You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans Unions and Mining Companies have dug in for a long battle of meaningless aphorisms and condescending platitudes, started for safety reasons. Multinational Safety Organisations including Anglo American, Rio Tinto and BMA have recently diversified … [Read more...] about You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
Semiotics
What are Your Secret Messages in Safety?
What are Your Secret Messages in Safety? We say and sign many things in safety often only thinking about their overt meaning. It’s not that often that people consider the unconscious level of their communications and what are the by-products, trade offs and trajectory in messages. If the language … [Read more...] about What are Your Secret Messages in Safety?
How to use signs, symbols and text effectively in communicating about risk
How to use signs, symbols and text effectively in communicating about risk The power of symbols and signs to communicate to the subconscious was first systematised by Goebells in 1937. The power and effect of these symbols and signs to create identity and belonging was captured systematically by … [Read more...] about How to use signs, symbols and text effectively in communicating about risk
Safety Semiotics Competition
Safety Semiotics Competition We have all heard the saying “A Picture Tells a Thousand Words”. There is more significance in this meme than just a person having a bad day or another stupid safety fail photo. But, I imagine that, given the speed with which we consume social media these days, many … [Read more...] about Safety Semiotics Competition
Incommensurability and Discourse in Risk
Incommensurability and Discourse in Risk One of the most important concepts discussed by Feyerbend, Laktos, MacIntyre and Kuhn is that of incommensurability. Incommensurability refers to incongruence and misunderstanding between linguistic structures. What this means is that disciplines are limited … [Read more...] about Incommensurability and Discourse in Risk
Safety Sign Nuisance
Safety Sign Nuisance When does one person's safety message become another person's nuisance sign? By Rohanne Young, Director at Risk Management Coaching (www.riskmanagementcoaching.com.au ) This article was first published here I was driving to a meeting with a client the other morning and a sign … [Read more...] about Safety Sign Nuisance
All Injuries are Preventable and Other Silly Safety Sayings
quotable quote: “The use of silly and meaningless safety language matters, it creates a distraction and delusion that safety and risk are being addressed. We may feel good about speaking such words but they dumb down culture and distract people from taking safety seriously”. All Injuries are … [Read more...] about All Injuries are Preventable and Other Silly Safety Sayings
Amping it Up in Safety
Amping it Up in Safety In a recent blog I asked why are we afraid, and explored fear and how it may impact on our feelings, and decisions about risk. I also shared a story of how after the 911 terror attacks in 2001, American’s turned en mass to driving instead of flying. One result of this was an … [Read more...] about Amping it Up in Safety
What Can Safety Learn from Barbie
What Can Safety Learn from Barbie We learn today that after many years Barbie is getting a ‘make over’. The iconic doll of the ‘perfect’ female form is about to become ordinary, diverse and not perfect. This is the end of a 56 year tradition that has had more harmful by-products than any other … [Read more...] about What Can Safety Learn from Barbie
Why are we Afraid?
Why are we Afraid? We’ve all been afraid of something at one time or another. The classic situation that I remember as a kid was being afraid of the dark; it haunted me for years and stopped me doing a lot of things. In more recent times, I recall being afraid of two guys who ‘looked like … [Read more...] about Why are we Afraid?