Which term describes a safety culture that encourages reporting and learning from errors without blaming individuals?

• A. Blame culture
• B. Just culture
• C. Compliance culture
• D. Risk-averse culture

Answer: (B)

A safety culture that encourages reporting and learning from errors without blaming individuals is a Just culture. Just culture aims to separate blame from accountability by recognizing that most errors arise from system flaws rather than personal failings. It promotes reporting of errors and near-misses so that investigations can uncover underlying issues, implement fixes, and prevent recurrence, while still holding individuals accountable for reckless or willful misconduct. This approach builds trust and helps safety improvements thrive because staff feel safe to speak up without fear of punishment. In contrast, a blame culture punishes individuals for errors, which silences reporting and hinders improvement; a compliance culture focuses on following rules without necessarily addressing why failures happen; and a risk-averse culture tends to avoid reporting or discussion of errors in order to avert perceived danger.