From Safety to Safely: Principles and Practice of Systemic Potentials Management (1)

Synopsis

The conventional interpretation of safety, known as Safety-I, denotes a condition where as little as possible goes wrong, and the focus of practical efforts in management or analysis is on the occurrence of unacceptable outcomes and on how to reduce their number to an acceptable level, ideally zero. The emphasis is therefore on how to manage safety as such, as seen in the ubiquitous safety management systems (SMS). As Professor James Reason astutely points out, this raises the interesting question of how it is possible to learn about something, let alone manage it, if it is studied only in situations in which it is absent. The solution proposed by and described in this book is to stop using safety as a noun and instead use it as an adverb: safely.Now often referred to as Safety-II, this solution is the logical consequence of resilience engineering and will require new methods, several of which already exist and have proved their worth in practice for years. The question ceases being what to manage and becomes how to manage. Managing safety is protective, hence a non-productive cost, which at best avoids a loss. Conversely, managing safely is productive and can generate revenue in addition to preventing or avoiding losses; aviation and mining are prime examples.From Safety to Safely provides a practical perspective on managing safely, illustrating a practical form of synesis. It offers a new understanding of safety, combining concerns for productivity and safety rather than juxtaposing them, and it shows how to manage complex industrial and social systems in the spirit of resilience engineering and synesis. It is the first book to completely dispense with the loaded term "safety" while offering a practical and viable alternative. Spoiler alert: this book does not mention or analyse any celebrated accidents.This book is for all middle and senior managers, board members, and independent consultants seeking to ensure safe, revenue-generating operations.

Copyright:

2026

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

172 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781040159712

Related ISBNs:

9781032664705, 9781032664712, 9781032664729, 9781040159682

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Date of Addition:

06/30/25

Copyrighted By:

Erik Hollnagel. The right of Erik Hollnagel to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Technology, Education, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics, Sociology

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.