Nourishing and Poisoning a ‘Safety Culture’

‘Safety Culture’ may be defined as ‘ that assembly of characteristics and attitudes in an organization and the individuals in it which determines the extent to which safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance.’ It is widely recognized that safety culture, while intangible, greatly affects the tangible level of plant safety achieved, regardless of the design of the physical plant and the procedures used to operate, maintain and manage it. Examples of management actions and initiatives are briefly described which have either positively or negatively affected the safety culture of the organizations involved, the underlying principles are discussed, and conclusions reached about approaches for nurturing a strong safety culture, and traps to be avoided which will poison it. The case is made for distinguishing between ‘safety culture’ which must be nurtured at the factory by the factory manager, and ‘safety climate’ which determines the upper level of safety culture achieved, and which must be nurtured throughout the organization, particularly at senior managerial levels, by the Board and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).