Just yesterday I was told, again, that if If don't believe in zero harm then I must want people to get hurt and therefore have no right to be in safety! Our recent article on the problems with “fire and brimstone safety” stirred up some debate about the ineffectiveness of negative safety stories and … [Read more...] about Safety as Faith Healing
safety slogans
Your Normal is NOT My Normal, Just Another Slogan in Safety
In the continuous discourse of Safety, we get constant sloganizing and naïve language from various groups. It seems the more Safety feels irrelevant, the more bizarre language it develops and accepts. We already know that absurd and extremist slogan like ‘blame fixes nothing’ hides a principle of … [Read more...] about Your Normal is NOT My Normal, Just Another Slogan in Safety
Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
Using AI and a new iphone app, a team of social psychology experts has analysed every meaningless aphorism and every condescending platitude ever displayed in the workplace to come up with a list of the most effective safety slogans of all time. Research project leader, Prof. Gerhardt Spudovsky, … [Read more...] about Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
Safety Aphorisms and Platitudes
Safety Aphorisms and Platitudes Someone recently posted a photo of an old safety sign from NC Transport Museum on LinkedIn. Its a great find of an interesting artefact. I am not sure how old it is and it was probably considered to be amazingly insightful in its day. We often laugh at these very … [Read more...] about Safety Aphorisms and Platitudes
Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
'Tis the season to be decorating the workplace with safety slogans so I thought I should republish this classic: Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple One of the most annoying things about social media, especially Linkedin (as its intention is to be professional), is the constant … [Read more...] about Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
Dumb Safety Slogans and Myths
Amongst the many myths of Safety one is that ‘safety starts with me’. This is individualist language that doesn’t help people manage risk. This myth combines with other myths such as ‘safety is a choice you make’ and ‘all accidents are preventable’. None of this language helps anyone and should be … [Read more...] about Dumb Safety Slogans and Myths
Don’t look Now, Your Slogan is Showing
Slogans are very powerful and serve as a semiotic for organisations. Slogans are not just text but are symbolic and give organisations semiotic meaning. The moment a slogan is contradicted, they will be used against you. When this happens organisations look like clowns and what is remembered is the … [Read more...] about Don’t look Now, Your Slogan is Showing
Make Safety Personal, Another Meaningless Safety Slogan
Skills in critical linguistics are essential in managing risk. The language we use and the extended para-linguistics we use, have an enormous influence on decision making. Anyone in marketing, advertising and influencing knows that the Medium is the Message. We also know that Crazy Talk, Stupid … [Read more...] about Make Safety Personal, Another Meaningless Safety Slogan
Gimmicks and Myths of Avoidance in Safety
Someone sent me a thing the other day labelled as ‘brilliance’ and it was yet just another safety gimmick that yet again served as a distraction from discussing the essentials in safety – listening, helping, caring and learning. This is what safety does so well. It creates gimmicks and labels them … [Read more...] about Gimmicks and Myths of Avoidance in Safety
Make Your Safety Slogan Social
Make Your Safety Slogan Social Safety is a profoundly social activity. We see this in the many slogans in safety that emphasize connections to family and loved ones as a reason for safety. However, we should chose slogans carefully. One of the early slogans of the COVID19 pandemic was ‘we’re all … [Read more...] about Make Your Safety Slogan Social