Safety-1, Safety-2, Safety-3 The idea that there are two safeties endorses a binary mindset that supposes that the second safety is radically different from the first. The general idea is that Safety-1 is a system that focuses only on what goes wrong, Safety-2 is a system that focuses on what goes … [Read more...] about Safety-1, Safety-2, Safety-3
Safety Differently
Getting The Drift, Dekker on Safety
Getting The Drift, Dekker on Safety I read many risk and safety books and most don’t go on the shelf but in the bin. Most regurgitate tired old safety myths, spin about behaviourism or target vigilance or zero for ineffective strategies in safety. Many of the books brand their central thesis in the … [Read more...] about Getting The Drift, Dekker on Safety
The Seduction of Drift in Safety
I wonder why the idea of ‘drifting into failure’ is so attractive to people in safety? Yet, in all I read about the concept there is never any discussion of fallibility. Surely, the first question we must ask this concept is: drift from what to what? Surely, the starting point should be that all … [Read more...] about The Seduction of Drift in Safety
How Do You DO Safety Differently?
In the tradition of nonsense language in HOP, where ‘blame fixes nothing’ (https://safetyrisk.net/the-blame-game-of-hop/) and slogans are declared ‘truths’. There seems little consciousness of ensuring that Safety doesn’t speak nonsense to people … [Read more...] about How Do You DO Safety Differently?
Anger, Blame, Shame, Lament, Depression, Fallibility, Resilience and Self-Righteous Safety
One of the things Safety loves to do, is reduce a wicked problem down to a simplistic slogan. In this way it finds a simplistic answer to ‘fix’ a ‘wicked problem’ that cannot be ‘fixed’. This demonstrates the addiction of Safety to reductionism. We see this in the sloganistic and meaningless ‘just … [Read more...] about Anger, Blame, Shame, Lament, Depression, Fallibility, Resilience and Self-Righteous Safety
Punking Safety, When It’s Not.
In the long history of Safety desperation struggling to be relevant, we have this: ‘Punk Rock Safety’ In the long tradition of Safety with a slogan looking for a methodology and method, we observe the continued search by the S2 myth, for metaphors to attack Safety with no alternative. There is no … [Read more...] about Punking Safety, When It’s Not.
By What Method?
There is so much hype and marketing in safety, with so many promises, slogans and mantras. However, when you cut through all of the spin and marketing there needs to be two critical questions to be asked: by what method? And, who does that method privilege? When one asks these questions, one is … [Read more...] about By What Method?
Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
One of the amusing things about Safety is not silly attempts at humour (https://safetyrisk.net/whats-funny-about-safety/) but watching closed minded academics (non-Transdisciplinary) argue about how many angels can dance on a pin head. … [Read more...] about Hopkins-Dekker on Reason and Other Laughs
If You’re Happy in Safety, Clap Your Hands
When we were kids we used to sing this song in Primary school and it is still sung by kids today (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwTwt4oIW3U). It is a cute little song and easy to sing when one is innocent about the world and comes from a comfortable middle-class home. In some ways the singing of … [Read more...] about If You’re Happy in Safety, Clap Your Hands
Organisations are Social Institutions
Organisations are Social Institutions I saw a meme the other day from the safety sphere that stated: ‘We, all of us, are just one new executive away from having to start again at the very beginning’. Of course, this is utter nonsense. The idea that ‘we’ (the organized) are shaped by the shifting of … [Read more...] about Organisations are Social Institutions