I saw a video the other day entitled ‘Zero Suicide … Understanding Human Error’. No surprise, it had nothing to do with suicide or understanding human error.
This is what we expect from Safety, declaring something by what it isn’t (https://safetyrisk.net/declaring-what-is-by-what-isnt-hop-as-traditional-safety/). This is safety culture: declaring something as a ‘truth’ that is not (https://safetyrisk.net/new-rhetoric-but-same-old-dynamics-in-hop/) and declaring something as a ‘new view’ when it is not. What a shame the industry doesn’t educate people in critical thinking or this kind of marketing wouldn’t get a look in.
One look at this title ‘Zero Suicide’ and one already knows that what follows will be nonsense. Indeed, anyone who has worked in suicide prevention knows that this kind of language is counter-helpful. Any ideology about zero is founded on a denial of fallibility and sets up anyone involved in the silly cycle of seeking perfection. For those contemplating suicide or those affected by suicide such language simply alienates people and demonstrates profound ignorance. The key to helping people in suicide is: empathy, understanding, vulnerability, listening and skills in helping (https://safetyrisk.net/listening-learning-helping-and-caring-about-risk/) and pastoral care (https://safetyrisk.net/what-can-safety-learn-from-pastoral-care/).
Setting goals for no suicide or speaking the language of ‘zero suicide’ is nonsense. It demonstrates a naïve self-righteousness about the presentation and a disconnectedness from reality.
One of the biggest problems in the safety=zero industry (https://safetyrisk.net/safetyzero-culture/) is the denial of fallibility (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/fallibility-risk-living-uncertainty/). How interesting that Safety never talks about the nature of human ‘being’, ‘’being in imperfection and living in resilience through: learning, community, belonging and Socialitie. So:
The first video is entitled: Human Error, Fallibility and no New View and can be viewed here:
Human Error, Fallibility and no New View from CLLR on Vimeo.
The second video is entitled: Getting Foundations Right and discusses the need for a Methodology, an Ethic and clear foundations in order to develop a method.
Getting Foundations Right from CLLR on Vimeo.
The third video looks at: Everyday Social Resilience https://vimeo.com/995647890 and the need to frame resilience through the lens of Allostasis, Socialitie and Communitie.
Everyday Social Resilience from CLLR on Vimeo.
The fourth video is a second part to Everyday Social Resilience 2 and explores key concepts presented in the free book Everyday Social Resilience, Being in Risk (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/everyday-social-resilience-being-in-risk/)
As usual, each presentation is positive, constructive and offers practical alternative ways of understanding risk than to what is marketed in traditional safety as ‘new view’.
Dr Rob Long
Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)
- Podcast – What Jung Can Contribute to Safety – Part One - September 12, 2024
- Relationships as Therapy for Mental Health, A Note for Safety - September 10, 2024
- Cultivating Resilience - September 8, 2024
- No Place for Military Metaphors in Safety - September 6, 2024
- The Influence of C.G. Jung in SPoR - September 5, 2024
Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below