Making Safety Religious There was an interesting article in the Conversation today by Chris Hartney arguing that ignorance/naivety about religious awareness tends to make one more religious. One doesn’t have to look very hard to demonstrate this is true in Safety. It is very clear now that the … [Read more...] about Making Safety Religious
transdisciplinarity
When Seeing is NOT Believing
When Seeing is NOT Believing If you haven’t seen the documentary American Deepfake then do so. It presents the problem of observation and evidence in an age when seeing is NOT believing. When it comes to competence the discipline of Safety ought to be on the front line when it comes to … [Read more...] about When Seeing is NOT Believing
Investigations the IOSH Way
Investigations the IOSH Way IOSH recently published an article on Investigative Interviewing written by an ex specialist criminal investigator for two elite UK law enforcement agencies. Then after considerable criticism IOSH released a response to considerable criticism of this article … [Read more...] about Investigations the IOSH Way
Investigations and the Causality Sausage
Investigations and the Causality Sausage The topic of bias and worldview is rarely discussed as a foundation for incident investigations indeed, if you read the AIHS BoK Chapter of Ethics (https://safetyrisk.net/what-brand-of-ethics-is-safety/ ) or chapter on Causality … [Read more...] about Investigations and the Causality Sausage
Zero as a Semiotic
Zero as a Semiotic When we look at the image (semiotic) of zero there is much that is going on unconsciously. The idea of zero in risk and safety may have originally started as some naïve quest for no injuries but it has evolved to become the iconic anchor for a religious movement. The Spirit of … [Read more...] about Zero as a Semiotic
Spin, Nonsense Language and Propaganda in Safety
Spin, Nonsense Language and Propaganda in Safety It wasn’t that long ago that the latest trend in safety was to label someone a ‘thought leader’ or a ‘disrupter’ (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-and-the-spin-of-disruption/ ). Of course this was meaningless language because tradition, orthodoxy and … [Read more...] about Spin, Nonsense Language and Propaganda in Safety
Safety as a Mysoginist Activity
Cornell philosophy professor Kate Manne argues that misogyny is not about male hostility or hatred toward women — instead, it’s about controlling and punishing women who challenge male ideology. Misogyny rewards women who reinforce the status quo and punishes those who don’t. Misogyny can be … [Read more...] about Safety as a Mysoginist Activity
The AIHS BoK and Ethics, Check Your Gut!
One of the best ways to be ethical about ethics is to declare your worldview/methodology (ethic) from the outset. It is from one’s ethic (methodology-ontology) that one’s method emerges. In my case whenever I undertake education and learning modules such as the recent modules on Transdisciplinarity … [Read more...] about The AIHS BoK and Ethics, Check Your Gut!
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 form of poetics but any form of non-technical expression and experience defines what it is to be … [Read more...] about The Poetics of Risk
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 deeply committed to something that it takes on a life of its own, on other words it becomes an … [Read more...] about Safety as a Knowledge Culture