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Richard Peter Whitehurst - I think the key is your reference to a 'humane workplace'. Some are, some I not.
When I was newly qualified I worked for a short period in a firm where the workplace was anything but humane. I did not make any major mistakes there, but I did learn to be terrified of asking for help, as the response was always critical, not helpful. I also learned that I had to cover my back against my own supervisor, who was quite willing to lie to and about me and other employees. By the time I left, I had lost all confidence in myself and was terrified of telling anyone if I made even minor mistakes.

A few months after starting a new job, after I left that toxic workplace, I did make a mistake. I did tell my supervisor, but I was physically ill at the thought of doing so, and went in fully expecting to be sacked on the spot.

My supervisors first words? "Thank you for telling me, we better see what we can do to sort this out" He treated it as 'our' problem, not mine, and we dealt with it. I've never forgotten it, and I hope that I am, ad my firm remains, the kind where a more junior person can seek help, rather than panicking and hiding errors.

But I know from personal experience that not every work place is like that, and also,if you have experienced the inhumane kind of place, it can be very difficult to change your mind set, even once you move into a healthier and more humane firm.