ABSTRACT
An attempt is made in this paper to bring together the various strands of the current thinking connected with the design and effects of safety cultures. Consideration is given to the question of what a safety culture might be, how it might be evaluated, and what its likely relationship to other features of an organisation might be. The ways in which safety cultures might affect quality, reliability, competitiveness and profitability are considered by reference to the origin of current industrial initiatives in these areas and their implications.
