Everywhere we turn today, we hear encouragement to “develop a positive safety culture.” But I’ve come to the realization that many employers don’t have the slightest clue of what a safety culture is or how to move from where they are to where we are telling them they need to be. So let’s get back to basics. Here’s what we mean by safety culture and how to cultivate one at your organization.

Culture as Reflection of Safety Worldview

All organizations have a corporate culture. Much like an individual’s worldview, a corporate culture is a manifestation of management’s real values. The corporate culture reflects the fundamental beliefs of the organization’s leaders as demonstrated by their actions.

Similarly, a safety culture is that aspect of a corporate culture that has to do with the organization’s worldview about safety: it is what the organizational leaders really believe about the importance of safety, demonstrated by their personal emphasis and their actions.

An old friend of mine has a saying: Being in a church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a Chevy. Saying “Vroom! Vroom!” over and over again doesn’t fool anyone. In the same way, organizations may say that “safety is important” to them as often as they like; but it’s their actions that reveal their true priorities and values.

The Essence of a Positive Safety Culture

Safety cultures come in different shapes and sizes. A positive (or proactive) safety culture is one that demonstrates recognition by organizational leaders that safety is a key element in the life of the organization. Such a culture is a true indicator of the organization’s belief that safety is worth the commitment of time and resources. I recently described this as the enthusiastic ownership of safety as an integral part of daily business. And if the safety culture doesn’t exist at every level of the organization up to and including the leaders, it won’t form a part of the organization’s business culture either.

A key sign of a proactive safety culture is that conversational time (planning, training, etc.) regarding safety is spent on practical application and technical information rather than on persuasion or enforcement. Where there is a proactive safety culture, professional skills are applied in providing practical skills or technical information regarding safety requirements. I also spend much of my time finding ways to give credit to employees for their ideas and actions.

How is the commitment of organizational leaders communicated into the culture? How is anyone’s commitment to something communicated? It’s communicated through the leaders’ enthusiasm and active involvement in safety and through being knowledgeable and willing to commit organizational resources to safety. Do you know the difference between a gun owner and a firearms enthusiast? Answer: Commitment. The firearms enthusiast talks eagerly and energetically about the subject, knows it well and eagerly participates in related activities. In short, he or she doesn’t simply own a firearm but commits his or her time and financial resources to the subject.

Conclusion

So, how does an organization that doesn’t currently have a positive and proactive safety culture adopt one? The key is to secure two kinds of commitment: organizational commitment and employee commitment. I’ll explain how to achieve each of these next week in Part 2.

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