Body Memory and Safety The evidence for Muscle Memory and Body Memory is extensive (Chapter 1. The phenomenology of body memory ; Body Memory and the Unconscious ) and dispels the crazy brain-as-computer metaphor. The human mind (brain) is not the Human Mind. The idea that the body is somehow … [Read more...] about Body Memory and Safety
heuristics
Do the Right Thing, It’s Common Sense
Do the Right Thing, It’s Common Sense Wouldn’t it be easy and simple if risk was black and white and safety was as easy as ‘check your gut’ (AIHS BoK) and ‘do the right thing’ (Just Culture). Unfortunately, it’s not and talking about ‘common sense’ and other such useless language helps no … [Read more...] about Do the Right Thing, It’s Common Sense
The Purpose of Routines, Habits and Heuristics – Checking Your Gut!
It’s such a funny (peculiar) situation. As fallible people we develop routines, habits and heuristics in order to make life and living efficient and yet there is so little discussion in the safety world about the importance of understanding implicit knowledge. The worldviews of engineering and … [Read more...] about The Purpose of Routines, Habits and Heuristics – Checking Your Gut!
Under Par Safety
Under Par Safety Our brains are wired for inadvertence and laziness, not for attention and choice. So why do we force people to attend long winded safety meetings which bore people to death? Also, our brains are not designed to think in binary logic, so why have we created systems which force … [Read more...] about Under Par Safety
Construction workers safer when they ditch the manual: study
Construction workers safer when they ditch the manual: study We all know (or suspect) that safety manuals really aren’t designed for ease of worker use and effectiveness but rather to comply with legislation, to pass audits and win tenders – the very cynical may use terms like “Cover Your Arse”. … [Read more...] about Construction workers safer when they ditch the manual: study
The Repression of Uncertainty
I recently republished this on Linkedin Pulse where it inspired some very positive comments, be sure to check out the 20 keys to maturing in safety leadership at the end of the article: If you are a Parent, a Partner, a Leader or a Safety Person then you have learned, the hard way, that people … [Read more...] about The Repression of Uncertainty
The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It
One of my favourites from the archives: The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It Being fallible doesn’t mean one is inevitably stupid, lazy, greedy or weak, there are as many advantages to being human and fallible as there are limitations. No one should want humans to be robotic - this would … [Read more...] about The Fallible Factor and What to Do About It
Nonsense Curves and Pyramids
Nonsense Curves and Pyramids Safety likes nothing more than curves and pyramids, nothing so exciting as parading out the Bradley Curve or Heinrich’s Pyramid to get the troops excited about failure and loss. The Bradley Curve was created by DuPont in 1995 to try and benchmark notions of culture and … [Read more...] about Nonsense Curves and Pyramids
Its All In The Sign
Its All In The Sign A brilliant essay by Max Geyer, submitted as part of his study for the Graduate Certificate in the Psychology of Risk - published here with his permission: Norretranders (1998) provides ample evidence that the unconscious plays a major role in communication. This paper … [Read more...] about Its All In The Sign
