“Safety Culture” is one of those terms that is used a lot in the maritime industry. We all think it is important, and every operator wants a “good” safety culture. But how does one get it, and then keep it once it is there? This is the first of a pair of articles looking at safety culture in the maritime industry. What is Safety Culture? The IMO tells us “An organization with a ‘safety culture’ is one that gives appropriate priority to safety ... This is a fair, but arguably limited description. Safety culture is not something that a vessel operator either has or does not have.