Safety Is Not Rocket Science

Last year, in its ten year strategy, the Health and Safety Executive announced that it is looking to regulate workplace safety in 'different ways', in the light of the maturity and understanding of business in managing such risks.¹ What does such an intention mean for organisations with mature health and safety systems which have conscientiously sought to ensure safety, if they experience a serious accident?

All Accidents Are Preventable

There is a notion that all accidents are preventable. 'Are they indeed?' writes the safety expert and author, Carsten Busch, 'Why then do we not see this happening in our everyday observations? Just check the news or you company's incident statistics. Why are we still having accidents after almost a century of more or less serious safety management efforts, scientific and technical progress and increased societal demands through better standards and regulations?'