This work explores how individuals in risks groups use multiple approaches to understand their risks, integrating cultural-sociological and psychological views. Workers’ interpretations, actions and reactions to unpredictable risks are just as important in defining occupational risk as the hazards they encounter. To understand the effect of collective meanings on risk perception and decisions, this study makes use of case studies, insights from anthropology and psychological theory. It shows how different cultural norms, workplace rules, emotions and identity are involved in defining what risks mean and in how they are coped with in various careers, including both hazardous occupations and desk jobs. It concludes that, to be successful, risk management should take into account these kinds of interpretations, rather than stop at specialist assessments of risks. Such an approach helps us see how workplace risks are shaped, managed and sometimes modified by groups of people.