Beyond Cognitive Disruption: Cultivating Reflective Awareness through Contextual Authenticity in Experiential OSH Training

Building upon prior findings that safety learning begins with cognitive disruption and reflective unlearning, this study examines how reflective safety awareness is cultivated among Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Coordinator training participants through experiential learning processes. Adopting a qualitative interpretative approach, data were generated from 15 participants across multiple industrial sectors using semi-structured interviews and observations and analysed through thematic analysis. The findings reveal three interconnected learning mechanisms that support the development of reflective safety awareness, namely intellectual provocation through facilitated dialogue, vicarious reflection through peer-based risk narratives, and contextual authenticity through experiential learning activities. These mechanisms encourage participants to critically reassess prior assumptions, engage in reflective evaluation, and develop a more context-sensitive understanding of workplace safety. The study concludes that reflective safety awareness is actively constructed through interaction, experience, and contextual engagement rather than passively acquired through information delivery. The findings highlight the importance of experiential learning and contextual authenticity in supporting the transition from disrupted understanding towards sustained reflective safety awareness among experienced practitioners.