Suggested Safety Reading for 2018

The best way to broaden your body of knowledge in safety is to read beyond the safety/risk genre even moreso from beyond the STEM-only approach to knowledge common to the SIA BoK and other Bodies of Knowledge like the SRMBoK. These days if a text has the words ‘safety’ or ‘science’ in the title I tend to look elsewhere. The risk industry doesn’t need anymore STEM knowledge indeed, it needs less STEM and a greater focus on transdisciplinarity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transdisciplinarity) if it is going to better tackle the multiple realities of risk as a wicked problem.

In this regard here are my top 25 books I read in 2017 that I found very helpful in understanding risk, in alphabetical order (I have included a few old classics I re-read like Illich and Jung, FYI):

Bauer, J., and Harteis, C., (eds.) (2012) Human Fallibility, The Ambiguity of Errors for Work and Learning. Springer. London.
Becker, E., (1973) The Denial of Death. Freebooks Press. New York.
Benner, D., (2016) Human Being and Becoming, Living the Adventure of Life and Love. BrazosPress, Michigan.
Brueggemann, W., (1993) Texts Under Negotiation, The Bible and Postmodern Imagination. Fortress Press. Minneapolis.
Carita, P., (2013) Binary Opposition: A Spacial Configuration of Comparison of Opposite Properties Along a Meaning Dimension. Lund University. Verona Italy.
Coeckelberg, M., (2013) Human Being @ Risk. Enhancement, Technology and the Evaluation of Vulnerability Transformations. Springer. London.
Douglas, M., (1992) Risk and Blame. Essays in Cultural Theory. Routledge. London.
Gibbs, P., (ed.) (2015) Transdisciplinary Professional Learning and Practice. Springer. London.
Hallinan, J., (2009) Why We Make Mistakes. Broadway Books. New York.
Hand, D., (2014) The Improbability Principle. Why Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare Events Happen Every Day. Scientifc American. New York.
Hassin, R., Uleman, J., and Bargh, J., (2005) The New Unconscious. Oxford University Press, London.
Illich, Ivan et al., (1977) Disabling Professions. London: Marion Boyars. (http://debate.uvm.edu/asnider/Ivan_Illich/Ivan_Illich_Disabling_Professions.pdf)
Jung, C. G., (1968) The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious. Bolligen, Princeton.
Madsbjerg, C., (2017) Sensemaking, What Makes Human Intelligence Essential in the Age of the Algorithm. Little Brown. London.
Martin, J., Sugarman, J., and Hickinbottom, S., (eds.,) (2010) Persons, Understanding Psychological Selfhood and Agency. Springer. Bumaby Canada.
Mate, G., (2010) In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. North Atlantic Books. Berkley California.
Michael, D., (1997) Learning to Plan and Planning to Learn. Miles River Press. New York.
Norretranders, T., (1991) The User Illusion, Cutting Consciousness Down to Size. Penguin, New York.
Paley, C., (2014) Unthink. Coronet. London.
Raynor, M., (2007) The Strategy Paradox. Why Committing to Success Leads to Failure (and What to Do About It). Doubleday. New York.
Schwartz, B., (2004) The Paradox of Choice. Harper. New York.
Sloan, J., (2006) Learning to Think Strategically. Elsevier, New York.
Sternberg, R., (ed.,) (1990) Wisdom, Its Nature, Origins and Development. Cambridge University Press, London.
Watts, D., (2011) Everything is Obvious, How Common Sense Fails Us. Atlantic Books. London.
Yelle, R., (2013) Semiotics of Religion, Signs of the Sacred in History. Bloomsbury, London.

There you go.

Some of the titles may seem to have no connection to understanding risk but I couldn’t recommend them more highly as being relevant. I have listed some books in blue to designate those easiest to purchase and read. I have included the web address of Illich which is free to download. Enjoy!

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Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual) - January 23, 2023
Getting the Balance Right in Tackling Risk - January 23, 2023
What is SPoR? - January 23, 2023
How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety - January 23, 2023
Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety - January 17, 2023

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.