The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) highlights the following four key features that define a culture of safety:

1. "Recognition of the high-risk nature of health care with a commitment to “achieve consistently safe operations.”
2. "A blame-free environment where individuals can report errors or near misses without fear of reprimand or punishment."
3. "Teamwork across ranks and disciplines to address patient safety problems."
4. "Commitment from the organization to provide resources to address safety concerns."