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"How Would We Guarantee an Accident?" - A different way of thinking about manufacturing safety
NEWS
May 2026
“How would we guarantee that we have an accident doing this?”
It’s not a question most business leaders would feel comfortable asking.
At our recent Manufacturing Safely roundtable discussion, that single question completely reframed the conversation around workplace safety.
At first glance, it feels counterintuitive. After all, organisations invest significant time into risk assessments, procedures, policies, and compliance measures designed to prevent incidents from happening in the first place.
But the question matters because accidents in manufacturing rarely happen due to a complete absence of procedures.
They happen when real-world pressures collide with those procedures.
Production deadlines. Staffing shortages. Maintenance issues. Human behaviour. Fatigue. Familiarity. Competing priorities.
Safety culture is truly tested where operational pressures meet everyday decision-making.
And increasingly, the manufacturers achieving the best safety outcomes are approaching risk management differently.
Moving beyond reactive safety management
Traditionally, many organisations have approached health and safety by asking:
- What could go wrong?
- What controls do we need?
- Are we compliant?
These are important questions. But on their own, they can sometimes overlook the gap between written processes and real-world behaviour.
Forward-thinking manufacturers are now taking a more proactive approach by asking deeper operational questions such as:
- Where are we relying on people to get it right every time?
- Where are shortcuts likely to happen under pressure?
- What conditions would make failure almost inevitable?
Which controls depend too heavily on human behaviour alone?
This mindset shifts the focus from simply reacting to incidents towards designing out failure before it occurs.
It also helps uncover hidden risks that may sit unnoticed between policy and practice.
Why safety culture is built on the factory floor
Strong safety cultures are not built through documents alone.
They are reinforced daily through leadership visibility, communication, and consistency across the working environment.
In manufacturing environments especially, employees quickly recognise whether safety is genuinely prioritised or whether it becomes secondary when operational pressure increases.
In last month’s webinar, Tony Bruce (Head of Health, Safety and Training at Ligtas and former HSE Enforcement Officer) suggested one of the most effective ways that senior leaders can positively influence safety culture within their organisation that costs nothing.
Watch the clip below to find out more.
How can leaders drive safety culture?
The organisations seeing the strongest results are often those where leaders:
- Spend time where the work actually happens
- Encourage open conversations about risk
- Challenge “the way we’ve always done it”
- Create environments where concerns can be raised early
- Focus on practical improvements, not just compliance metrics
Importantly, this does not always require major change programmes.
Often, it is the consistency of small everyday behaviours that shapes culture over time.
Closing the gap between training and reality
Many businesses already invest heavily in health and safety training.
However, the effectiveness of that training depends largely on whether it reflects the reality of the working environment.
Generic training may help satisfy compliance requirements, but it does not always change behaviour on the production line.
Mark Rowe, Head of Sales and Key Account Management at Ligtas, shares further insight from over 15 years of experience in the health and safety consultancy industry, highlighting some of the common challenges organisations face when relying on ‘off-the-shelf’ training solutions.
Watch the clip below to find out more.
What are the common pitfalls associated with ‘off the shelf’ training?
Manufacturers making meaningful improvements are increasingly moving towards tailored training programmes that:
- Reflect their specific operational risks
- Consider real workplace scenarios
- Address behavioural and cultural challenges
- Support supervisors and managers in practical decision-making
- Reinforce expectations consistently across teams
When training feels relevant and realistic, it becomes more memorable and far more effective.
More importantly, it helps build long-term competence and confidence throughout the organisation.
Competence versus compliance
One of the recurring themes from the roundtable discussion was the importance of ongoing access to practical health and safety expertise.
Not just support during audits. Not just assistance after incidents.
But trusted expertise embedded into day-to-day operational decision-making.
This is where the role of a Competent Person becomes critical.
A strong Competent Person relationship should go far beyond compliance administration. It should provide organisations with practical, independent support that helps leaders make informed decisions in real operational environments.
That includes:
- Challenging assumptions objectively
- Translating legislation into workable solutions
- Supporting leadership teams consistently
- Identifying emerging risks before incidents occur
- Strengthening internal safety culture over time
For many manufacturers, this external perspective can be invaluable in identifying blind spots that internal teams may no longer recognise.
A different perspective on preventing accidents
The idea of “guaranteeing an accident” is not about negativity; it’s about realism.
Because once organisations fully understand how failure could happen, they are in a far stronger position to prevent it.
Incident prevention is not the sole benefit of a good safety management system either.
In today’s highly competitive commercial environment, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve productivity, retain skilled workers, maintain compliance, and manage operational risk simultaneously.
The challenge is ensuring those systems continue to work effectively in the reality of day-to-day operations, and maintaining a culture where the workforce feel safe and want to stay with the business over the long term.
In this short clip, Tony Bruce explores the wider consequences businesses can face when health and safety culture is not fully embedded across the workplace.
Business consequences of poor H&S
How Ligtas supports manufacturers
At Ligtas, we work with manufacturing organisations to develop practical health and safety systems that work in the real world.
From ongoing Competent Person support and tailored Health and Safety consultancy to practical Training solutions, we help businesses strengthen safety culture, improve operational confidence, and protect both people and performance.
Whether you require ongoing strategic support or targeted manufacturing safety expertise, our team works alongside you to create safer, stronger, and more resilient operations.
Contact us today to discuss your requirements.
