Safety is not just a series of unrelated activities… it is a way of doing business, a mindset, a culture… a Safety Culture.

 ”To be successful, safety must be more than a program or a book or a procedure. It must be a company philosophy - an attitude that is unquestioned.”
Les McGraw, Fluor Corporation Chairman and CEO

Over the years, safety professionals have identified a number of characteristics that are coming in companies with a superior safety culture.  Specific behaviors, attitudes, procedures, expectations and systems that are part of a dynamic safety culture environment, both for normal operations and for emergencies, have been identified:  

Everyone - people at all levels of the organization - acknowledges that top management provides the essential safety improvement leadership.

1. Achieving the culture requires consistent leadership and repetition.
2. The organization has clearly defined safety policies.
3. Everyone - again, people at all levels of the organization - can explain the organization’s safety policies.
4. Everyone knows which personal protective equipment (PPE) to use for which task, how to use the appropriate equipment to do the task, how to keep the PPE well maintained, when to dispose of it and how to dispose of it safely.
5. Everyone can explain desired results and measures of success.
6. Everyone takes ownership of work areas.
7. Components and work areas are kept clean.
8. Everyone focuses efforts beyond compliance.
9. The organization has a NO-FAULT approach to error.  Emphasis is on fixing the problem, not placing blame.
10. Negative housekeeping issues kept to a minimum.
11. Foreign material control is maintained.
12. Strict procedural adherence, verbatim compliance and no “workarounds” permitted.
13. All work is planned, not done by trial and error.
14. Everyone is involved in identifying and resolving safety concerns, and feels comfortable in doing so.
15. Everyone can explain how his or her personal performance affects safety.
16. All people believe they have the necessary authority and resources to meet their responsibilities for safety.
17. All meetings begin with a safety topic.
18. Safety meetings are held on a regular basis.
19. Safety performance for everyone is measured against goals, clearly displayed, and rewarded.
20. A review of safety is conducted at least annually and there is a process in place that drives continuous improvement.
21. Regular workplace hazard analyses are conducted to identify personnel safety improvement opportunities. The results are used to make changes in work activities.
22. Everyone is empowered to correct safety hazards as they are identified.
23. A comprehensive system exists for gathering information on safety hazards. The system is positive, rewarding and effective - and people use it.
24. All injury-producing incidents, unsafe practices and significant “near misses” are investigated for root case, with effective preventive actions taken.
25. Everyone who operates equipment is trained to recognize maintenance needs and performs or requests timely maintenance.
26. Everyone knows immediately how to respond to an emergency because of effective planning, training and drills.
27. Faculties are fully equipped for safe operations and for emergencies. All necessary systems and equipment are in place and regularly inspected or tested. All people know how to use safety-related equipment and communications during operations. All people know how to use emergency equipment and communication during emergencies.

28. All supervisors and managers assist in safety workplace analyses; ensure physical protections and availability and use of personal protective equipment; reinforce training; enforce discipline; and can explain how to conduct and perform all operations safely. 

 RATE YOUR COMPANY on how well you are doing by downloading this SAFETY CULTURE SELF-EVALUATION CHECKLIST as a MS Word document:

http://www.riskcon.com/iwlaic/Safety_Culture.doc

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