“Safety cultures” in British stadia and sportingvenues: understanding cross‐organizational collaboration for managingpublic safety in British sports grounds

Abstract

Presents the findings from recent research into the management of public safety risks in British sports grounds. Discusses the concept of “safety culture” and briefly sets out the methodology adopted for the study. Reviews some previous work on “safety culture” analysis, and then cultural theory, introduces and offers a socio‐anthropological method of fourfold cultural categorization as the theoretical orientation. Reveals the four contrasting, viable and archetypical models of organizing the cross‐organizational collaboration required for public safety risk management in British stadia and other sporting venues. Concludes by drawing out some implications for public policy. Since there are four viable ways of organizing, and the management system at each venue will have evolved in response to its changing local environment, it follows that there is no “one best way” of managing safety at sports grounds.