We saw the story recently of the Nazi flag being flown in Beulah Victoria. Interestingly, the etymology of the word ‘Beulah’ designates a mystical place tied to Jewish identity. The controversy over … [Read more...] about The Power of Symbols in Safety
STEM
The Poetics of Risk
The idea of poetics stems back to Aristotle and denotes (https://www.iep.utm.edu/aris-poe/) experiences and non-technique (Ellul) focused modes of knowing and thinking (namely STEM). Poetry is one … [Read more...] about The Poetics of Risk
Wrong-Headed Safety
So much about the safety industry is about wrong thinking. The STEM-only worldview has us convinced that good safety is about rationality and cognition. This worldview has us convinced in typical … [Read more...] about Wrong-Headed Safety
Safety as a Knowledge Culture
We all know the saying ‘you can’t see the forest for the trees’ meaning, when you are so deep in something you can’t see what you are in. The saying also captures the dynamic of immersion, of being so … [Read more...] about Safety as a Knowledge Culture
What Does SPoR Do?
The Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) is not just a theory about how people make decisions and enact those decisions. SPoR is a way of thinking about work and how all work is social and psychological. … [Read more...] about What Does SPoR Do?
Why Safety Isn’t a Choice You Make
We know from child development that everything that is learned by doing becomes committed to body memory. From as young as three months children commit actions to muscle memory and this makes actions … [Read more...] about Why Safety Isn’t a Choice You Make
The Challenge of the Consciousness Taboo
One of the by-products of STEM-only thinking in safety is the taboo of consciousness. You won’t find this challenging issue being discussed anywhere in the industry. How strange, because if there was … [Read more...] about The Challenge of the Consciousness Taboo
And the Innovation is? More Controls…..
One of the great anxieties about Safety is the lack of control. If there was a favourite word for the safety industry, this would be it - controls. This is what attracts Safety to the language of … [Read more...] about And the Innovation is? More Controls…..
