🚦Blame vs. Accountability – Shaping Safer, Stronger Teams

In operations, the facts and outcomes may be the same in any organization — but the culture you foster determines whether those outcomes are sustained, improved, or repeated.

Mindsets That Shape Culture

🔴 Culture of Blame

People are the problem
Fault-finding & finger-pointing
Mistakes hidden out of fear
Focus on the past and punishment
Risk-averse, “wait until told” behaviour

🟢 Culture of Accountability

People are problem-solvers
Fact-finding to understand what happened
Mistakes surfaced for learning
Focus on the future and solutions
Calculated risk-taking and initiative

☆Examples in Power Engineering

Reporting a process variable setpoint error instead of silently adjusting around it.
Leaving a control loop in manual after start-up and forgetting to return it to auto — not hidden, but reviewed and corrected so it doesn’t repeat.
Suppressing an alarm rather than addressing the root rationalization issue — which can delay response to an upset or optimization opportunity.

☆Each of these moments can become either a learning opportunity or a blame trap. The difference? Culture.

☆Why This Matters

Our regulatory frameworks (e.g., ABSA Safety Codes Act, OH&S Code, CSA standards, AER directives) all hinge on one thing: human behaviour in real time.

☆If the environment encourages hiding or deflecting, risks multiply. If the environment supports reporting, reflection, and coaching, hazards are contained and systems optimized.

☆A Note on Stigma

Men and women may experience the risk of speaking up differently.

Men often face stigma around vulnerability, “not knowing,” or admitting error.
Women often face stigma around being “too assertive” or “overcautious.” Both stigmas are dangerous in high-consequence environments. Leaders must dismantle these barriers so that every operator feels safe to voice a concern or admit an oversight.

Accountability Framework (Post-Investigation)

1️⃣ Exceptional Behaviour → Recognize & reward.

2️⃣ Expected Behaviour → Encourage & acknowledge.

3️⃣ Unintentional Mistake → Coach & train.

4️⃣ Situational Adaptation → Coach on risk communication.

5️⃣ Optimization for Benefit → Coach on balancing speed & standards.

6️⃣ Personal Gain Violation → Discipline per policy.

7️⃣ Reckless Violation → Discipline per policy.

Supervisors follow the same ladder, with emphasis on reward, coaching, and fair discipline.

☆The Leadership Call-to-Action

✅ Remove fear from the feedback loop

✅ Focus on “what” happened, not “who” to blame

✅ Recognize that blameless ≠ unaccountable

✅ Promote psychological safety so every voice is heard

✅ Apply policies and codes consistently, regardless of role or gender

💬 Question for you:Have you ever caught yourself suppressing an alarm or leaving a loop in manual “just to get through the shift”? What’s the better cultural response when that happens?

#Leadership #SafetyCulture #PowerEngineering #Accountability #OH&S #ABSA #AER #ProcessSafety #OperationsExcellence

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