One of the challenges of working in the safety industry is, so much that is critical is left to guesswork and most that is petty and unimportant is delivered in overload. We see this recently with the AIHS BoK Chapter on Research. So little on the realities of research associated with persons, … [Read more...] about What’s Your Agenda in Safety?
transdisciplinarity
Unconscious Codes, Ecological Thinking in Risk
Biosemiotics is the idea that life is based on semiosis, i.e., on signs, symbols and codes. Biosemiotics is the study of signs in living systems. In ecological life there is a ’thinking’ dynamic or ‘force’ that drives everything from the construction of a snowflake to the formation of a hurricane. … [Read more...] about Unconscious Codes, Ecological Thinking in Risk
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
Radical Uncertainty
Radical Uncertainty I’m not an economist but we have much we can learn from other disciplines. Kay and King’s book Radical Uncertainty (2020) should be a compulsory read for safety people. Moreso, for anyone spruiking the nonsense of zero. Kay and King have produced an easy to read book on the … [Read more...] about Radical Uncertainty
Advancing Backwards in Safety
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
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
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
