I had a call from a mate this week, the board of his company have been mesmerised by a presentation of the latest advances in safety. So I asked to see a copy of this presentation expecting some astounding research and scintillating stuff taking safety into the future. So what did I see? Bradley … [Read more...] about Advancing Backwards in Safety
transdisciplinarity
On Culture and Safety
The assumption made in safety is that culture can be explained conceptually and propositionally, when it can’t. No wonder those who describe culture as a ‘fog’ or ‘cloudy’ don’t understand culture. It’s a bit like taking a knife to a gun fight, or asking the wrong questions expecting the right … [Read more...] about On Culture and Safety
Culture is NOT a Product nor a Construct
When culture is viewed through the lens of behaviourism and safety, it is asserted that culture is a ‘construct’ and ‘product’ (p.50). This is the assertion of Cooper in his chapter in Safety Cultures, Safety Models. When the lens is behaviourist safety, one can assert that risk is best tackled … [Read more...] about Culture is NOT a Product nor a Construct
A Pedagogy of Safety
Whenever I hear a podcast or discussion in Safety about culture it reminds me of discussions I hear on Education that are silent about ‘pedagogy’. The foundation of Education and Learning are embedded in an understanding of pedagogy. If someone proclaims they are speaking about Education and … [Read more...] about A Pedagogy of Safety
If You Want to Know About Culture, Don’t Ask Safety
The last 4 books I have read from Safety branded as being about culture, were not about culture and not much about safety and risk. Such is safety code (https://safetyrisk.net/deciphering-safety-code/). The four books were: Busch (2021) The First Rule of Safety Culture. Gilbert, Journe, … [Read more...] about If You Want to Know About Culture, Don’t Ask Safety
Safety and Non-Neuroscience
One thing you can be sure of, if Safety jumps out of its field of expertise in objects into anything to do with humans, it stuffs it up. This is no more pronounced in some of the material floating about in safety at the moment on Neuroscience. It’s amazing how Safety makes one qualified in … [Read more...] about Safety and Non-Neuroscience
Paperwork and Usability in Tackling Risk
Most workers don’t ‘use’ paperwork, they just sign it just as many workers don’t read paperwork they just give it the ‘tick and flick’. The idea of excessive paperwork in safety is much more a middle management problem than a worker problem. The real decisions on the job where the greatest risk is … [Read more...] about Paperwork and Usability in Tackling Risk
Identity and Safety
The term identity politics has its source in the 1970s and defines the political identity of groups under various forms of oppression. Often this expression ‘identity politics’ is used pejoratively (https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12/2/13718770/identity-politics ) and coupled with other silly … [Read more...] about Identity and Safety
Talking About Teams
Talking About Teams Next in the video series on Safety Silences (https://vimeo.com/user/57711103/folder/10215280 ) is a discussion about teams. Whilst there is much discussion in safety about teams, groups and organizing, much is often poorly defined. Indeed, so often meaning is assumed in … [Read more...] about Talking About Teams
Understanding Humans and How They Tackle Risk
Understanding Humans and How They Tackle Risk Without a proper understanding of humans, fallibility and an holistic understanding culture, Safety will never develop a humanising approach to risk. These can never be developed from an engineering-behaviourist worldview. One of the major errors of a … [Read more...] about Understanding Humans and How They Tackle Risk
