One of the by-products of STEM-only thinking in safety is the taboo of consciousness. You won’t find this challenging issue being discussed anywhere in the industry. How strange, because if there was any one subject that should be of critical importance to this industry it would be about conscious … [Read more...] about The Challenge of the Consciousness Taboo
Unconscious
Gesture in Risk Matters
A gesture is an embodied communication that signals a bodily sign with or without language. When we wave goodbye or shake hands on ‘hello’ we communicate symbolically which is the power of embodied communication. Whether the ‘pat on the back’ is a metaphor or a physical gesture, it conveys … [Read more...] about Gesture in Risk Matters
Surfacing – Making the Unconscious Conscious
Surfacing - Making the Unconscious Conscious The elephant in the room in Safety is The Wayward Mind (Claxton ) and by ‘mind’ I don’t mean brain. The notion of ‘mind’ refers to the whole person: body, brain and environment. Humans are only persons-minds in social relation, this is what the noted … [Read more...] about Surfacing – Making the Unconscious Conscious
Behaviourist Neuroscience as Safety
Behaviourist Neuroscience as Safety It’s fascinating and entertaining to watch Safety manipulate the discipline of neuroscience to suit its own behaviourist worldview. Even more fascinating to watch Safety, with no expertise in neuroscience, bend this discipline to behaviourist outcomes then claim … [Read more...] about Behaviourist Neuroscience as Safety
Chronic Unease is Not Enough
Chronic Unease is Not Enough The concept of ‘chronic unease’ has been about in safety for some time. It was unfortunately put forward by Reason as a mindset to tackle complacency. Complacency is rarely well defined and is most associated with: in-alertness, lethargy, laziness, not being … [Read more...] about Chronic Unease is Not Enough
The New Enemy of Safety – The Unconscious
The New Enemy of Safety – The Unconscious I read with interest the ‘Safer Communities: Six Lessons in Health and Safety’ from the British Safety Council. The assumptions and hidden agenda of Lessons 1, 4, 5 and 6 are most concerning and demonstrate many of the problems associated with dumb down … [Read more...] about The New Enemy of Safety – The Unconscious
