Chapter59-SafetyPolicyandLeadershipSAFETYPOLICY,LEADERSHIPANDCULTUREDanPetersenThesubjectsofleadershipandculturearethetwomostimportantconsiderationsamongtheconditionsnecessarytoachieveexcellenceinsafety.Safetypolicymayormaynotberegardedasbeingimportant,dependingupontheworker’sperceptionastowhethermanagementcommitmenttoandsupportofthepolicyisinfactcarriedouteveryday.Managementoftenwritesthesafetypolicyandthenfailstoensurethatitisenforcedbymanagersandsupervisorsonthejob,everyday.SafetyCultureandSafetyResultsWeusedtobelievethattherewerecertain“essentialelements”ofa“safetyprogramme”.IntheUnitedStates,regulatoryagenciesprovideguidelinesastowhatthoseelementsare(policy,procedures,training,inspections,investigations,etc.).SomeprovincesinCanadastatethatthereare20essentialelements,whilesomeorganizationsintheUnitedKingdomsuggestthat30essentialelementsshouldbeconsideredinsafetyprogrammes.Uponcloseexaminationoftherationalebehindthedifferentlistsofessentialelements,itbecomesobviousthatthelistsofeachreflectmerelytheopinionofsomewriterfromthepast(Heinrich,say,orBird).Similarly,regulationsonsafetyprogrammingoftenreflecttheopinionofsomeearlywriter.Thereisseldomanyresearchbehindtheseopinions,resultinginsituationswheretheessentialelementsmayworkinoneorganizationandnotinanother.Whenwedoactuallylookattheresearchonsafetysystemeffectiveness,webegintounderstandthatalthoughtherearemanyessentialelementswhichareapplicabletosafetyresults,itistheworker’sperceptionoftheculturethatdetermineswhetherornotanysingleelementwillbeeffective.Thereareanumberofstudiescitedinthereferenceswhichleadtotheconclusionthatthereareno“musthaves”andno“essential”elementsinasafetysystem.Thisposessomeseriousproblemssincesafetyregulationstendtoinstructorganizationssimplyto“haveasafetyprogramme”thatconsistsoffive,seven,oranynumberofelements,whenitisobviousthatmanyoftheprescribedactivitieswillnotworkandwillwastetime,effortandresourceswhichcouldbeusedtoundertakethepro-activeactivitiesthatwillpreventloss.Itisnotwhichelementsareusedthatdeterminesthesafetyresults;ratheritisthecultureinwhichtheseelementsareusedthatdeterminessuccess.Inapositivesafetyculture,almostanyelementswillwork;inanegativeculture,probablynoneoftheelementswillgetresults.BuildingCultureIfthecultureoftheorganizationissoimportant,effortsinsafetymanagementoughttobeaimedfirstandforemostatbuildingcultureinorderthatthosesafetyactivitieswhichareinstitutedwillgetresults.Culturecanbelooselydefinedas“thewayitisaroundhere”.Safetycultureispositivewhentheworkershonestlybelievethatsafetyisakeyvalueoftheorganizationandcanperceivethatitishighonthelistoforganizationpriorities.Thisperceptionbytheworkforcecanbeattainedonlywhentheyseemanagementascredible;whenthewordsofsafetypolicyarelivedonadailybasis;whenmanagement’sdecisionsonfinancialexpendituresshowthatmoneyisspentforpeople(aswellastomakemoremoney);whenthemeasuresandrewardsprovidedbymanagementforcemid-managerandsupervisoryperformancetosatisfactorylevels;whenworkershavearoleinproblemsolvinganddecisionmaking;whenthereisahighdegreeofconfidenceandtrustbetweenmanagementandtheworkers;whenthereisopennessofcommunications;andwhenworkersreceivepositiverecognitionfortheirwork.Inapositivesafetyculturelikethatdescribedabove,almostanyelementofthesafetysystemwillbeeffective.Infact,withtherightculture,anorganizationhardlyevenneeds...
