It is important to note that preventive actions are not entirely the same for the different risk categories (minor, serious, or major): organizational failures generally play a much greater role in serious accidents than minor accidents. Indeed, a serious event usually implies the systemic failure of many barriers. The prevention of major accident hazards should, therefore, never be based on actions that only target individual behavior; it requires commitment from the entire organization. The first questions to focus on when considering the safety culture of a company or entity are, therefore:
▷ What are the risks that most threaten the organization?
The answer is obviously different for each specific situation (some entities are more at risk of falls from height, others of fire, explosions, electrical risk, violence against staff, etc.).
▷ Is this vision of the most serious risks and of the way to ensure safety widely shared by the organization’s members? Do forms of “collective blindness” exist concerning certain risk categories?
▷ Do the organization’s safety efforts target the most serious risks first?
▷ Has the organization given itself the means to assess its level of preparedness with regard to the most serious risks?
Source: The ICSI “Safety Culture” working group (2017). Safety Culture: from Understanding to Action. Issue 2018-01 of the Cahiers de la Sécurité Industrielle collection, Institut pour une Culture de Sécurité Industrielle (ICSI), Toulouse, France.
