Backcountry Safety Culture

Many of todays workplaces seek to create a formalized safety culture, an environment where employees practice behaviors that minimize accidents, look out for their co-workers and where reporting unsafe conditions is encouraged, not subject to retaliation, and frequently rewarded. It can be a great goal, but it often creates an exaggerated sense of safety where people need safety training to use a power strip and posters about how to get out of a car without tripping. The goal of creating a safety culture often ends up a corporate farce, since the best safety cultures are not created by artifice, but happen naturally because people really care.

Mike Hart

Monday, August 20, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Backcountry aviation fosters an organic, "viral" safety culture where pilots actively share local knowledge, experiences, and critical tips, promoting mutual vigilance over formalized safety protocols.
Effective communication is paramount, involving diligent position reporting on designated frequencies, understanding radio line-of-sight limitations in mountainous terrain, and knowing local reporting points to deconflict traffic.
Pilots must practice heightened awareness, conducting thorough pre-landing overflights to identify hazards like diverse ground traffic (wildlife, recreationists) and terrain challenges, while also actively engaging with the community to learn essential local customs and safety insights.

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Many of today’s workplaces seek to create a formalized “safety culture,” an environment where employees practice behaviors that minimize accidents, look out for their co-workers and where reporting unsafe conditions is encouraged, not subject to retaliation, and frequently rewarded. It can be a great goal, but it often creates an exaggerated sense of safety where people need safety training to use a power strip and posters about how to get out of a car without tripping. The goal of creating a safety culture often ends up a corporate farce, since the best safety cultures are not created by artifice, but happen naturally because people really care.