Investigations Using SEEK in SPoR

The SEEK approach to investigations (Event Exploration) nothing like any of the Engineering or Behaviourist models in the safety market.

SEEK is not bogged down in linear and binary assumptions common to all popular investigation models. Similarly, it departs significantly from the iCam model (https://safetyrisk.net/deconstructing-icam-useful-or-useless/) which has somehow become some kind of projected standard across the safety industry.

This is what usually happens in safety where there is a vacuum of creative or innovative thinking. When an industry is dominated by zero the thinking of conformance actively discourages learning and innovation.

This is how all compulsory mis-education and indoctrination develops. In desperation to find a form, safety settles on any form. If you need a critique of iCam, it is here: https://safetyrisk.net/deconstructing-icam-useful-or-useless/. Models like iCam limit open investigation and exploration, discovery and learning.

In safety, when you don’t know what to do, it seems you ask an engineer for innovation. Even worse, ask IOSH (https://safetyrisk.net/investigations-the-iosh-way/). A sure-fire way to brutalise people traumatised by an event is to send in someone with an Engineering and Behaviourst approach.

Such is similar in the Useability Mapping model (https://safetyrisk.net/paperwork-and-usability-in-tackling-risk/). From a critique in SPoR it is never about what is present in the model (Behaviourism and Engineering) but all that is absent.

Similarly, it’s like the common safety code (https://safetyrisk.net/deciphering-safety-code/) that pontificates about learning, ethics, culture, politics, communication, observation and personhood without any expertise.

In SEEK, we start by noting all the critical essentials needed for an open and learning focused event exploration (https://safetyrisk.net/the-seek-investigations-donut/ ). We start by noting how all of these essentials are missing from common safety models of non-investigation.

· Fancy waltzing in to any event with no training in trauma management or pastoral care? Without an understanding of trauma (mild, developing or severe) one will not understand context. Gabor Mate’s latest book is helpful in this regard.

· Think of the myth of objectivity and how such is projected in the common safety models of investigation. This is simply delusional. Managing bias is the beginning of investigation. There is no objectivity (https://safetyrisk.net/there-is-no-objectivity-deal-with-it/ ).

· Consider engaging in an event without consideration or understanding one’s own bias or personality framework?

· Imagine waltzing in to an event with no understanding of personality, cognitive bias, effective questioning, listening, heuristics, helping skills, ethical practice and competing values?

· Think of trying to understand an event with no idea of how heuristics, the unconscious, collective unconscious, linguistics or paralinguistics work?

· Worse still, imagine walking into an event using a model that someone else has designed and accepting all the biases, assumptions and values of that model.

· Fancy being made so scared of one’s own freedom and made fearful of one’s own skills to be made dependent on someone else’s view (an engineer or behaviourist) in exploring an event. Why is this view any better than yours?

These are just a few examples of the deficiencies of common safety investigation models.

The best way to explore an event is to carry as little bias as possible into the context/event.

In most cases safety people would be better off with no form directing them how to think. Such forms already shape the exploration process of the event and constrain listening, learning and enquiry.

In SEEK, the model helps people take back control of the exploration process.

All SEEK does is provide a structure using iCue (https://safetyrisk.net/what-is-your-risk-icue/) to conduct an open exploration in Workspace, Headspace and Groupspace. iCue is the next best thing to a blank sheet of paper.

Indeed, and is far more powerful than traditional models of investigation because it is premised on visual, verbal, relational, social and intuitive knowing.

Once the skills of iCue are learned (https://safetyrisk.net/icue-diagnostic-what-is-your-risk-icue/ ), one is empowered to empower others in an exploration process. Rather than focusing on the control of the investigator the focus shifts to the power of the witness.

Once iCue is learned, risk intelligence improves so that all that is missing in current safety approaches can be included.

Rather than being afraid that one has not conformed to some concocted engineering view of risk, one is then freed up to a mature understanding of risk and how fallible humans are part of events.

A free SEEK program will be offered in 2023.

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Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

• How to Escape the Safety=Zero Cult - January 14, 2025
• Making Sure There is No ‘Cultural Shift’ in Safety - January 14, 2025
• How to Make Ensure That People Don’t Speak Up - January 13, 2025
• It’s Not a Secret, We Just Don’t Talk About It - January 11, 2025
• Myth, Objectivity and the Subjectivity of Language in Safety - January 11, 2025

PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.