Safety models, safety cultures: What’s the link?

What links can be established between safety models and safety culture that would help to improve safety in companies that carry out hazardous activities? Depending on how it is addressed, this question can appear very straightforward or, on the contrary, can become quite complex. Moreover, it presupposes that everyone agrees on the definition of safety—which is far from certain!

Following a request from industrialists, the Foncsi’s Scientific Group for Strategic Analysis launched a study of safety culture and safety models. Claude Gilbert, emeritus research director at the CNRS, who chairs the group, prepared this Industrial safety opinion piece, which outlines the thoughts of group members on this theme.