When familiarity becomes a risk
A strong safety culture is not something an organisation achieves once and maintains automatically. It requires continual engagement, scrutiny and a willingness to challenge how work is carried out. Complacency rarely develops overnight. Instead, it emerges gradually as familiar tasks become routine, minor deviations go unchallenged and the absence of incidents creates a false sense of security.
This risk extends beyond physical hazards. The 2026 European Week campaign, Together for Mental Health at Work, highlights the need to prevent psychosocial risks arising from factors such as excessive workloads and poorly managed organisational change.2 These risks can also become normalised when working practices are no longer questioned.
Recognising the early warning signs is therefore essential.
1. Near misses are no longer being reported
A decline in near-miss reporting might appear encouraging. However, fewer reports do not necessarily mean fewer hazards. Employees may stop reporting near misses because they believe nothing will change, consider minor events unimportant or fear negative consequences.
What employers can do: Make reporting straightforward and encourage open communication. Crucially, demonstrate how reported concerns lead to meaningful improvements. Monitor the quality of reporting and employees’ confidence in the process, rather than focusing solely on the number of reports received.
2. Shortcuts have become standard practice
When employees routinely bypass procedures to save time, unsafe behaviour can gradually become accepted as normal. This may involve skipping equipment checks, failing to use required personal protective equipment or improvising work methods without reassessing the risks.
What employers can do: Investigate why shortcuts are occurring. Unrealistic workloads, poorly designed procedures, inadequate resources or operational pressure may be contributing factors. Address those underlying issues rather than relying exclusively on reminders or disciplinary measures.
3. Risk assessments are treated as paperwork
Risk assessments should actively inform how work is planned and performed. When they become documents completed primarily to demonstrate compliance, their preventive value diminishes. Outdated assessments, generic control measures and limited employee involvement can leave new or changing hazards unidentified.
What employers can do: Review risk assessments whenever working conditions, equipment or processes change, as well as at appropriate intervals. Involve employees who perform the work and verify that the identified controls are effective in practice.3
4. Leadership engagement has become reactive
Employees take cues from management. When leaders discuss safety only after an incident, during an inspection or in response to a compliance deadline, safety can begin to appear secondary to operational priorities. Over time, this may weaken accountability and discourage employees from raising concerns.
What employers can do: Make safety a regular part of operational discussions. Leaders should participate in workplace observations, listen to employee concerns and demonstrate that safe working practices take precedence over unnecessary production pressure.4
5. A good accident record is mistaken for proof of safety
Perhaps the most deceptive warning sign is excessive confidence in past performance. An extended period without a serious accident is positive, but it does not prove that all significant risks are adequately controlled. Hazards can remain present even when they have not yet resulted in an incident.
What employers can do: Look beyond historical accident statistics. Examine leading indicators such as the completion of corrective actions, recurring inspection findings, employee feedback and the effectiveness of controls for critical risks.
Building a culture that challenges complacency
A strong safety culture encourages questioning, learning and improvement, even when performance appears satisfactory. Employers should provide meaningful opportunities for employees to speak openly, challenge unsafe practices and contribute to decisions affecting their health and safety.
European Week for Safety and Health at Work offers a timely opportunity to ask an important question: Are our safety systems genuinely protecting people, or have we simply become comfortable with how things have always been done?
How NFP can help
NFP helps organisations strengthen their workplace safety culture, identify emerging risks and move beyond reactive compliance. Our health and safety specialists support employers with risk assessments, safety management systems, training and practical guidance designed to embed prevention into everyday operations.
Recognising where improvement is needed is the first step towards a more proactive and resilient safety culture. Speak to our health and safety team about strengthening safety culture in your organisation.