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Health and Safety Culture

Definition
The safety culture of an organization is the shared attitudes, values,
beliefs, and behaviors relating to health and safety. It can be either
positive or negative.

Relationship between Culture and Performance

Aspect Positive Culture Negative Culture

Priority of
Safety is considered important. Safety is a low priority.
Safety
Decision- Safety is considered in all Safety is not considered in decision-
Making management decision-making. making at any level.
Motivation for People work safely because People work safely only if told to and
Safety they want to. fear punishment.
Worker All workers are positively All workers are negatively influenced
Influence influenced. by peer thinking/behavior.

Indicators to Assess Culture

Accidents: Includes the standard of investigation.
Sickness rates
Absenteeism
Staff turnover
Compliance with safety rules
Worker complaints about conditions

Influence of Peers

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1. Interaction occurs.
2. Influence is exerted.
3. A hierarchy forms (pecking order).
4. Norms of behavior are established.
5. Peer group pressure is exerted.
Peer group pressure can be harnessed to encourage good safety-related
behavior.

Improving Health and Safety Culture

Management Commitment and Leadership

Senior management set policy.

They also set priorities and targets.

They must inspire and motivate.

Their leadership cascades through the organization.

Visible leadership:

Behaving safely.
Involvement in safety meetings.
Doing safety tours and audits.
Promoting changes to improve safety.
Enforcing rules through discipline.

Competent Workers
A competent person is someone who has sufficient:

Training
Skills
Experience
Knowledge

...and attributes like attitude or physical ability to safely perform their job.

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Workplace Communication

Verbal Communication
Benefits: Personal, quick, direct, checks understanding, provides feedback,
shares views, conveys additional information (body language).
Limitations: Language barrier, jargon, strong accent/dialect, background noise,
poor hearing, ambiguity, missing information, forgetting information, no record,
poor quality (telephone or PA).

Written Communication
Benefits: Permanent record, reference, can be written carefully for clarity, wide
distribution relatively cheaply.
Limitations: Indirect, time, jargon/abbreviations, impersonal, ambiguous, may
not be read, language barriers, recipient may not be able to read, no immediate
feedback, cannot question, impaired vision.

Graphic Communication
Benefits: Eye-catching, visual, quick to interpret, no language barrier, jargon-
free, conveys a message to a wide audience.
Limitations: Simple messages, expensive, may not be looked at, symbols or
pictograms may be unknown, no questions, impaired vision.

Broadcasting Methods
Notice boards
Posters and videos
Digital media
Toolbox talks
Memos and e-mails
Worker handbooks

Co-operation and Consultation

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Consulting vs. Informing

Consulting: Two-way exchange of information and opinion between employer
and employee.
Informing: One-way flow of information to the employee.

Typical Issues to Consult On

Introduction of new measures affecting health and safety.
Appointment of new advisers.
Health and safety training plans.
Introduction of new technology.

Methods of Consultation
Direct consultation: Employer talks to each worker and resolves issues.
Through worker representatives: A committee is formed to represent workers.
Regular meetings are held to discuss and resolve issues. Members may have
rights in law.

Health and Safety Committee/Forum

Effective committees depend on:

Who is on the committee.

How often the committee meets.
Who will act as chairperson.
What authority the committee will have.
What will be discussed.
How the discussions will be recorded.
How issues will be followed up.

Issues that May Be Considered

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Study of accident and disease statistics.

Review of reports from active monitoring.
Examination of safety audit reports.
Consideration of reports and information from HSE.
Consideration of reports submitted by safety reps.
Provide assistance in development of procedures and policy.
Monitor the effectiveness of training.
Monitor and improve safety communications.

Training
H&S training is the planned, formal process of acquiring and practicing knowledge
and skills in a relatively safe environment. Training has a dramatic effect on safety-
related behavior.

Without training, workers try to do their jobs by:

Copying others.
Doing the job the way they think is best.

Training helps workers to understand:

Hazards and risks.

Rules and precautions.
Emergency procedures.
Who to contact with concerns.
Limitations and restrictions.
Personal safety responsibilities.
Consequences of breaking rules, including disciplinary procedures.

Training Opportunities
Induction training: New employees
Job change: New hazards following a change in job
Process change: New hazards associated with new ways of working
New technology: New hazards associated with plant and machinery
New legislation: Implications of new legislation

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Induction Training
Health and safety policy
Consultation arrangements
Emergency procedures
Safety rules
First aid
Personal protective equipment
Specific site hazards and controls
Safe working permits
Welfare facilities
Safe movement
Accident and incident reporting
Risk assessment
Responsibilities of individuals
Disciplinary procedures

Human Factors Influencing Safety-Related Behavior

Organisational Factors
Safety culture
Commitment and leadership
Resources available
Work patterns
Communication
Levels of supervision
Peer group pressure
Consultation and worker involvement
Training

Job Factors

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Task
Workload
Environment
Displays and controls
Procedures

Individual Factors
Competence:
Knowledge
Ability
Training
Experience
Skills
Attitude
Motivation: Rewards/incentives (positive or negative)
Personality

Attitude
A person’s point of view or way of looking at something; how they think
and feel about it.

Can be changed by:

Education and training

High-impact interventions
Enforcement
Consultation
Involvement

Risk Perception
Perception: the way a person’s brain interprets information sent to it by
their senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch.

Factors that can distort a person’s perception of hazard and risk include:

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Illness
Stress
Fatigue
Drugs and alcohol
Previous experiences
Training and education
Use of PPE
Workplace conditions, e.g., high noise levels

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