Semiotics and Safety I read with interest a conference proposed for November 2014 entitled ‘Beyond Zero Harm, Human Factors Safety’. The subtitle of the conference is ‘Humanising impacts in safety operations to reengineer safety approach for enhanced productivity and business profitability’. Oh … [Read more...] about Semiotics and Safety
Semiotics
I Think Therefore I Write – Study Module
The latest module on offer in the Social Psychology of Risk is Module 20: Writing and Thinking in Risk. This module brings together knowledge in Linguistics, Poetics, Semiotics and Critical Thinking with a focus on writing and articulating ideas about risk. You can read more about the module … [Read more...] about I Think Therefore I Write – Study Module
Chook Chook Safety
When it comes to semiotics (symbol systems) and safety it seems that the most insulting and stupid memes (https://safetyrisk.net/culture-silences-in-safety-memes/) get first preference (https://safetyrisk.net/meerkat-safety-can-it-get-more-dumb/ ). Such memes can only emerge out of a culture of … [Read more...] about Chook Chook Safety
A week in Canberra: Unraveling the Social Psychology of Risk and Paradox.
The crisp autumn air greeted me as I stepped off the plane at the Canberra Airport. It is just turning summer where I come from (Iowa)10,000 miles away so this was a surprise for me. The city, nestled amidst rolling hills and eucalyptus trees, exuded an air of quiet contemplation. I had come here … [Read more...] about A week in Canberra: Unraveling the Social Psychology of Risk and Paradox.
Engaging Learning in SPoR
This past week 30 people from all over the globe descended on Canberra, the Nations Capital, to learn about life, being and living in tension with risk. Some arrived after a 30 hour flight and no sleep like Billy from Des Moines Iowa, fighting to keep his body clock in sync and staying awake till … [Read more...] about Engaging Learning in SPoR
SPoR and Semiotics, A Conversation – Free Download
Matt and I launched our new book SPoR and Semiotics without much fanfare and this was quite deliberate. This is the thirteenth book released in the Social Psychology of Risk and brings together all of the tools, methods, semiotics and models practiced by SPoR. (FYI, downloads of SPoR books now … [Read more...] about SPoR and Semiotics, A Conversation – Free Download
Dumb Ways to Discourse, a Failed Approach in Safety
Dumb Ways to Discourse, a Failed Approach in Safety The Dumb Ways to Die campaign is a classic example of a failure to think about the trajectory of a goal and trajectory of a discourse. The Dumb Ways to Die campaign and it’s self-assessed success (based on hits on the Internet) demonstrate … [Read more...] about Dumb Ways to Discourse, a Failed Approach in Safety
Shame and Blame as Social Semiosis
Popular discourse on shame and blame tend to place emphasis on the individual. Shame often emerges out of blame but this most often occurs in a social context. If someone does know about an action or event anchored to you, then I guess any sense of shame is only private or historical. Blame and … [Read more...] about Shame and Blame as Social Semiosis
What’s the Safety Idea, What’s the By-Product?
We see lots of ideas float around in Safety, many are just ‘thought bubbles’ with little consideration of design (affordances), human nature or by-products. Many of these ideas are packaged in semiotic strategies by well-meaning people with no expertise in semiotics. Then when things drive the … [Read more...] about What’s the Safety Idea, What’s the By-Product?
The Language of ‘Saving Lives’, Doesn’t Help Safety
The language that ‘Safety Saves Lives’ doesn’t help any process in tackling risk or the outcome of safety. Indeed, if anything this kind of language further promotes safety arrogance, elitism and unethical conduct, delusion and disconnectedness from the everyday practice of helping people tackle … [Read more...] about The Language of ‘Saving Lives’, Doesn’t Help Safety