Components

Q1.  What is meant by a reporting culture?

Effective safety management requires a free exchange of safety information within an organization and between the organization and its safety partners. This applies both to actual incidents and accidents occurring within the organization, and to any hazards, accident precursors and systemic vulnerabilities that may be identified. Therefore, the organization must not only have a reporting system in place, but must also foster a culture that actively encourages its use by staff at all levels and in all departments.

Such a culture will not only avoid disincentives, such as “blaming the messenger” or penalizing individuals who make honest errors, but will also provide staff with positive confirmation that all reports are taken seriously and subjected to an appropriate risk analysis. This is not to imply that there should be a “blame free” environment. Rather, the idea is to achieve a “fair” or “just” environment that distinguishes between errors and wilful acts, and recognizes that sometimes even deliberate departures from official procedures can be well intentioned.

Return to list of questions