We’ve all heard the phrase: “It’s all just a bit of common sense, isn’t it?”. I hear it a lot when delivering training. My humorous (in my opinion anyway) response is “If everyone used common sense then I wouldn’t be able to pay my mortgage!”
While the “Common Sense Myth” is a staple of tabloid headlines, I want to ask this community: Is it actually a valid concept in a modern workplace?
Is “common sense” a legitimate practical tool that we should expect from grown adults, or is it just a lazy shorthand for a lack of proper safe systems of work?
The UK Perspective: In our legal system, we often talk about the “Reasonable Person,” but the HSE tends to steer clear of the term “common sense” entirely. They prefer to talk about Competence—the specific blend of Skills, Knowledge, Training, and Experience. The argument is that you can’t have “sense” about a hazard you haven’t been trained to recognise.
I’d love to get your take:
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Is it a valid expectation? Can we realistically expect an apprentice and a 20-year veteran to share the same “common” sense?
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Is “Common Sense” a dangerous phrase? Does relying on it lead to us skipping proper training and inductions?
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The Legal Reality: How do you handle it when a manager tries to use “lack of common sense” as the root cause of an accident?
I’ve always felt that relying on common sense is a bit like relying on the British weather—occasionally it works out, but you wouldn’t bet your life on it.
Where do you stand? Is it a valid part of the health and safety toolkit, or should we bin the phrase for good?