• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • 500 OF THE BEST AND WORST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychosocial Safety
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety
      • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
      • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
      • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
      • What is Psychosocial Safety
      • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
      • What is Psychological Safety?
      • Understanding Psychological Terminology
      • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
      • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
      • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / Psychological Health and Safety / STEM Safety in Drag

STEM Safety in Drag

October 30, 2019 by Dr Rob Long 8 Comments

 

imageAll humans select metaphors and metonymies to form coherent systems in terms of which they conceptualize experience. In safety the predominant grammar is mechanistic anchored to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Even if one claims in safety some source in social science contrasted to STEM the language chosen still seeks meaning in mechanistic metaphors and language.

Indeed, many approaches in safety that claim to be social or psychological are often mechanistic STEM models ‘in drag’. This is why the so called interest in safety psychology has a focus on cognitivist and behaviourist elements of psychology. In reality, the fundamental paradigm, worldview and discourse (power-source) has not shifted. One can claim all the difference in the world but if the paradigm remains in STEM (positivism) then there will be no difference. One can only find difference from the STEM paradigm outside of the STEM worldview, namely in a poetic/humanities approach to skills and knowledge (https://safetyrisk.net/a-poetic-worldview/ ).

What we find in the STEM paradigm is the fixation on humans as objects, measurement and ‘factors’ as subsets of systems. This is why the language used in safety discourse is a key indicator to the underlying paradigm (worldview) of what is presented. It doesn’t matter whether the subject is psychological safety or sociological safety, analyze the language and look for mechanistic metaphors and concepts as a sure give away that STEM is ‘in drag’.

The language of STEM loves to speak of: utility, computation, cognition, behaviours, measures, controls, diagnosis, goals, systems, complexity, competence, process, factors, power, work, brain, science, numeric, metrics and management. This is why safety is in love with zero (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/for-the-love-of-zero-free-download/ ). Language often missing is about: consciousness, personhood, feeling, emotions, unconsciousness, learning, mystery, suffering, mind, embodiment and poetics.

When STEM is the safety discourse the only language it knows to use is mechanistic paradigms about humanness (https://safetyrisk.net/why-metaphors-matter-in-risk/). This is why it is so amusing to hear scientists, engineers and safety people use theological language mixed in their discourse (https://safetyrisk.net/why-safety-is-inescapably-theological/). One moment the language is about metrics and next it starts talking about heresy, zero, mystery, belief, faith, cardinal rules etc.

Even in common works in psychosocial safety humans are spoken about as ‘factors’ or ‘objects’ in systems. They are not positioned ecologically but are designated as a capacity ready for measurement. The discourse is often profoundly individualistic and even in discussions on mental health ‘problems’ are projected on to the person not understood ecologically beyond the nature of a system. Whilst the title of a presentation might be about psychology and safety the underlying fear and anxiety is about uncertainty and a loss of control. The last language it will ever use is that anything is a wicked problem (https://safetyrisk.net/risk-and-safety-as-a-wicked-problem/ ).

A good place to start in understanding the confines of worldviews and paradigms in language is Lakoff and Johnson ‘Metaphors We Live By’ (http://www.cabrillo.edu/~ewagner/WOK%20Eng%202/Lakoff%20&%20Johnson%20-%20Metaphors%20We%20Live%20By.pdf). Punter’s book ‘Metaphor’ is also an excellent place to start in understanding how language shapes and manufactures culture.

One of the things we know about actors ‘in drag’ is that what we see is not real but rather an aberration of a kind of femininity that is also unreal. Yet people are so entertained by it, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert comes to mind. So, next time you see something spruiked as non-STEM, look at the language, particularly metaphors and see what you find.

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
  • More about Rob
Dr Rob Long

Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Dr Rob Long

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

  • How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety - February 2, 2023
  • Free Download – Real Risk – New Book by Dr Robert Long - February 2, 2023
  • ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do - February 1, 2023
  • Harming People in the Name of Good - January 31, 2023
  • An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video - January 31, 2023
Dr Rob Long
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.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Psychological Health and Safety, Robert Long, Social Psychology of Risk Tagged With: metaphors, STEM

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Frank says

    February 13, 2020 at 7:32 PM

    The one phrase that clouds my vision is “people are our most important asset”! how does that inspire anyone? Oh well I guess Im just another chattel that sold his soul to the company store!

    Reply
    • Rob long says

      February 13, 2020 at 7:32 PM

      Frank, that’s why Safety selects cognitivism and behaviourism for its psychology.

      Reply
  2. bernardcorden says

    February 13, 2020 at 7:32 PM

    “If there really is such a thing as turning in one’s grave, Shakespeare must get a lot of exercise.” – George Orwell

    Reply
    • Rob Long says

      February 13, 2020 at 7:32 PM

      Great Metaphor. Orwell was a master in it.

      Reply
  3. Frank says

    October 31, 2019 at 1:25 PM

    The one phrase that clouds my vision is “people are our most important asset”! how does that inspire anyone? Oh well I guess Im just another chattel that sold his soul to the company store!

    Reply
    • Rob long says

      October 31, 2019 at 1:33 PM

      Frank, that’s why Safety selects cognitivism and behaviourism for its psychology.

