The Genesis of Safety Awareness: Cognitive Disruption, Unlearning and Reflective Transition in OSH Training Readiness

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.