WHEN NO ONES WATCHING UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF SAFETY
CULTURE
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GROUND RULES Dont Take Copious Notes Ask Frequent Questions
Feel Free to Stop By our Booth if you have Questions or want more
info We are likely not to be able to get through all of the
content! 3
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WHAT EVENT LEAD TO THE TERM SAFETY CULTURE 4 1. Challenger
Disaster 2. Bhopal India Union Carbide 3. Chernobyl 4. Titanic 5.
3-Mile Island
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WHAT DOES THE TERM SAFETY CULTURE ACTUALLY MEAN??? 5 1. I dont
know 2. What my people do 3. The way my organization acts 4.
Nothing, its not a valid concept 5. Shared beliefs about
safety
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WHAT IS SAFETY CULTURE? A constituent of Workplace Culture The
key component to determining if a workplace safety process is
successful or not (Erickson 1994, Petersen 2001, Krause, 2006 etc)
An idea that is not difficult to understand, but is difficult to
define A LEADING INDICATOR 6
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WHAT IS A LEADING INDICATOR 7 1. A process-oriented metric that
predicts success or failure 2. A validated measure that has value
by not relying on outcomes 3. A metric that can be used to evaluate
a process before outcomes occur
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THE TERM SAFETY CULTURE Used over and over and over (53,000,00
Google Hits September 23, 2012) Not well understood by many in the
field of safety How do you know if you have a safety culture or
not? Generally used to describe an overall sense of they way it
feels like employees, supervisors, and managers engage in safety
8
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A KEY COMPONENT OF WORKPLACE CULTURE? Some authorities
completely discount the concept of safety culture Others view it as
a component of overall workplace culture Many Safety Professionals
view it as a distinct entity in and of itself Some advocate that it
is a leading indicator and others state it is lagging 9
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OUR DESCRIPTION OF SAFETY CULTURE A CRITICAL PART OF THE
OVERALL CULTURAL FRAMEWORK OF AN ORGANIZATION The way we do things
around here What employees do when no one is watching The beliefs,
actions, behaviors, values, and traditions of safety activities for
a company tied together with a historical context 10
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COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF SAFETY CULTURE Only set by the
management Safety processes such as employee engagement initiatives
or Behavior Based Safety will immediately improve the culture
Culture cant be controlled or changed, it just is 11
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WHERE DOES SAFETY CULTURE REALLY COME FROM? The Larger
Organizational Culture The Founder Effect! Regional and Societal
Norms Industry Specific Values and Traditions Environmental or
Objective Driven Culture Management Influence (management often
rose through the ranks and was selected because they conform to the
culture) 12
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HOW TO CHANGE/IMPROVE AN EXISTING SAFETY CULTURE 13
Slide 14
LETS TALK ABOUT EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION What are the two primary
motivators for employees to work safely??? If you want to get
different results change the fundamental motivation.
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IF YOU WANT DIFFERENT RESULTS DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Transition
from a culture of blame to one of accomplishment Move from
Fault-Finding to Fact-Finding Create a fully Engaging Culture
15
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HOW IS SAFETY CULTURE USUALLY EVALUATED? Safety Surveys Safety
Cultural Interviews Behavioral and Situational Observation Each of
these evaluates a slightly different manifestation of safety
culture (perception, beliefs, and actions) 16
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HAS YOUR CURRENT COMPANY USED A PERCEPTION SURVEY? 17 1. Yes
Both Safety and Engagement 2. Yes Just Engagement 3. Yes Just
Safety 4. No None at All
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Allows for Anonymous Involvement of Employees Automatically
Becomes Empirical Not Difficult to Administer Typical Participation
can be as High as 90% According to the Petersen Study (2001) is the
indicator that is directly linked with outcome performance 18 USING
A PERCEPTION SURVEY
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A SURVEY CAN ACCOMPLISH Quantified Culture Evaluation Allows an
Organization to 1. Determine Gaps in Perception Between Management
and Employees 2. Establish A Baseline to Measure the Results of
Safety Initiatives Against 3. Demonstrates Concern for Employees 4.
Can Benchmark with Other Organizations 5. Provides information on a
number of Demographics 19
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WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN RESULTS Internal comparisons External
comparisons Strengths or weaknesses in SMS Gaps in perceptions
based on: Employee Tenure Employee Grade Locations 20
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21
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WHAT HAVE WE FOUND WITH REGARDS TO SAFETY CULTURE FROM OUR
CARES SURVEY
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YOUR SAFETY TRAINING IS EFFECTIVE. (4.23) 1. Strongly Disagree
2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree
5. Strongly Agree
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YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE ENGAGED IN SAFETY. (4.13) 1. Strongly
Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4.
Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree
EMPLOYEES RECEIVE SUFFICIENT FEEDBACK AND COACHING FOR THEIR
SAFETY ACTIVITIES. (4.07) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree
3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly
Agree
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SUPERVISORS TAKE OWNERSHIP FOR SAFETY AND MODEL SAFE BEHAVIOR.
(3.91) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree
or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree
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YOUR COMPANY IS ETHICAL AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR
ADVANCEMENT. (3.83) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3.
Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree
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PRODUCTION DEMANDS ARE NOT VALUED MORE THAN SAFETY. (3.73) 1.
Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree
4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree
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EMPLOYEES ARE COMFORTABLE REPORTING ACCIDENTS, INJURIES, AND
NEAR MISSES. (3.65) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3.
Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree
Slide 31
WHAT ARE WE SEEING WITH COMPANIES THAT HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN ONE
CARES SURVEY When conducted in Conjunction with BBS or other Safety
Culture Improvement Initiatives 1) The Safety Culture Score
Improves from 10% - 15% 2) Injuries Decline 35% - 65% 3) Production
and Profitability is not Impacted
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OTHER TRENDS/COMMONALITIES Business Acquisitions/Divestitures
Management Support for Safety Appears to have Paramount Importance
Organizations with the strongest Safety Cultures tend to Be smaller
organizations Perceived to have strong Safety Departments
Consistently Rank Production VS Safety as the lowest category
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OTHER CARES SURVEY RESULTS Safety Culture Norms Based on Tenure
not as Divergent as other Demographics Gaps Based on Employee Class
can be Significant or Flat Gaps Based on Locations and Departments
are Typically very Large 33
Slide 34
WHY CONDUCT INTERVIEWS? To Gain Additional Knowledge About the
Safety Culture To Obtain Specific Information To Validate the
Results of Specific Initiatives To Provide Relevant Location
Information 34
Slide 35
WHY OBSERVE BEHAVIORS? To Validate the Results from Surveys and
Interviews To Obtain the REST-OF-THE-STORY To Accumulate Any Other
Relevant Information 35
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WHAT ARE SOME INDICATORS OF A STRONG SAFETY CULTURE? Management
that Consistently Sets the Example An Organization that is Willing
to Ask and Answer Hard Questions An Empowered Workforce that is
Able to Make Meaningful Contributions to the Safety Process 36
Slide 37
STRONG CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS CONTINUED High-Functioning
Safety Committees Well Written Safety Mission and Values Statements
A Professional Safety Department Not JUST Starting Organizational
Meetings with Safety 37
Slide 38
STRONG CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS CONTINUED A Process of Self
Auditing, Risk Assessment, or Formalized Hazard Identification
Presence of a Plan for Mergers, Acquisitions, and Sale of Business
Units Linkage of Safety to all Levels of the Business 38
Slide 39
WEAK CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS Using only lagging indicators to
measure performance These measure failure rates They manage safety
by looking at what has happened not what will happen May encourage
injury hiding Recordability or Severity is influenced by many
factors AFTER the even 39
Slide 40
WEAK CHARACTERISTICS CONT Poor Incentive Programs A vigilant
focus on the outcomes not the process Too much safety training
Accident Investigations that result in causal factors like wasnt
paying attention, needs to be more careful 40
Slide 41
WEAK CHARACTERISTICS CONT Use of Punishment in Accountability
Standards Punishment does not reinforce anything Punishment becomes
part of a repeating cycle Has the use of punishment ever inspired
anyone? 41
Slide 42
ACCOUNTABILITY VS PUNISHMENT Punishment can become an
organizational value Punishment is needed under certain
circumstances however, it will only generate malicious compliance
(at best) Balance is KEY!
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A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES THAT GOVERNMENT IS BEGINNING TO GET IT
OSHA Letter of Interpretation FAA Rules for Air Traffic Controllers
43
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WHAT ABOUT CULTURE VERSUS CLIMATE? Safety Climate and Safety
Culture are often used as one in the same concept, but there are
significant differences Culture is the underlying belief system
that drives innate actions. Culture is generally a company concept
(but not always) Climate is a specific measure in time that
describes how things are at a location or other sub-unit level.
44
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TO CREATE AN OPTIMAL CONDITION AFTER CULTURE HAS BEEN EVALUATED
Begin to Approach Safety With Integrity! 46
Slide 47
INTEGRITY Integrity is defined as always being true to your
core values Doing the right thing when no one is watching
Demonstrating a repeatable and predictable pattern of always
engaging in actions that are ethical, moral, and always contribute
to the betterment of society
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SAFETY Safety represents the preservation of life, health, and
well- being. It is the fundamental condition of being protected
against physical, financial, occupational, educational or other
types of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event
which is not desirable. When done the right way, Safety must
inherently have Integrity
Slide 49
SOME CLASSIC EXAMPLES OF WORDS LACKING INTEGRITY Elliott
Spitzer Tiger Woods Pete Rose Bill Clinton Mark Sanford Richard
Nixon Others?
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CONSIDER THESE WORDS Safety is our Most Important Value Be
mindful of risk all the time Always be careful Be aware of your
surrounds at all times Expect the Unexpected If it can go wrong it
will?
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WHAT WORDS ARE IMPORTANT Safety Vision and Mission Statement
Well-Designed Written Programs Written Management Commitments
Appreciative Feedback Education and Direction
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Slide 53
KNOWING YOUR COMPANYS SAFETY CULTURE Culture influences
everything that an organization undertakes as an initiative Culture
is the most important Leading Indicator and an Upstream Metric with
predictive value Culture can Change Given Directed Efforts
Organizational Behavior influences culture and vice-versa 53
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WHAT OCCURS WHEN THE SAFETY CULTURE IS STRENGTHENED? Morale
Improves Productivity goes up Employee Engagement Improves
Dramatically Safety Results are Greatly Enhanced A System of
Continuous Improvement is Established 54
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THE PINNACLE OF WORKPLACE SAFETY! Senior leadership provides a
concrete vision of ethical safety that is demonstrated by the
alignment of organizational actions within this vision Continuous
improvement is measured using leading indicators Full and complete
employee engagement is attained and demonstrated as employees take
personal ownership for their own safety and the safety of their
co-workers All elements of the Safety Management System (SMS) are
fully integrated Strategies for controlling risk are customized to
the environment where they are employed
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For Further Information Feel free to contact me at
[email protected] (586) 764-2126 56