AN EXPLORATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND EFFECTS OF USING HUMOUR IN HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMUNICATION

Taylor, Stephen and Hardy, Claire and Simpson, Jane (2025) AN EXPLORATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS AND EFFECTS OF USING HUMOUR IN HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMUNICATION. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the use of humour in health and safety communication and establish an understanding of how it is perceived and its potential effects in the workplace. A systematic search and then a thematic synthesis of the existing empirical qualitative literature on the use of humour between employees in workplace communication was conducted. The review produced four temporal themes (followed in a chronological pattern) that described how humour was used during an employee's organisational journey, and highlighted the lack of peer-reviewed literature on humour in health and safety communication. Key research gaps were identified, informing the rationale for the current research. This research aimed to answer the following questions: 1. What are the perceptions of health and safety practitioners and employees on the use of humour in health and safety communication?, and 2. What do health and safety practitioners and employees consider the effects of using humour in health and safety communication? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants: 13 health and safety practitioners (deliverers of health and safety communication) and 5 employees (recipients of health and safety communication). Transcripts were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2019) 6-step approach to thematic analysis. The resulting four themes were: (1) The humorous robot – using humour to ‘humanise’ the formulaic nature of the role, (2) Awkward bedfellows? – humour’s challenging relationship with health and safety, (3) Reading the room – the situational predictors of humour, and (4) More than a laugh – the enduring effects of humour. This study makes a unique contribution by highlighting the role of humour in the evolving role of the health and safety practitioner. Significantly, humour conveyed the humanity of practitioners, their interaction with employees, while also improving compliance with health and safety rules. This study offers several implications for policy and practice, as well as future avenues of research. The findings provide the basis for future guidance for practitioners on using humour and influencing preferred characteristics when recruiting practitioners.