Chapter 9 - Introduction: Organization and Safety Culture

Abstract

This chapter is an introduction to the remainder of the book. The types of mistakes that may lead to accidents are discussed, and key organizational aspects of, and business processes for, safety management are introduced. The meaning of safety culture (with all its subtleties and fragilities) is described. Reason’s Swiss cheese metaphor for accidents is introduced. As an illustration of all these, the circumstances leading to the fatal RAF Nimrod crash in Afghanistan in 2006 are described, drawing on the official enquiry report which was extremely critical of the safety management arrangements. In this accident there were latent failings which had gone unnoticed over decades. An opportunity to address these failings, during the development of a safety case for the Nimrod in the period 2001–2005, was squandered. Finally, there is a brief discussion about the meaning of safety in a military environment.