From Risk Awareness to Risk Ownership: Embedding Accountability in Safety Culture

In my previous article, The Future of Safety Culture: Moving Beyond Compliance to Risk-Based Thinking, I discussed the need for organizations to shift from compliance-driven safety to a proactive, risk-based approach. But recognizing risks isn’t enough. The real transformation happens when organizations move beyond risk awareness to risk ownership—where every employee takes responsibility for managing risks in their daily work.

The Problem: Awareness Without Action

Many organizations conduct regular safety training, toolbox talks, job hazard analysis, and hazard identification exercises. Employees become aware of hazards and associated risks. But being aware of hazard and risks does not solve an organizations safety issue, neither contribute to safety goals such zero accident and etc.

In many organizations the mindset among workers and managers is the safety issue is for the safety department to address.

The Shift: From Knowing to Owning

Mindset that safety issues belong to Safety department shall change.

For this happen, employees shall take the ownership of safety performance and improvement at the local level. Risk ownership means every employee, from frontline workers to executives, actively participates in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks as part of their responsibilities. It’s about embedding accountability into safety culture, where managing risks is seen as a shared duty rather than a compliance exercise.

How to Embed Risk Ownership in Safety Culture

1. Make Risk Ownership Personal

When employees understand how risk affects them personally—whether it’s their safety, their team’s well-being, or even operational efficiency—they are more likely to take responsibility.

• Use daily toolbox talk as an avenue to talk about hazard and risk at work level.
• Encourage employees to share their own near-miss experiences to create a sense of shared responsibility.

2. Shift the Safety Narrative from Compliance to Responsibility

Instead of treating safety as a set of rules to follow, position it as a responsibility everyone shares.

• Replace compliance-focused messaging with leadership-driven safety dialogues.
• Recognize employees who take proactive steps in identifying and mitigating risks.

3. Equip Employees with Decision-Making Authority

Risk ownership thrives when employees have the authority and confidence to act.

• Train employees on dynamic risk assessment—how to evaluate and respond to risks in real time.
• Empower workers to stop unsafe work without fear of retaliation.
• Develop a system for employees to propose safety improvements and see them implemented.

4. Hold Leaders Accountable for Risk Culture

Leadership must model the behaviors they expect from employees.

• Managers should actively engage in safety discussions, conduct field observations, and demonstrate visible felt leadership (VFL).
• Senior leaders should integrate safety into business strategy, making it part of operational KPIs.

5. Reinforce with Recognition and Feedback

People are more likely to take ownership when they see that their efforts are valued.

• Establish recognition programs for employees who go beyond identifying risks and take action to mitigate them.
• Provide constructive feedback to reinforce a culture of continuous improvement in risk ownership.

Conclusion: A Culture Where Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility

The future of safety culture lies in empowering employees to take ownership of risks, rather than just being aware of them. Organizations that embed accountability at all levels create a safety culture where risks are managed proactively, incidents are reduced, and safety becomes a way of working—not just a compliance requirement.

The question for organizations is no longer “Are employees aware of risks?” but rather “Do employees take ownership of risks?”

What’s your experience with driving risk ownership in your organization? Let’s discuss.