Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore different safety cultures in anchor-handling operations in the Norwegian offshore petroleum industry; how the crew and management cope with both critical and dan-gerous operations, compared to the periods in-between operations that are characterized by routine work. Be-tween operations, officers function as middle managers fulfilling organizations needs for control, predictabil-ity and audit requirements. During operations, dangers and complexity demands full focus and presence towards that specific situation. Thus, the different demands are balanced by actualizing two different safety regimes and work practices. The discussion in the paper is based on two research projects conducted in 2009 and 2013, focusing on safety conditions at anchor-handling vessels.