Safety culture core value

So what are the aspects of a good safety culture, that is, the core values and norms that allow us to make better decisions around safety ... 

Safety considerations are incorporated within the company s culture, within its expressed vision, values, behefs, core values, and system of expected behavior. 

We are striving to produce a culture where safety is a core value. If safety is a core value, then the members of the culture wiU work safely all of the time, whether anyone is there to observe them or not. This is truly a safety culture [p. 45]. 

What is the safety and health professional s role with respect to the safety culture In an organization where safety is a core value and management at all levels walks-the-talk and demonstrates by its actions that it expects the safety culture to be superior, the role of the safety and health professional is easier as he or she gives advice that supports and maintains the culture. 

It has been my experience that these obvious and human performance limitations are overcome only when safety is truly a core value within an organization and when the safety culture, led by senior management, requires that the example points of inquiry listed above, as well as others, be addressed realistically. Senior management informs the staff by its own actions, by the system of expected behavior it puts in place, and by its insistence, when incidents occur, that the facts be reaUstically determined and acted on. 

If an entity wants to achieve superior safety results, safety must become a core value within the organization s culture. Safety is culture driven. When safety is a core value within a company, senior management is personally and visibly involved and holds employees at all levels accountable for results. The senior executive staff displays by what it does that safety is a subject to be taken very seriously, a subject that is considered in performance measurement ong with other organizational goals. 

It is easier to write about a culture that includes safety as a core value than it is to factually describe a situation in which the culture deteriorates over time, the effect the deterioration has on increasing risk and the position in which such deterioration places a safety professional. The following are excerpts taken from a report that was internally produced by BP Products North America (2005) pertaining to a fire and explosion that occurred on March 23,2005, at an owned and operated refinery in Texas City, Texas. As a result of that incident, 15 people were killed and over 170 were harmed. It is important to note that these excerpts, taken from the Executive Summary— Fatal Accident Investigation Report, represent a self-evaluation. 

Management, includes an expectation that the facilities will embrace a strong safety culture where safe performance of work and involvement of workers in all aspects of work performance are core values that are deeply, strongly, and consistently held by managers and workers. According to DOE, the aspects of this safety culture that impact safety performance are Leadership, Employee/ Worker Involvement and Organizational Learning (DOE, 2011). 

The most effective folks in the safety arena aim at creating and sustaining a culture that embeds a total commitment to workplace safety as a core value of the culture, shared and acted upon by all — a Positive Safety Culture , to quote the title of this series. If the personality of their organization does not now include such a visible, systemic commitment to safe work, the most effective safety professionals aim to drive just such a positive change, challenging and changing the existing culture. 

The new conduct we wanted to encourage in NASA s first-line supervisors—branch chiefs—included a set of critical behaviors that exemplified NASA s core values, behaviors needed to close the gap between the current state and the leadership safety vision, such as communication, consideration for individuals, management consistency, and decision making (Figure 10-3). Together with NASA we reviewed the behaviors at each location where the culture change effort was to be implemented. This review verified the relevance of the behaviors to each location and developed examples of how each behavior would be manifested... 

The second level of culture involves the Espoused Values that consist of the content of the various strategies, goals, and core philosophies that are used by the leadership to guide the organization. What does the organization say about itself We see these espoused values in the form of safety slogans, safety mission statements, and various commitments made with regard to safety. 

The culture change process starts with you. You and a core group of other leaders need to align with one another on what you value and, specifically, on the value patient safety has for you ... 

At the core of the Safety Leadership Model is the leader s personal safety ethic. Culture receives and hosts the effects of a leader s values and behavioral standards— what he believes is important, what is acceptable, and what is not. Of course, what s important here is not what a leader says he values, but what he actually values—the ethics manifested in his personal behavior. 

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