When I first was employed in Safety over 20 years ago, I came from the Education, Teaching and Learning sector. I started teaching in 1974 in English, History and Music. I was fortunate in my studies in English at Uni SA to have Mem Fox as my lecturer. I was also fortunate to have other radical lecturers like Dean Ashenden and Tom Gleghorn. It was a time when Whitlam and Dunstan were in power and in South Australia the approach to Education was radical, innovative and visionary. So, when I first encountered the safety industry, I was astounded at what I saw.
When I studied pedagogy, curriculum and learning I cut my teeth on the Free-schoolers, De-schoolers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deschooling) and Unschoolers (Illich, Holt, Frieire, Summerhill, Bruner, Goodman, Macklin, Postman, Apple, Giroux etc). I tell much more about my journey in education and learning in the book Tackling Risk, A Field Guide to Risk and Learning. Available for free download.
Little was I to know that I would have the opportunity to found my own school based on the principles of Free-schooling in 1996, Galilee School that is still running strongly today (https://www.commsatwork.org/services/community/galilee-school/). I tell the story of the founding of that school in Risk Makes Sense. You can hear the audiobook here: https://www.humandymensions.com/product/risk-makes-sense-human-judgement-and-risk-audio-book/
I had already been working in Building and Construction in a family company whilst at Uni and then when I first went out, was located in a remote school in South Australia living on a Murray Grey Cattle stud. I drove a school bus each day and enjoyed all the learning that came with country living.
In those early days of teaching, we accepted not just the idea of reading literacy but other literacies as well. For example, our school has an Agricultural Science subject where students learned literacy in living in the agricultural world.
The idea of literacy is closely aligned with the idea of competency. In literacy one doesn’t just learn how to read or write but to become proficient, skilled and able to use knowledge in practice in that discipline area. So, in order to be musically literate, one needs to understand music, its context, cultural sense, history, Socialite, Mentalitie and play it. You can read about music literacy here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_literacy
In multi-literacy we understand that various disciplines involve a form of literacy but also interact with other literacies in a Transdisciplinary way. For example, in Science we understand that language, linguistics, para-linguistics, grammar, metaphor and various parts of speech are used to communicate the subject/discipline. Indeed, the way Science is communicated strongly influences what one believes in Science. For example, we know that the metaphorics used in Science, the OHS Act, Regulation and Standards strongly influence belief about risk and safety.
The language/linguistics of risk used in so called ‘safety-science’ is neither neutral or objective.
In a similar way, those without any literacy in Religious Studies have little idea that their language is safety is profoundly religious. The religious language and discourse of Safety is mind-blowing.
Multi-Literacies in Safety
One of the problems with the safety curriculum is that it has no focus on multi-literacy. Its primary purpose is on literacy in Regulation. Such a mono-disciplinary approach to skill development and literacy is such a poor way of preparing people for safety in the workplace. This is why for over 20 years we have been advocating for multi-literacies in safety through SPoR.
For example, unless one is literate in language, semiotics and Poetics, it is likely that one won’t know much about what is being communicated in safety. If one wants to understand messaging in safety then knowledge about effective communication, priming, framing, anchoring, pitching and unconscious influencing is essential. Most often people in safety lack the literacy to know that the trade-offs and by-products of messaging contradict their assumed message. For example, using an image of violence to discuss the safety of something. Or, focusing on objects (hazards) when thinking about mental health.
This is why many years ago in SPoR we developed workshops and skill development in safety literacy. This includes, semiotic literacy, visual literacy, spacial literacy, affordance literacy (to improve observations) etc. The idea that safety literacy is about competence in Regulation is nonsense.
I find it interesting when speaking to people about ‘safety observations’ they have little idea of how and what to observe. Most often safety observations are about little more than policing PPE and the Regulation. This has nothing to do with safety literacy. Indeed, our SPoR Safety Observations and Conversations Program is the most sought after workshop of all we offer in our curriculum.
Indeed, if anything is anchored to the nonsense of Zero you know for sure that it has nothing to do with safety literacy.
The best way to become safety literate is to begin by dumping zero. This should be followed by un-learning much of the indoctrination of the safety curriculum that has nothing to do with persons, culture or ethics.
If you want to become more literate in safety you can take the SPoR HSE Literacy Diagnostic by emailing here: admin@spor.com.au
Prof. Robert Long
Latest posts by Prof. Robert Long (see all)
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