One of the amusing things about Safety is not silly attempts at humour (https://safetyrisk.net/whats-funny-about-safety/) but watching closed minded academics (non-Transdisciplinary) argue about how many angels can dance on a pin head. … [Read more...] about Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
Safety Differently
If You’re Happy in Safety, Clap Your Hands
When we were kids we used to sing this song in Primary school and it is still sung by kids today (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwTwt4oIW3U). It is a cute little song and easy to sing when one is innocent about the world and comes from a comfortable middle-class home. In some ways the singing of … [Read more...] about If You’re Happy in Safety, Clap Your Hands
Organisations are Social Institutions
Organisations are Social Institutions I saw a meme the other day from the safety sphere that stated: ‘We, all of us, are just one new executive away from having to start again at the very beginning’. Of course, this is utter nonsense. The idea that ‘we’ (the organized) are shaped by the shifting of … [Read more...] about Organisations are Social Institutions
Safety Silences – Video Series
Safety Silences - Video Series We get asked so often about various topics and ideas that are never discussed in traditional safety (including ‘safety differently’) so, we decided to start a video series called ‘Safety Silences’. The purpose of this video series is to discuss topics that seem to be … [Read more...] about Safety Silences – Video Series
Think Different, Act Differently in Risk
Think Different, Act Differently in Risk The ‘think different’ campaign for Macintosh (Think_different) was a highly successful campaign to differentiate one computer platform against another. The campaign was launched by this successful video. The campaign marked the return of Steve Jobs to Apple … [Read more...] about Think Different, Act Differently in Risk
A Much Better Way To Think About Incident Investigations
I’ve recently seen and done a few incident investigations which really fell short of any mark except for ticking the box on the form that says ‘investigation completed’. There are ongoing debates about whether ICAM is better than TapRoot or if that is better than Root Cause Analysis or BowTie or … [Read more...] about A Much Better Way To Think About Incident Investigations
Do we Need a Different Way of Being in Safety?
Do we Need a Different Way of Being in Safety? There are many people working in Safety who seek a ‘different’ way of engaging with others, and rightly so. The current policing and patrolling approaches adopted by many, seem to be doing little to support people in how they tackle the challenges of … [Read more...] about Do we Need a Different Way of Being in Safety?
Safety as a Worldview
Safety as a Worldview It is interesting observing the discourse (transmission of power) in safety regarding version 1, 2 or 3 as if Safety is about a ‘style’ of engagement and activity. A recent article by Kevin Jones highlights the problem (Golden Rules, ethics, leadership and workplace safety). … [Read more...] about Safety as a Worldview
There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
One of the fascinating delusions of the safety industry is the myth of objectivity. There is none so, get used to it and work with it. This is why it’s important to educate people in critical thinking. Sorry to tell you, but every risk assessment design, form and checklist carries the bias of the … [Read more...] about There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
The Dynamics of Dehumanisation
The Dynamics of Dehumanisation It is a very sobering experience to stand in a gas chamber and reflect on what happened there. I recently stood in the facility of Mathausen-Gusen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauthausen-Gusen_concentration_camp), one of the largest concentration camps in the Third … [Read more...] about The Dynamics of Dehumanisation