Knowing versus understanding: adjusting the contextual lens in safety science

Abstract

Preparing for the unknown safety threat requires new ways of studying safety in today’s highly complex and dynamic environment. Qualitative inquiry offers advantages to expand the contextual lens in safety science by broadening understanding of the environment and conditions people negotiate in normal day-to-day operations. Through the narrative accounts of those with first-hand experience qualitative researchers seek to narrow the gap between work-as-done and work-as-imagined. It is through their individual experience, when analyzed collectively, that a greater context emerges. To aid in determining which research method is best for investigating safety phenomenon, this paper offers an overview of the philosophical underpinnings of qualitative research as well as recent examples from aviation, maritime, and mining.