Hi,

Safety permeates every aspect of our lives so much that we take it for granted. I think we should take “safety” much more seriously. Therefore I am going to write a series of blogs on why we as a society should add to our vocabulary and thus redefine our consciousness on the science of safety. I think we should in fact develop a Science of Safety just as all of the other Science disciplines. Science is defined by Webster’s as, “an area of knowledge that is an object of study.” It goes on to further specify, “Knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific methods.” Safety is defined by Webster’s as, “freedom from danger; security-a protective device.” Thus one could conclude that an area of knowledge that is an object of study is “Safety”. Science of safety would be the discipline of studying all knowledge that is focused on the art and science of safety. I can not understand why safety has not become more of a science discipline of its own.

There is a journal published monthly called Safety Science. This journal serves as an international medium “for research in the science and technology of human safety. It extends from safety of people at work to other spheres, such as transport, leisure and home, as well as every other field of man’s hazardous activities.” Safety Science – Jan. 2008.
The journal is encouraging in its efforts to develop safety as a discipline of science. It covers the physics and engineering of safety with all the aspects, risks and control techniques taken into account to form a science of safety and then publishes articles. It is truly fascinating work and one we are thrilled to see!

Let’s look at a specific hypothetical example of the science of safety in action. For example, we all know that if you smoke cigarettes, according to the World Health Organization, your chances of developing lung cancer during your lifetime increase 68% (WHO Feb. 2008) from one who does not smoke. Applying scientific methods to this example, it is clear that by smoking you are increasing your chance of developing lung cancer. This is proven, methodical, factual information.

Another example, if you cross a street without looking both ways, you increase your chance of becoming a victim of an accident; getting hit by a car or truck. If we applied safety scientific methodology to this hypothesis, we would come up with a percentage of times these accidents are likely to happen. We then use safety science methodology to research human behavior and come up with “best practices” to reduce the percentages of such an accident. We would have a factual, proven piece of safety science information to share with the general public to increase their safety awareness and justify on a consistent basis behavior modification techniques to have a safer environment.

Without a doubt, safety is a science. Whether or not it ever becomes a recognized discipline remains to be seen.

Next week….. the politics of safety and safety consciousness in propaganda.

Living safe,
Yovette Mumford

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