Blame-free environment

Dr. Mark A. Friend (2012) also mentions creating a blame-free environment as a prerequisite for safety culture change ... 

Creation of a blame-free environment where individuals report errors without fear... 

Creation of a blame-free environment where individuals report errors without fear Encouragement of collaboration to seek solutions to patient safety problons Organizational commitment of resources to address safety concerns... 

Reports of equipment failures, design faults or procedures which might cause a hazard, must be encouraged without threat of disciplinary action wherever possible. An effective safety culture requires an atmosphere in which individuals are not unduly punished or blamed for their mistakes - a blame-free environment. This is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in practice when things really do go wrong, people s reaction is often to protect themselves by pointing the finger of blame at others. 

Even an organisation that strives to achieve a blame-free environment is still subject to rules and legal regulation. A just culture is one in which individuals are not free of blame if they are culpably negligent and where the organisation gives due regard to honesty (David, 2002). 

Investigators are not out to assign blame. Actions taken to blame and shame generally do little to prevent similar incidents from occurring. Therefore, it is necessary to foster an open and trusting environment where people feel free to discuss the evolution of an incident without fear of reprisal. Without such a supportive environment, involved individuals may be reluctant to cooperate in a full disclosure of occurrences leading to an incident and the incident investigation may be concluded prematurely with the root causes left uncovered. 

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