Growing public unease over safety and environmental matters is leading to more litigation whether in the civil or the criminal court. It seem probable that the 21st Century defendants will have to show that they have learnt and put into practice the lessons taught by previous accidents not only within their organization but also outside it. This paper gives some examples from different industries where lessons were not learnt and a notable one where the lessons were shared to the benefit of the public. The process of learning lessons, based on a management system, in design, inspection, maintenance and all operational work is discussed. The importance of the professionalism of engineers and scientists and the necessity for them to share lessons learnt for the benefit of the employees, the public, the environment and their company is discussed. Industry must share information on accidents to satisfy the community's concern for greater safety.