One of the myths of the so called S2 group is the shifting of blame from individuals to systems. What we see in this group, is an obsession with blame in silly slogans like ‘blame fixes nothing’. Then somehow by magic, things are fixed by shifting blame from individuals to systems. This is what this … [Read more...] about The Myth of Shifting Blame from Individuals to Systems
HOP
The Blame Game in Safety
It is pointless to talk about blame and ‘principles’ outside of a mature and well-articulated ethical framework. We read in the HOP Discourse the obsession and fear of failure and blame indeed, the slogans that accompany this fear are called ‘principles’. They are not. The central slogans of HOP … [Read more...] about The Blame Game in Safety
A Kinesthetics of Risk
When we engage with others in an embodied way (kinesthetics) we trigger a host of unseen dynamics that enable greater moral meaning, a higher possibility of ethical practice and a greater likelihood of relational satisfaction. It matters how we think of others and if we use mechanistic metaphors … [Read more...] about A Kinesthetics of Risk
Ways to Be Blameworthy
We all know that the foundation for propaganda and indoctrination is slogans (Ellul https://monoskop.org/images/4/44/Ellul_Jacques_Propaganda_The_Formation_of_Mens_Attitudes.pdf). Slogans are a trap for those who want simplistic fixes to wicked problems … [Read more...] about Ways to Be Blameworthy
Without Change in Paradigm, There Will Be No Sustainable Change in Safety
We were introduced to the nature of ‘paradigm shift’ by Thomas Kuhn in the 1960s. One thing you can know for sure is that neither Kuhn, Feyerabend or Laktos will be found on any reading list in safety. Even when Safety uses the word ‘science’ it is not about a paradigm shift but rather more of the … [Read more...] about Without Change in Paradigm, There Will Be No Sustainable Change in Safety
When Semiotics Show Your Real Agenda in Safety
I remember having a discussion with a safety person who’s semiotic for their identity was a punching fist on a brick wall. Of course, the person was defensive when I deconstructed the semiotic and pointed out that it was inconsistent with the intended message. Even though the person had no expertise … [Read more...] about When Semiotics Show Your Real Agenda in Safety
Who Is Responsible When the Cause is NOT a Person?
The first recoded death by driverless car was of Elaine Herzberg in 2018. When this happens who is responsible? There are other examples. Of course, the pundits were telling us 10 years ago that driverless cars would be all over the roads by now. They are not. The propaganda about technology … [Read more...] about Who Is Responsible When the Cause is NOT a Person?
Causation Myths, Stop Looking for Linear and Root Cause
One of the most dangerous things about the safety curriculum is its indoctrination about causation. Many of the semiotics of causation such as the swiss-cheese (Reason) and dominos (Heinrich), are simply not true. Both models are completely made up and don’t exist in reality. The reality of life … [Read more...] about Causation Myths, Stop Looking for Linear and Root Cause
Why Deliver Outcomes When Propaganda Will Do?
I recently watched Goebbels and the Fuhrer and read Trump and Hitler, A Comparative Study of Lying and it resonated with so much with what circulates in the safety industry, that is simply propaganda. Why deliver outcomes or practical methods when slogans will do? … [Read more...] about Why Deliver Outcomes When Propaganda Will Do?
Blame Fixes Many Things and The Slogan Trap
The trouble is, that when you call slogans ‘principles’ without any articulated ethic, you create new problems and dangerous by-products. The slogan ‘blame fixes nothing’ is a dangerous and false slogan. The reality is, when something goes seriously wrong, the courts and regulators seek blame … [Read more...] about Blame Fixes Many Things and The Slogan Trap