What is the risk of a safety policy that is too tight-fitting?

• A. A Safety Policy That Is Too Tight-Fitting May Get Breached, Eroding Credibility From the Entire Document
• B. It will immediately improve compliance across all levels
• C. It eliminates the need for training
• D. It reduces the organization's overhead

Answer: (A)

A policy that is too tight-fitting becomes impractical for real operations, which undermines safety. When rules demand near-perfect adherence in every situation, workers encounter scenarios where following them would be cumbersome, time-consuming, or nearly impossible in the moment. In response, people often find workarounds or simply ignore the policy, because the cost of strict compliance outweighs the perceived safety benefit in everyday tasks. That behavior chips away at the document’s credibility; breaches are seen as normal rather than exceptional, and the whole policy can lose legitimacy. A good safety policy should provide clear guidance but also allow reasonable, documented exceptions and support through training and supervision, so safe decisions feel practical and supported rather than punitive.