Safety management is evolving. Each year, we engage thought leaders to explore the latest trends, and one of the most notable shifts is the move from Safety-I, which emphasizes preventing failure, to Safety-II, which focuses on understanding success in everyday operations. This emerging concept has sparked lively discussions within the occupational health and safety (OHS) community.
what is Safety-II?
Safety-II is a forward-looking approach that shifts focus from preventing failures to understanding and promoting successful outcomes. Instead of viewing safety as the absence of incidents, Safety-II emphasizes the human ability to navigate complex environments, adjust to changing conditions, and work safely despite challenges.
This approach recognizes the value of adaptability in the workforce, acknowledging that strict adherence to rules is not always possible or desirable in dynamic, high-pressure situations. By fostering resilience and empowering workers to make safe decisions, Safety-II seeks to create a more sustainable and flexible safety culture.
causes and success: rethinking causal analysis
In the context of Safety-II, the distinction between causes of accidents and successes becomes less significant. The same adaptive actions that allow employees to work safely in challenging conditions can also lead to accidents under different circumstances. For example, workers often adapt their performance to match fluctuating demands, sometimes bending rules to meet real-world conditions. Safety-II recognizes this adaptability as a strength rather than a liability.
Instead of isolating the one failure out of thousands of successful operations, Safety-II encourages organizations to examine the 9,999 times things go well. This method offers more comprehensive insights into how safety functions in practice.
why we focus on what goes well
Traditional safety approaches often emphasize failure. Safety-II takes the opposite approach—examining successful operations to identify what contributes to resilience and safety in everyday work.
By shifting focus to the factors that allow things to go right, organizations can reinforce positive behaviors, strengthen safety systems, and reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes. This method allows companies to build on what works, rather than fixating only on what doesn’t.
the ongoing safety debate
Not everyone agrees with the principles of Safety-II. Dr. Dominic Cooper’s critique of both Safety-II and the related Safety Differently movement highlights concerns that these newer approaches downplay the need for strict safety controls and procedures.
Cooper argues that even when 99.99% of activities go well, there’s still significant room for error. His views have sparked debates within the safety community, with advocates of Safety Differently like Ron Gantt arguing that success is about leveraging what organizations do well, not just preventing failure.
This debate reflects broader divisions in the field, with some safety professionals resisting changes to long-standing methods while others embrace new approaches that focus on human resilience and adaptability.
challenges with embracing Safety-II
Many EHS managers struggle to embrace Safety-II, as it can initially seem like a rejection of traditional safety methods. Professional Erik Hollnagel challenges the longstanding approach of identifying accident causes, instead advocating for building trust and valuing adaptive worker behavior over rigid rules.
This shift, particularly the move away from root-cause analysis, often meets resistance. Experienced professionals who have relied on these methods for years to improve safety outcomes find it difficult to accept change when they need to hit established targets. For many, abandoning proven methods that have reduced accidents over time feels risky and unnecessary.
Safety-II in practice
Initial scepticism about Safety-II often arises from its contrast to traditional practices. Historical KPIs based on negative events have long provided concrete insights. However, Safety-II was not designed to replace Safety-I, but to complement it.
Safety-II focuses on understanding why things go right, while Safety-I tracks what goes wrong. The two perspectives can work together to create a more comprehensive safety approach.
One ongoing challenge is how to investigate the 9,999 successful events when analyzing failures already strains EHS resources. This has led to the development of cloud-based AMCS EHS Management software that integrate both Safety-I and Safety-II approaches.
For example, modules like Incidents & Observations allow companies to track both traditional KPIs and positive observations, providing a balanced approach to safety management. This integration ensures that both reactive and proactive safety measures are addressed.
resilient workplace safety solutions
The discourse around Safety-II emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach to occupational health and safety, where understanding both successes and failures leads to a more resilient workplace. Rather than viewing the traditional methods as obsolete, EHS professionals can use the strengths of both Safety-I and Safety-II perspectives for a comprehensive safety strategy.
To navigate this landscape effectively, use AMCS EHS Management. It not only streamlines compliance and incident management but also facilitates the integration of Safety-II principles by enabling organizations to track positive outcomes and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
For a safer and more productive work environment, contact us to learn more. You can also see for yourself how it streamlines your EHS tasks. Request a free demo now.