Although the health and safety culture of an organization is undoubtedly very important, it is also difficult to understand and assess, as well as potentially very time consuming (collating and evaluating all the data etc). A poor safety record, historically high accident stats, routine violations, bypassing of safety devices & systems or constant putting production and profitability before safety can all be symptoms of a poor health & safety culture within an organization.
Management plays a key role in the health & safety culture of an organization. If managers are seen to be leading by example , talking about safety issues or being seen to visibly demonstrating their commitment to health and safety, employees are likely to also follow the example set to them by their superiors. If managers are seen to be constantly putting commercial interests first, the workforce will assume that the company is not sincerely committed to safety. Senior management should be actively involved in health and safety matters. This involvement should produce higher levels of motivation towards health and safety throughout the rest of the organization. In a positive culture, questions about safety should frequently arise and management should listen to what there employees have to say and be seen to be taking what they are told very seriously.
There are many ways of assessing the culture of a business, by doing audits or questionnaires etc. It can, however, be much harder to alter a culture once identified. Some people have negative mindset or a poor understanding of health and safety, which may lead to them being resistant against change. Frequently, responses such as ‘I’ve done this for 30years without a guard’ or ‘Why do I need Health and Safety, it does nothing but slow down my work’ – this sort of response shows a lack of understanding for health and safety and it may take a long time, even years in some cases, to change this mindset. A good culture can take a number of years to be created, but it can be eroded a lot quicker.
What is safety culture?
“The safety culture of an organisation is theproduct of individual and group values,attitudes,perceptions, competencies, andpatterns of behaviour that determine thecommitment to, and the style and proficiencyof, an organisation’s health and safetymanagement. Organisations with a positivesafety culture are characterised bycommunications founded on mutual trust, byshared perceptions of the importance of safetyand by confidence
