VETTER E learning course (EN)

The safety culture

Safety culture refers to the interaction between the requirements of the safety management system, how people make sense of them, based on their attitudes, values and beliefs and what they actually do, as seen in decisions and behaviours.

The concept of safety culture emerged in the early 1980s. However, the Chernobyl nuclear accident helped focus mainstream safety management on safety culture. The International Atomic Energy Agency summary report of Chernobyl stated that “formal procedures must be properly reviewed and approved and must be supplemented by the creation and maintenance of a nuclear safety culture”. Since then, the concept of safety culture has been embraced by many industries, not just nuclear power, including: healthcare, aviation, oil and gas, energy and mining. Over the years, this has resulted in new methods being developed to help assess safety culture such as safety culture surveys and questionnaires.

Safety culture embodies the value placed on safety and the extent to which people take personal responsibility for safety in an organisation. Safety culture is often described as the 'personality' of an organisation, as it is a shared value of safety. Safety culture is just one aspect of an organisation's broader culture. Culture forms naturally wherever there are groups of people working together to achieve a common goal. Organisational culture is invisible as most people aren’t consciously aware of the shared beliefs and assumptions that influence their behaviour. An example of how you might experience safety culture is when you start work in a new organisation. Initially, as a new employee you would try to gain an understanding of the safety practices in your organisation. At first you would be guided the written rules, procedures, and training you have been given. You would also look to your colleagues and leaders, watching what they say and how they act. Based on this information and observations you would come to understand the safety culture of the organisation. A positive safety culture exists when employees understand the importance of safety and exhibit positive safety behaviours. Examples of positive safety behaviours include wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), as seen in chapter 10, without being asked, completing risks assessments for all jobs and reporting all incidents. If an organisation has a negative safety culture, safety may be seen as unnecessary and this might lead staff to have poor safety practices. Negative safety behaviours include taking shortcuts or choosing to ignore safety hazards.

Safety climate is the perceived value placed on safety in an organisation at a particular point in time. Therefore, we can think of safety climate as the “mood” of an organisation, based on what workers experience at a specific time. As safety climate is a snapshot of safety at one point in time it can change rapidly, on a daily or weekly basis. For example, safety climate might be heightened after implementing a new safety procedure or after an incident. If that heightened safety climate is maintained over time, it can lead to changes in the underlying culture. As safety climate captures the attitudes towards safety at a specific point in time, it is a useful indicator of safety performance. Measuring safety culture is usually done using an employee survey or team discussions.

Safety leaders exhibit a strong commitment to safety, they get involved and inspire others to have positive safety behaviours. Safety leaders can exist at all levels from senior executives, middle managers to informal leaders among workers. Leaders are important in any organisation as they provide direction to staff in terms of planning and supervising their work. They also provide motivation to staff to achieve goals by rewarding, inspiring and leading by example. Safety leaders inspire others to have positive attitudes towards safety by setting a good example of safety and rewarding staff for good safety behaviours. If safety leaders are consistent, they can influence the safety climate and over time have an impact on the safety culture. If safety leaders exhibit a strong commitment to safety, motivate staff and provide a positive example of safety, this will improve the safety climate. If we keep up our safety leadership efforts, over time it will cause people to reassess their deep beliefs and values about safety and have a positive effect of the safety culture. Through the actions of safety leaders, we can create a positive safety culture, resulting in better safety performance, which will help keep our employees safe at work.

Gender issues in safety and health at work

Recognising diversity and including gender differences in the workforce is vital in ensuring the safety and health of both men and women workers. Gender differences should be considered in the development of occupational safety and health (OSH) policies and prevention strategies. This approach acknowledges and makes visible the differences that exist between men and women workers in order to identify OSH risks and implement effective solutions.  gender sensitive approach recognises that because of the different jobs women and men do, their different societal roles, the expectations and responsibilities they have, women and men may be exposed to different physical and psychological risks at the workplace, thus requiring differing control measures. This approach also improves the understanding that the sexual division of labour, biological differences, employment patterns, social roles and social structures all contribute to gender-specific patterns of occupational hazards and risks. For OSH policies and prevention strategies to be effective for both women and men this dimension needs to be taken into account and such policies must be based on more accurate information about the relationship between health and gender roles. 

Gender differences in employment conditions have an impact on occupational safety and health, as women are more likely to be in low-paid which affects their working conditions and the risks they are exposed to.

Achieving gender equality in all aspects of employment is now a key European priority. It is a matter of rights, but it is also a matter of sound economic policy — especially considering the human and economic costs of injuries and ill health caused or made worse by work.