Episode 48
Safety Culture
...and now for another Human Factors Minute!
Safety culture is about what people do (safety-related behaviours); how people feel (individual and group values, attitudes and perceptions) as well as what the organisation has (policies, procedures, structures and systems). These three aspects are interrelated and therefore not mutually exclusive.
A company’s safety culture is shaped by corporate practices and organisational behaviour, and so a full picture can’t be gained from just focusing on the perceptions of staff.
If you collect data (from surveys, talking to staff etc) then communicate the findings back to those involved – and take action.Interventions on safety culture should not only explore attitudes and behaviours of the front-line workforce, but also question and challenge managers and leaders.
Rather than trying to influence safety culture directly, it's helpful to focus on a specific topic (such as procedures, fatigue, competence). How you go about this intervention could have a significant effect on a range of predictors of a positive safety culture (such as involving staff, listening to their concerns, making leaders more visible and taking visible action to improve).
Creating a positive safety culture takes a great deal of time and effort; perhaps over several years; and is not a one-off process.
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