The Future of Health & Safety: Embracing the Ethic of Caring

It is the first article in a series, to address Humble Inquiry in Health and Safety.

In my book, “OHS Voices from the Resistance,” a vision for the future of health and safety emerged, one where practitioners adopt a “helping profession” approach, centered on care and empathy. This series of articles dives into what it truly means to help, drawing on insights from my mentor, Edgar Schein, and his work on humble inquiry.

 Humble Consulting: Lessons from Edgar Schein

Ed Schein, a man passionate about becoming a better helper, drew inspiration from his own life experiences—supporting loved ones through addiction and alcoholism. His book, “Humble Inquiry,” highlights the power of genuine curiosity. Despite his impressive titles and expertise, he effortlessly set his ego aside to ask questions with a true desire to help.

Key Points for helping with Humble Inquiry in Health and Safety.

1. Be Genuinely Curious: Sometimes the most powerful questions are the ones that might seem naive. Schein’s story about a CEO’s team wrestling with a VP appointment proves this. His simple question about the role’s responsibilities cut through the confusion and led to a quick solution. As H&S advisors, we need to be willing to risk looking a little clueless to uncover the real problems and guide others towards solutions.
2. Beware of Being the Expert: Remember that time Schein tried to tell a bunch of computer engineers how to improve their own product? Yeah, it didn’t go well. To be truly effective, experts must be seen as “insiders” and equals. Empathy, through active listening, is a far more effective entry point than jumping in with solutions. This is a critical skill for H&S practitioners, as the interviews for my book revealed that feeling unheard is a major source of frustration.
3. Simultaneous Diagnosis and Intervention: Schein understood that “real” problems are often just symptoms of deeper worries, sometimes hidden even from the person we’re trying to help. Skillful facilitation can bring these worries to the surface safely. Remember his example of the group constantly interrupting each other? Schein’s simple act of writing down their ideas on a flip chart addressed the underlying issue of not feeling heard. This highlights a huge gap in H&S training: the lack of facilitation skills. To bridge this gap, we need to embrace the role of the unconscious in risk management and explore concepts like mindfulness and self-awareness.

I’ve conducted hundreds of safety culture assessments and presented recommendations, only to have them mostly ignored. It can be frustrating, but Schein’s work offers a different perspective. Instead of seeing problems as things to be fixed, we can view them as worries to be understood.

Conclusion

We will continue to explore Humble Inquiry in Health and Safety. And, in the next article, we’ll delve into the importance of mindfulness and self-awareness for H&S practitioners. By developing these skills, we can become better equipped to facilitate meaningful change and foster a culture of care within our profession.