Accountability or Blame? Safety Investigations and the No-Blame Debate | Risk Matrix Episode 107
Risk Matrix #107: Accountability or Blame? Safety Investigations and the No-Blame Debate
When a catastrophic steel mill explosion rocked the site James Junkin was called to early in his career, it wasn’t just a technical failure—it was a failure of trust.
In this episode of The Risk Matrix Podcast, James shares a powerful field story about what happens when workers don’t speak up, supervisors stay silent, and punitive policies backfire. Alongside Dr. Logan Martin, he unpacks the deeper question behind every incident investigation: Are we holding people accountable, or are we just assigning blame?
Together, they explore:
- How fear erodes safety culture
- The real-world impact of no-blame investigations
- What leadership looks like when the system breaks down
This conversation is a must-listen for safety professionals navigating the gray area between policy and practice.
