Third Generation Safety: The Missing Piece

Organisations have traditionally approached personal safety in two ways:

• First-generation safety focuses on the physical environment of the workplace or the person’s knowledge and understanding of hazards, risks and controls. It is concerned with compliance.
• Second-generation safety focuses on the conscious decisions people make, or how well they keep safety front-of-mind. It is concerned with deliberate choices.

Approaching safety in these two ways has merit; but is not enough to prevent many injuries and safety incidents, even serious ones.

So, what is missing?
Third-generation safety targets our subconscious processes and looks at how the human brain functions. The latest neuroscience reveals that more than 95% of what we do is subconscious. Although that is not how it feels to most of us, understanding the research opens doors that enable us to help ourselves and others be much safer.

Third-generation safety is concerned with personal safety skills and habits.

This book connects ideas and insights from neuroscience, behavioural economics and evolutionary biology to explain the major role played by inattention in personal safety incidents and injuries. The evidence presented is compelling.

If you want to improve personal safety, you need to read this book.