‘Whenever Safety is used as an adjective whatever follows is moronic’ - Dr Rob Long In his book “Drift Into Failure”, the attention Sidney Dekker gives to the importance of language is critical as he states: ‘What we need is a language that can help us get to a more functional account … whose … [Read more...] about Doing Away With Health and Safety–Language and People
Communication and Consultation
Dumb Down Safety on Full Show in Fake HSE UK Poster
Nothing surprises me in the world of dumb down safety like a cheap poster of misinformation, disinformation, sexism and condescension. This poster was passed to me this week doing the rounds on Linkedin. I got off ‘Dumbedin’ years ago. The poster is a mock up of the official HSE UK poster … [Read more...] about Dumb Down Safety on Full Show in Fake HSE UK Poster
The Art of Active Listening in Risk
The Art of Active Listening in Risk I have written before about the importance of listening over telling in risk: https://safetyrisk.net/listening-to-the-symbols-of-christmas/ https://safetyrisk.net/icue-listening-engagement-manual/ … [Read more...] about The Art of Active Listening in Risk
Where is the Value in Safety Day?
Where is the Value in Safety Day? Latest blog by Phil LaDuke who says: “The world loves a hypocrite, and for whatever reason, people tend to take a hard look at safety practitioners for any sign of hypocrisy”…... SEE THE ORIGINAL POST HERE Next week I will be conducting the activities surrounding … [Read more...] about Where is the Value in Safety Day?
Numbed by Spin, Desensitized to Risk
Numbed by Spin, Desensitized to Risk So much of what circulates across safety is little more than spin or propaganda. The best way to interrogate such discourse is by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) Skills in CDA help reflection and insight into how text, narrative, myth, symbol and story are … [Read more...] about Numbed by Spin, Desensitized to Risk
Discourse Analysis, Safety Alerts and Safety Boards
Discourse Analysis, Safety Alerts and Safety Boards There’s nothing quite like the tokenistic display of a safety alert. Go into any organization and see what’s on the safety notice board, observe the wall paper and then contemplate why people don’t take safety seriously. It’s like the safety … [Read more...] about Discourse Analysis, Safety Alerts and Safety Boards
Conversation about Safety Conversations
Conversation about Safety Conversations Today's drop with Dave Whitefield from Semiosphere and Andrew Thornhill from Clarity Enabled is a Conversation about Safety Conversations. What is a conversation? When should we have them? Why should we have them? What is part of the art of conversation? To … [Read more...] about Conversation about Safety Conversations
The Unconscious In Risk Decision Making
The Unconscious In Risk Decision Making A brilliant essay submitted as part of his study for the Graduate Certificate in the Psychology of Risk – by Andrew Thornhill – from Carity Enabled. The Essay Question: “How is the unconscious in communication critical for understanding and managing … [Read more...] about The Unconscious In Risk Decision Making
How Effective Are Your Conversations About Risk?
How Effective Are Your Conversations About Risk? One of the reasons why Safety is so obsessed with: paperwork, systems and audits, is that it is so poor at conversation. In the Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) we have conducted thousands of workshops on conversation skills and not one risk and … [Read more...] about How Effective Are Your Conversations About Risk?
The Medium is The Message
The Medium is The Message We’ve known for over 50 years that the Medium is the Message . It matters how you transport the message as much as what message it is which you wish to transport. And if the medium contradicts the message, it’s the message of the medium that sticks not the text of the … [Read more...] about The Medium is The Message