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The operator of an aircraft takes disciplinary action against the captain of a flight, claiming that he/she violated established operating procedures by landing with insufficient fuel on board. The captain can plausibly demonstrate that he/she has only made a mistake when documenting the fuel mass in the technical logbook after the flight, while the actual fuel on board after landing was well within the operational limits. The operator decides to suspend the pilot from work for 10 days.

Which of the following statements is correct with regard to the operator's safety culture?

  • A
    The operator demonstrates an adequate concern towards safety and considers negligent behavior as unacceptable. Negligence displays a lack of awareness of risks and hazards, probably reducing the safety margin in flight.
  • B
    In a “just culture” environment, the punishment of an employee for making an error is an example of bad management; errors and violations should not be punished in order to promote an atmosphere of trust.
  • C
    The operator efficiently applies the principle of “just culture”, fairly punishing negligent behavior as a form of positive control. This can motivate employees to be more careful before taking action and promote risk awareness.
  • D
    The operator does not apply the principle of “just culture”: to foster trust and collaboration. Such an unintended slip should be reported and discussed to prevent their future re-occurrence, it should not be punished.

Just Culture describes an atmosphere where errors and unsafe acts will not be punished if the error was unintentional. However, those who act recklessly or take deliberate and unjustifiable risks will still be subject to disciplinary action. A Just Culture environment creates an atmosphere of trust in which people are encouraged, even rewarded, for providing essential safety-related information - but in which they are also clear about where the line must be drawn between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Unitended errors should not be punished in order to promote employee's willingness to report errors, so that the future possibility of such an error occurring again is reduced.

  • In this case, the operator does not apply the principle of just culture. By punishing the pilot for committing an unintended error, trust is broken among other employees who will now avoid reporting errors for fear of punishment.

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