SAFETY ARTICLE :- VISION OF A SAFETY CULTURE

 

VISION OF A SAFETY CULTURE

The vision for an organization’s safety culture should be to ensure an organization has the essential elements in place to control potential operational hazards and associated risks. Not only should an organization be resilient to hazards inherent in its operations and routine activities, but it should be resilient to the ongoing changes in the organizational business climate.

A safety management system has to be maintained in spite of changes in leadership temperament, management style, personnel changes, technology, and all aspects of what goes into both organizational survival and success.

One of the initial perceptions to overcome is the idea that safety programs are permanent and do not need to change, once safety standards are implemented. The organization’s environment in which safety programs are used is everchanging because people change, conditions change, budgets change, management direction changes, products change, and so on. At the same time, general culture changes and if the safety management system does not consider what and how the culture functions, safety efforts, while well intentioned, will be resisted just as a body resists a virus.

Culture is the essence of an organization and determines how it makes decisions; maintains the right direction and meets its objectives. An organization’s general culture can be dynamic, static, evolving, or restrictive. Unless the safety professional understands how the safety management system enhances and supports the safety culture, the probability of long-term success will be reduced.

A multilevel approach should be used to sustain the safety culture.

1. Safety professionals need to accept that they have been given the responsibility for managing the safety process for the organization or have been tasked with assisting in building or improving the process. The goal becomes getting others to buy into a vision of a strong safety culture. It is not just asking for "leadership commitment" per se, it is becoming a leader in a very specialized area of an organization, the control of hazards and associated risks through implementing an effective safety management system.

2. Safety professionals need to make an effort to build a network of support and communication extending throughout the organization. This network should increase the ability of the safety professional to respond to hazards and risk issues and concerns quickly. Safety professionals should also recognize the impact of interpersonal politics found in any human endeavor and work to increase personal influence to get concepts and ideas accepted.

3. Safety professionals should be the memory of the organization. They gather hazard and associated risk data using their network and have, or should have, in-depth knowledge of all aspects of operations. The safety professional’s library, contacts, and information system should place them in the position of being a "go to" person for any type of issue. This is a continuous effort requiring open and rapid communication.

4. Safety professional advises leadership on the safety management system structure which should be complementary to the organization and leadership style.