Safety Culture
The term safety culture is currently being defined as 'an assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organizations and individuals which establishes that as an overriding priority, protection and safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance' by the IAEI Safety Glossary. It is the combination of various factors, which constitutes an individual's group values, perceptions, attitudes, competencies, and patterns of behavior, that determines the commitment and proficiency to an organization's health and safety management. The culture portion of the phrase can be regarded as the background influence of the organization, which includes strong open communications between the members and acceptable behaviors to be demonstrated. While there are similarities between the phrases 'safety culture' and 'safety climate', the two have their differences as safety climate refers to the phycological mentality of the individuals and is more readily susceptive to change as compared to its cultural counterpart.
There is a model that displays the process of implementing safety in an organization called the 'Safety Culture Model' developed by the HSE (Health Safety Environment) (Sam2012, p. 156). It is split into five levels:
1. The first level is called Emerging. In it, the organization place very little emphasis on the safety of the group. This level is where the group believes that accidents are unavoidable consequences and is generally uninterested in the implementation of safety unless there is personal gain from it.
2. The second level is called Managing. In it, safety is more important for the first level. However, the company regards safety as a reactive state, rather than a state to be preserved. While the rate of accidents is average, the chances for fatal accidents are higher than average. The organization in this stage often believed that those responsible for the problems were the employees that did not adhere to the rules, procedures, and regulations of the company, and therefore, the responsibilities of the repercussions are therefore pushed onto them.
3. The third level is called Involving. The rate of accidents at this level has lowered to the point that there are little variations between them. In it, it is the belief that not only is the employee under the management of their group or section that is responsible for the incidents, but also the manager of the group takes accountability for their subordinate's repercussions.
4. The fourth level is called Cooperating. It, almost all members of the company recognize the importance of safety. Frontline employees on this level make an effort to take responsibility for the safety of their organization and themselves in order to improve the safety even further. In order to do that, the company must change its mindset from reactive to proactive and continuously monitor safety performance and non-work-relate accidents.
5. The last level is cal...
