘wicked’ when a simple delusion will do. All you have to do is place such a worldview over reality and make it fit your assumptions and then ensure you never talk about any of the … [Read more...] about Why Safety is Attracted to Behaviourism
