What is Safety culture and what are the methods to improve safety culture at workplace?

What is Safety culture and what are the methods to improve safety culture at workplace?

Safety culture is the attitude, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees adhere, perform or reflect in relation to safety in the workplace. Safety culture is an integral part of organizational culture. In nut shell it is a way of life for every employee at workplace. In case way of life is positive it is termed as positive safety culture and in case it is negative it is termed as Negative health and safety culture. This can be easily judge by way an employee work at workplace. 

Examples given below can be judgmental in analyzing Safety culture at workplace:

1-     An employee working with all Personal protective equipments required for the job, following all SOP’s for the job, doing the work which is for he is authorized, commencing the job after appropriate tool box talk following hazard identification risk assessment of the job. His immediate superior, team head also working in same fashion and there is no relaxation with respect to safety norms irrespective of posts. This can be seen as Positive Safety culture.

2-     An employee working without authority, without specific job required personal protective equipment, initiated the job without hazard identification & risk assessment, not trained for the specific job which he is doing, relaxation of safety norms for team head. This can be seen as a negative safety culture.

It is apparent from the above example safety culture depends upon the way of life for employees to perform the job. Doing the things one time right is not safety culture, doing the things right every time right is indicator of safety culture.

Any organization which is following positive safety culture must do below things which are ultimately improving safety culture of any organization:

1-     Lead by Example: Safety is top most priority, core to the business, applicable to each and everyone irrespective of position (worker to occupier). Even occupier also follows the same rules which are supposed to be follow by bottom level worker. Safety rules should be followed without any discrimination.

2-     Training- Induction, refresher, job specific, periodical trainings should be given to each and every individual of the organisation before allocating any job.

3-     Safety Organisation- Suitable safety organisation should be provided to promote safety among individuals of the organisation.

4-     Performance measurement- Performance should be measured using suitable techniques (Leading indicators, lagging indicators), gaps identified after review and suitable action plan to fill the gaps. This should be regular practice and not one time practice.

5-     Communication- All Safety related information should be communicated through proper channel and at each stage of organisation (use email, display, instructions etc).

6-     Decision making involvement- Involve each individual or maximum individual in decision making for safety related requirement, applications, equipments etc.

7-     Reward and recognition- Recognize individual efforts with respect to safety by suitable rewards.

8-     Consequence management- Take suitable consequence against those who are not following the safety norms and doing violations. Consequence can be advisory, written notice, suspension & termination.

Apart from these improve worker participation, line team involvement and improve job factors for positive safety culture among the organisation.