The idea that people instinctively know what is right and wrong is naïve, immature and unprofessional. Anyone who lives in the real world knows that a host of things affect moral, cultural and ethical judgment. The same applies to the notion of ‘common sense’. There is no sensemaking that is held in … [Read more...] about Don’t Do the Right Thing in Safety
Ethics
How to NOT Educate Safety People in Ethics
I had to laugh at the amateurish nonsense put out as ‘Ethics for Safety Professionals’ that is neither about Ethics or being professional. This is fairly typical of an industry that thinks Ethics is a bolt on to safety. And, you’re going to get all of this nonsense in 5 contact hours! Reminds me … [Read more...] about How to NOT Educate Safety People in Ethics
Free Module – Ethics and Risk
As we are about to conclude our Free Module on Embodiment and Risk, it has been requested to move on to a study of Ethics and Risk. This module is also being offered at no charge. Embodiment and Risk has been a great study with over 60 participants. So, we now open up applications for this … [Read more...] about Free Module – Ethics and Risk
Making Things Safe is Not Necessarily a Virtue
One can declare something a ‘virtue’, ‘principle’ or ‘professional’, but it doesn’t make it so. Safety is NOT at the top of some hierarchy of concocted values made up by Safety. Safety has no right to over-ride the rights of others or their culture just because it loves to claim such power. Yet, … [Read more...] about Making Things Safe is Not Necessarily a Virtue
Using Safety as a Moral Weapon
‘Risk has been projected by 'risk theory' as a set of technical issues, of 'risk analysis,' 'risk assessment,' and 'risk management,' but the technical dimensions of risk do not eliminate moral and normative judgments.’ (p. 171, Hunt, ‘Risk and Moralization in Everyday Life’. In., Risk and Morality, … [Read more...] about Using Safety as a Moral Weapon
One Brain Three Minds, What the Research Says
The foundation of ethics starts with an understanding of personhood. If one thinks a human person is a computer-like brain attached to a body, then learning is constructed as brain-cognition and error is constructed as cognition failure. This is the approach we find common in safety. This is how we … [Read more...] about One Brain Three Minds, What the Research Says
The Subjectivity of Performance in Safety
How one ‘performs’ is a subjective judgement enacted by those in power who rarely disclose their methodology. Indeed, any focus on ‘performance’ above a focus on personhood, usually hides vices of efficiency, production, economic cost, organising and orderliness. Toxic workplaces and cultures are … [Read more...] about The Subjectivity of Performance in Safety
How to Enable Unethical Practice in Safety
There are a range of ways to make sure that Safety harms people in the name of no harm. The first is to supress critical thinking and believe that any criticism of Safety is anti-safety. The opposite is the case. Nothing in safety will improve if criticism of Safety is interpreted as demonising … [Read more...] about How to Enable Unethical Practice in Safety
Mapping an Ethic of Risk
The foundation for professionalism is Ethics. The misuse and abuse of power in the risk and safety industry is evidence that it has yet to engage in or articulate an ethic of risk. This is evidenced in Rosa Carrillo’s book Voices From the Resistance: … [Read more...] about Mapping an Ethic of Risk
Principles for Safety
Any approach to tackling risk is a moral activity, because the outcome of the way risk is tackled implies an outcome for persons. How people are treated in the process of tackling risk is a moral challenge. This is the challenge of An Ethic of Risk … [Read more...] about Principles for Safety