The present standards and recommendations for patient safety in anesthesia are a revision of the previous version published in the Acta Anaesthesiologica Belgica in 2002 (1). This revision has been written jointly by the board members of the professional and scientific Belgian anesthesia societies, namely the Belgian Professional Association of Specialists in Anesthesia and Resuscitation (BSAR-APSAR) and the Society for Anesthesia and Resuscitation of Belgium (SARB). The motivation to come up with a new version was based on the necessity to adapt recommendations to the current reality of anesthesia practice in Belgium. The complete motivation is detailed in the Editorial published in the present issue of the journal (2). Consequently, this updated version constitutes the second revision of the initial recommendations (3), and replaces it. Other revisions may occur in the future, as a function of the evolution of standards of care, and professional environment.