      Reply
  4. bernardcorden says

    October 31, 2019 at 8:03 AM

    “If there really is such a thing as turning in one’s grave, Shakespeare must get a lot of exercise.” – George Orwell

    Reply
    • Rob Long says

      October 31, 2019 at 8:31 AM

      Great Metaphor. Orwell was a master in it.

      Reply

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,499 other subscribers

RECOMMENDED READING

viral post – iso 45003 and what it cannot do

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

Psychosocial Safety and Mental Health Series

Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?

How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety

ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do

The KISS of Death in Safety

Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health

The Worst Approach to Psychosocial Problems is an Attitude of ‘Fixing’

The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health

Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)

No Good Reason to Follow Reason

The Moral Harm of the Zero Cult

More Posts from this Category

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Recent Comments

  • Hurak Learning on How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety
  • Rob Long on An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • Paul Gentles on An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • Brent Charlton on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Rob Long on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Brian Edwin Darlington on The KISS of Death in Safety
  • Brian on The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Jaise on The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Rob Long on Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics
  • Linda McKendry on Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics
  • Rob long on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Matt Thorne on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Anonymous on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Jason on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Admin on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Gustavo Saralegui on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Rob long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Wynand on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Footer

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • 500 OF THE BEST AND WORST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • Proving Safety
  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
  • ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do
  • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • NATIONAL SAFETY DAY/WEEK IN INDIA 2023
  • 15 Safety Precautions When Working With Electricity
  • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators

Recent Posts

  • Psychosocial Safety, Is it possible to make it culturally normal?
  • How to Be Oriented Towards Psychosocial and Mental Health in Safety
  • Free Download – Real Risk – New Book by Dr Robert Long
  • Proving Safety
  • ISO 45003 and What it Cannot Do
  • Harming People in the Name of Good
  • An Advanced Understanding of Culture – A Video
  • Risk and Safety Maturity
  • The KISS of Death in Safety
  • SPoR, Metanoia and a Podcast on Change with Nippin Anand
  • Behavioural Safety is NOT a Foundation for Tackling Psychosocial and Mental Health
  • The Worst Approach to Psychosocial Problems is an Attitude of ‘Fixing’
  • SPoR Comes to Vienna June 2023
  • The Language of ‘Hazards’ and Psychosocial, Mental Health
  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • The Visionary Imagination – Louisa Lawson
  • Heaven ‘n Hell and the Safety Religion
  • Confirmity in Conformity
  • Numerology and Psychic Numbing
  • Thinking of Mortality
  • Safety is the Wrong Anchor
  • Foresight Blindness, Hindsight Bias and Risk
  • Getting the Balance Right in Tackling Risk
  • What is SPoR?
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety
  • When You Don’t Know What to do in Safety, Have Another Blitz!!!
  • Gloves and Glasses Compliance
  • A Case of Desensitisation – What Would You Do?
  • How to Leave the Safety Industry
  • The Mythic Symbology of Safety
  • Dark Waters, The True Story of DuPont and Zero
  • 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Am I stupid? I didn’t think of that…
  • Don’t Look Now Safety, Your Metaphor is Showing
  • Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
  • To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Culture as a Wicked Problem, for Safety
  • Safety Leadership Training
  • Cultural Orientation in Risk
  • The Stanford Experiment and The Social Psychology of Risk
  • Objectivity, Audits and Attribution When Calculating Risk
  • Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Zero, The Seeking of Infinity
  • Safety Leadership Essentials
  • What Can Indiana Jones Tell Us About Culture
  • Safety as a Worldview
  • The Loathing of Limits
  • Culture Cannot be Framed Through Safety
  • Free Online Workshops

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

Understanding Goal States, Motivation and SPoR, A Video

‘Pause and Ponder’ – what we can learn from social psychology academics

My Journey with SPoR

By What Method Do You Tackle Risk?

ADVENTURES IN RISK AND SAFETY–KING ZERO

Safety Career Highlight

Why Safety is Inescapably Theological

I’m biased, but that’s ok!

Actions in ‘Bad Faith’

I’m Concerned That We Can’t See The Safety Forest For The Safety Trees

Zero as Morally Wicked

The Different Levels of Wrongness!

The Worm at the Core

The Certainty of Uncertainty

SEEK is not a Method

Safety – Learning by Doing and Learning by Theory

Risk Leadership

‘False Consciousness’ and Perception in Risk and Safety

WHS Research Symposium 2019

Balance in Risk and Safety

Reality vs Theory, The Binary Divide

Ten Secrets to Risk and Safety Motivation and Ownership

The Will To Be and Do

Talking Risk Videos – Humanising Workers Compensation

Compliance, Obedience and The Attraction of Risk

Off to a Flying Start in Learning with CLLR

The Disembodied Human and Persons in Safety

SPoR Introductory Workshop Series April 2020

Why Safety Isn’t a Choice You Make

Why Resilience Cannot be Engineered

Social Psychology of Risk Challenge

How to Leave the Safety Industry

Its All In The Sign

Anchoring, Framing and Priming Risk

WHS Legislation is NOT about Safety it’s about Culture

Post Graduate Studies in the Social Psychology of Risk

All Risk is Subjective

I’ve got a feeling this isn’t right, but…..

Risk vs Hazard vs Safety

How do we mourn?

More Posts from this Category

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,499 other subscribers

How we pay for the high cost of running of this site – try it for free on your site

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?


WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SAFETY