Safety Quote by Nancy G. Leveson
““Insisting that operators always follow procedures does not guarantee safety although it does usually guarantee that there is someone to blame-either for following the procedures or for not following them-when things go wrong.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Engineering a Safer World, Nancy G. Leveson, 2011
Procedural compliance alone does not ensure safety; it can create blame culture when failures occur.
In simple terms: Following rules isn’t enough for safety.
Design systems that prioritize safety over blame.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- manufacturing
- aviation
- healthcare
- software development
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we shift focus from blame to learning?
- What safeguards prevent over‑reliance on procedures?
Safety also requires flexibility and learning from incidents.