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What do you mean, safety culture? Contemporary understandings with historical roots

Lind, Sara LU (2026) FLMU16 20252
Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety
Abstract
It has been close to 40 years since the Chernobyl accident and the introduction of ‘safety culture’, but still there is no consensus on its meaning. This thesis aims at exploring what meanings the Swedish nuclear industry has created out of ‘safety culture’ by situating the construct both contemporarily and historically, using a methodology inspired by phenomenology. The results show that the Swedish safety professionals believe in an approach based on understanding how structures and prerequisites shape culture(s) and that culture manifests through various patterns over time. The interviewees differentiate between safety and culture while also recognising the relationship between them, where culture can favour or disfavour safety. There... (More)
It has been close to 40 years since the Chernobyl accident and the introduction of ‘safety culture’, but still there is no consensus on its meaning. This thesis aims at exploring what meanings the Swedish nuclear industry has created out of ‘safety culture’ by situating the construct both contemporarily and historically, using a methodology inspired by phenomenology. The results show that the Swedish safety professionals believe in an approach based on understanding how structures and prerequisites shape culture(s) and that culture manifests through various patterns over time. The interviewees differentiate between safety and culture while also recognising the relationship between them, where culture can favour or disfavour safety. There is, however, a gap in mental models and language between the safety professionals and engineers working in the industry making it difficult to convey these created meanings. There are also signs of external power, trapping the safety professionals between staying true to their own beliefs and forced simplifications. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Lind, Sara LU
supervisor
organization
course
FLMU16 20252
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Safety Culture, Culture for Safety, Created Meaning, MTO, Patterns, Systemic View, Nuclear, Sweden, Power, FLMU06
language
English
id
9223930
date added to LUP
2026-03-11 13:11:09
date last changed
2026-03-11 13:11:09
@misc{9223930,
  abstract     = {{It has been close to 40 years since the Chernobyl accident and the introduction of ‘safety culture’, but still there is no consensus on its meaning. This thesis aims at exploring what meanings the Swedish nuclear industry has created out of ‘safety culture’ by situating the construct both contemporarily and historically, using a methodology inspired by phenomenology. The results show that the Swedish safety professionals believe in an approach based on understanding how structures and prerequisites shape culture(s) and that culture manifests through various patterns over time. The interviewees differentiate between safety and culture while also recognising the relationship between them, where culture can favour or disfavour safety. There is, however, a gap in mental models and language between the safety professionals and engineers working in the industry making it difficult to convey these created meanings. There are also signs of external power, trapping the safety professionals between staying true to their own beliefs and forced simplifications.}},
  author       = {{Lind, Sara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{What do you mean, safety culture? Contemporary understandings with historical roots}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}