Characteristics of a Positive Safety Culture

Organisations with a positive safety culture have a number of characteristics in common:

Communication

Good communication plays a critical role in achieving safety goals and preventing incidents. In a positive safety culture, communication is not just one-way from the top down – it is always open and encouraged.

Commitment

When it comes to safety, actions speak louder than words. Management and leadership figures within an organisation must demonstrate that the safety of the workforce is the top priority and lead by example. All personnel, regardless of position, job description or time spent on site, have an equal responsibility in keeping themselves and each other safe, and holding themselves and each other accountable.

Cooperation

Safety works best if management and workers are on the same team pulling in the same direction. Workers should be involved in creating safety policies and procedures to ensure they reflect the actual job and they should be easy to understand and follow. Management should also seek feedback from staff about safety issues and use that feedback to make improvements.

Characteristics of a Positive Safety Culture

Consistency

There should be documented, clear procedures for every task including any safety equipment that must be used. Not only does this prevent disagreements about what is required, it also shows commitment when things are put in writing.

Innovation

Existing safety systems are constantly developed and improved even during incident-free periods. Workplaces with a positive safety culture don’t wait for the next accident to scrutinise their safety practices; they proactively try to prevent incidents before they happen.

Trust

In the safety systems, in senior management and in each other is built when each of these characteristics is present and treated as a company-wide priority.