One of the grand delusions of Safety observations and behaviourism are that observations are objective. They are not!
Here are some critical questions one should consider when thinking about safety observations:
- What are you observing?
- Who are you observing?
- Do they know you are observing them?
- Is your observation ethical?
- On what foundation are you making observational judgements?
- What is your hermeneutic? Theory of interpretation?
- What motivates you to do this observation?
- What is your perception filter?
- What bias frames what you see?
- What experience, knowledge and skills to you bring to your observation?
- Are you trained in how to observe?
- Have you studied the nature of perception?
- How do you know your perception is reliable?
- Do you entertain doubt in your perceptions?
- Do you seek clarity and conversation with the observer before making judgement?
- What primes have preceded your observation?
- How has context and environment contributed toward your observational bias?
- Have you consulted others about your perceptions?
- What expertise and learning in psychology do you bring to the observation?
- What do you know about people, persons and why people do what they do?
If questions like these have not been considered then you’re probably NOT doing observation, it’s just surveillance.
Dr Rob Long
Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)
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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.
Frank Garrett says
Freudian slip Matt?
Matt Thorne says
Hi Rob, timely post, only yesterday I was talking to a client who had a new Safety person starting with them. This Safety Person had found out in only 2 weeks of work the person he replaced was called the Safety Assassin! He would enter the worksite, look around, tell anybody who asked if everything was okay that all was good. Immediately after he would write up any real (or imagined) transgressions. No-one ever saw it coming.
If satay cannot understand Socialitie, how will they ever progress?
Matt Thorne says
And that would be Safety, not Satay, yummy as they are.
Rob Long says
I always wondered if it was safe to eat satay. Not an observation, just a question.