Are We Safe or Complacent?

A recent article in the ACS Chemical, Health, and Safety used extensive survey data to show that safety in academic and industrial research laboratories was improving. While a very interesting article, it struck a negative chord with me and raised an issue that forms the basis for this article. How does an organization know it is safe, that its safety culture, systems, and practices are effective? Assuming no recent spate of accidents has occurred can the organization assume it is safe or is it just complacent. I have written several articles on the overall subject (“We Are Comfortable with Our Current Safety Procedures”: How Do You Prevent Something You Don’t Recognize?, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/we-comfortable-our-current-safety-procedures-how-do-you-palluzi , “My Laboratory is Very Safe.”: The Dangers of Myopic Looks at Laboratory Safety, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-laboratory-very-safe-dangers-myopic-looks-safety-richard-palluzi).