Introduction: Risk-taking in an industrial work environment is a serious matter since it involves the risk for bodily injuries and in worst case death. The aim of this study was to investigate reasons for risk-taking at a large steel manufacturing company in Sweden which employs about 1000 people.

Methods: Ten focus group interviews were conducted, each consisting of about 6–8 workers. The situation of safety at work was discussed in a semi-structured manner, letting the employees themselves explain the reasons behind risk-taking. The interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis.

Results: Reasons for risk-taking were formed into the following six aspects: 1.Being new-at-work. 2.Being tired. 3.Being nonchalant to the safety risks. 4.Working on routine and being “blind-to-flaws”. 5.Too little staff to do the job. 6.To stress, hurry, and work faster in order to save time. Conclusion: One’s state-of-the-day and external work environment circumstances affects risk-taking.