ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
This study examines the genesis of safety awareness among Occupational Safety and Health training participants, focusing on internal cognitive processes prior to the internalisation of formal learning. While existing research has emphasised behavioural outcomes and compliance-based indicators, limited attention has been given to how pre-existing assumptions are challenged and reshaped. Addressing this gap, the study adopts a qualitative interpretative phenomenological approach to explore how safety understanding emerges through cognitive disruption and reflective engagement. Data were generated through interviews, observations, and document analysis involving a purposive sample of 15 OSH practitioners with relevant industry experience and training exposure. The data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify patterns of cognitive transformation. The findings indicate that safety understanding begins not with knowledge accumulation but with cognitive disruption that destabilises existing mental models, followed by reflective unlearning and reconstruction of meaning. Participants experienced internal conflict and uncertainty that prompted reassessment of prior practices. These findings show that learning is initiated through the breakdown of assumptions rather than passive acquisition. The study contributes by positioning cognitive disruption and unlearning as key mechanisms in safety learning, with implications for designing training programmes that promote deeper and context sensitive safety practices.
Antonsen, S. (2021). Safety culture: Theory, method and improvement. Routledge.
Becker, K. (2010). Facilitating unlearning during implementation of new technology. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 23(3), 251–268.
Billett, S. (2020). Learning through work: Workplace affordances and individual engagement. Journal of Workplace Learning, 32(3), 197–210.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage.
Cooper, M. D. (2018). The safety culture construct: Theory and practice. In C. Gilbert, B. Journe, H. Laroche, & C. Bieder (Eds.), Safety cultures, safety models: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 47-61). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95129-4_5
Hedberg, B. (1981). How organizations learn and unlearn. In P. C. Nystrom & W. H. Starbuck (Eds.), Handbook of organizational design (Vol. 1, pp. 8-27). Oxford University Press.
Illeris, K. (2020). Contemporary theories of learning: Learning theorists in their own words (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2021). Experiential learning theory: A dynamic, holistic approach to management learning. Management Learning, 52(3), 295–317.
Le Coze, J. C. (2022). Safety science research: Evolution, challenges and new directions. CRC Press.
Mayer, R. E. (2020). Multimedia learning (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316941355
Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. Jossey-Bass.
Poell, R. F., Nijs, S., & Van der Krogt, F. (2021). Workplace learning and professional development: Concepts and practices. Human Resource Development Review, 20(4), 415–432.
Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K. A. (2020). The science of training and development in organizations. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 21(2), 1–58.
Taylor, E. W., & Cranton, P. (2023). The handbook of transformative learning: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Tsang, E. W. K. (2021). Organizational learning and unlearning research: Where do we go from here? Management Learning, 52(2), 171–197.
Latib, M. F. A., & Ismail, H. Bin. (2026). The Genesis of Safety Awareness: Cognitive Disruption, Unlearning and Reflective Transition in OSH Training Readiness. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(10), 1221–1231.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode