ABSTRACT
Academic research into organisational issues and new technology would seem to
provide a safe and, some might even say, boring environment. The purpose of this
chapter is to dispel the myth of the sanitised and safe construction of such research by
discussing the physical and emotional dangers it can involve. I work in this field as a
research fellow on fixed-term contracts. My previous and current contract, both three-
year terms, have involved work in hospital settings. This chapter illustrates the dangers
which lurk even in the most unexpected settings and uses a reflexive approach to
consider notions of safety and danger. Similar to Jamieson in Chapter 4 I argue that
planning for research often fails to address some of the dangers experienced in the field
and these are often only acknowledged after the project is finished or not until it is well
under way.
