In high-stakes industries where safety is paramount, accidents and incidents are often quickly attributed to human error. This knee-jerk reaction to blame individuals has deep roots in organisational culture and leadership attitudes. However, this blame-oriented approach can hinder the development of truly resilient and safe systems. In this article, we will explore the limitations of focusing solely on human error, the benefits of adopting a systemic approach to safety, and how organisations can change their mindset to create robust, resilient systems.

Safety professionals play a critical role in ensuring the well-being of employees and the public and compliance with regulations. However, the job of a safety professional can be challenging. One of the biggest challenges is reconciling competing priorities, such as safety and production or safety and financial objectives. In this article, we will explore how safety professionals navigate this balancing act and make decisions that prioritise safety while also considering other important factors.

Safety culture and safety climate are two critical concepts in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). Safety culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices that shape an organisation's approach to safety. On the other hand, safety climate refers to the perceptions and attitudes of employees towards safety within an organisation. While safety culture focuses on the underlying values and beliefs that drive safety, safety climate is more concerned with how employees perceive and behave towards safety in their day-to-day work.

Safety is a top priority for any organisation, but achieving it can be a challenging task. One issue that often arises is a lack of communication and coordination across different departments and teams. Safety professionals are tasked with monitoring compliance with safety controls, but traditional approaches can create adversarial relationships and lead to blaming individuals when incidents occur. However, by breaking down these barriers and facilitating cross-organisational communication, safety professionals can play a critical role in enhancing safety within the organisation.

The Health and Safety profession has made great strides in safety performance over the last 50 years, technology has become safer to use, and techniques such as HAZOP and bowtie analysis have given us ways to think about and manage hazards. This approach has served the industry well, but safety performance has recently stalled.