11/04/23

Safety Culture?Safety Culture?

How to Improve HSE Performance through Measuring and Developing Safety Culture

Summary of Summary of PresentationPresentation

Purpose and Objectives What is Safety Culture? What influences Safety Culture? When to use Behaviour

Interventions Diagnostic and Measuring Tools

• Advantages and Disadvantages ModuSpec Self Assessment Process

• Report Information

Summary of Presentation Summary of Presentation (cont)(cont)

Climate Survey demo Conclusions

ObjectivesObjectives

To provide:• An insight into the topic of Safety

(HSE) Culture and what it takes to establish a successful culture

• An understanding of why measuring safety culture is an important pre-cursor to applying any Behavioural Safety intervention or modification

• An overview of a Safety Climate process through demonstration and use of the tools

Poor Safety CulturePoor Safety Culture

“Accidents that result in severe injuries may not be random events, rather their causal factors may derive from an accumulation, over time, of deficiencies in an organization’s safety culture”

We are convinced that the management practices overseeing the Shuttle program were as much a cause of the accident as the foam that struck the left wing CAIB Report

A Good Example of Safety A Good Example of Safety CultureCulture

E. I. Dupont starting manufacturing explosives in the early 1800s

Developed concept of separation distances for the powder mills and designed buildings so that explosions would go upwards or away from occupied buildings

Built his house inside the plant and insisted managers also live inside the plant

Developed plant rules and procedures

DefinitionsDefinitions

Safety Culture• The collective values and attitudes

of people in the organization Step Change Behavioural Issues Task Group

• The knowledge, values, norms, ideas and attitudes which characterize a group of people

• Seldom a unified or homogenous quantity, usually diversified, fragmented and split into sub-cultures

DefinitionsDefinitions

Safety Climate• Surface snapshot of the state of safety

providing an indicator of the underlying safety culture Step Change Behavioural Issues Task Group

Behavioural Aspects of Safety• The way organizations act out their

safety management systems and how systems operate in reality. Includes safety culture, safety leadership and behaviour modification

Safety Culture – What Safety Culture – What is it?is it?

The product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to and style and proficiency of an organization’s health and safety management ACSNI 1993

The way we do things around here” CBI 1990

Safety Culture – What Safety Culture – What is it?is it?

As the Board investigated the Columbia accident, it expected to find a vigorous safety organiztion, process and culture at NASA, bearing little resemblance to the ineffective “silent safety” system identified during Challenger Disaster (’86)

NASA’s initial briefings to the Board on its safety programs espoused a risk averse philosophy that empowered any employee to stop an operation at the mere glimmer of a problem

Unfortunately, NASA’s views of its safety culture, did not reflect reality CAIB Report

Imagine the difference if a Shuttle Program Manager had simply asked “Prove to me that Columbia has not been harmed by the foam strike”

Frequently Asked Frequently Asked QuestionsQuestions

What does a good safety culture look like?

How do you know if the safety culture is improving?

What are the key issues to focus upon first?

When to stop working on a specific safety culture issue and move onto the next

Is it always necessary to survey staff to measure safety culture?

How does behaviour modification link to safety culture improvement?

Improvements in Safety Improvements in Safety PerformancePerformance

Road to QHSE Road to QHSE CultureCulture

- Warning signs- Training- Inspections / Maintenance plans- Regulatory compliance- Incident reporting / investigations

- Performance Analysis- Refresher training- Auditing and Management Review- Change Management process

- Human Behavioural Implications- Procedural compliance- Obligation to intervene- Empowerment to stop the job

Reduction through TRADITIONAL QHSE PROGRAMS

Reduction through further addition of MODERN APPROACHES

Reduction through addition of ADVANCED APPROACHES WITH SUPPORTING SYSTEMS

Time - Maturity of QHSE Approach

Inci

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Safety Culture ChangeSafety Culture Change

“Peoples attitudes and opinions have been formed over decades of life and cannot be changed by having a few meetings or giving a few lectures”

(Mao Tse Tung)

Sound Safety CultureSound Safety Culture

A sound safety culture is INFORMED• Good reporting systems• Just and fair• Learning from experiences• Flexible and adaptable

James Reason 2001

Sound CultureSound Culture

Reporting Culture• Organizations with little trust often find

it difficult to get people to admit to their own mistakes

Just and Fair• Reaction to the reporting of events

should be proportionate to the intentions behind and the consequences of an action

• Organizations which apply sanctions in a fair and just manner will build trust and creativity

Sound CultureSound Culture

Flexible and adaptable• Organizations which want

creative contributions from its employees must have a degree of tolerance. E.g. value a verbal exchange of experience and creativity if it means work will be safer.

Sound Safety CultureSound Safety Culture

Learning• The ability to share knowledge

across organizational boundaries is a key aspect of a sound safety culture e.g. are employees fully involved in decisions affecting their safety and health?

• Conflicting objectives are a way of life i.e. do the job quickly and efficiently, but do it safely without getting hurt

Management and Management and CultureCulture

The significance of the way managers speak and behave is often underestimated

Managers who only get involved after the event e.g. an accident will not enjoy the same credibility as those who were involved all the time

Behavioural IssuesBehavioural Issues

Behavioural issues are extremely important• Behaviour turns systems and procedures

into reality• Good safety performance is determined

by the way an organization “lives” its systems and processes

Example of airlines - • Fly similar aeroplanes• Similar standards of pilot training• Risk to passengers varies by a factor of

42

What Influences Safety What Influences Safety Culture?Culture?

Interaction between:• The person• The job• Organizational factors

Unsafe behaviour may have been the final act in an accident sequence, but worker behaviour will have been influenced by the job, work environment and the organization

What Influences Safety What Influences Safety Culture?Culture?

Person

JobOrganization

Safety Culture

Safety

Climate

What Influences Safety What Influences Safety Culture?Culture?

Safety performance is improved when all factors job, environment and organization are considered

Requires behavioural changes at all levels in the organization, not just at workplace

People behave the way they do because of the consequences that result for themselves after doing it.

Who Influences Safety Who Influences Safety Culture?Culture?

If there are safety problems, it is because the behaviours producing the problems are being reinforced

Managers and supervisors change worker behaviours by their own action or inaction

Focusing only on the front line worker will not result in positive changes

Who Influences Safety Who Influences Safety Culture?Culture?

Management has the most influence

How do they “walk the talk” and demonstrate safety leadership?• Field visits to talk knowledgeably

about safety e.g. accident stats and near misses

• Safety manager is a full member of the senior management team

Demonstrate Management Demonstrate Management CommitmentCommitment

Senior managers meet to discuss safety performance against objectives and targets

Time off provided for safety training. Managers safety leadership appraisal

and self assessment questionnaire Managers lead Safety Orientation training Adequate # of safety professionals are

available to assist operational and field staff. (Not to take over!!)

Behaviour Modification Behaviour Modification Pre-conditionsPre-conditions

Is a significant proportion of accidents primarily caused by the behaviour of front line workers?

Do a majority of managers and supervisors want to reduce the current accident rate?

Will management be comfortable with empowering and delegating some authority for safety to workers?

Is management willing to trust the results produced by the workers?

Are the workers willing to trust management?

Behaviour Modification Behaviour Modification Pre-conditionsPre-conditions

Is there a high level of management involvement in safety?

Is management willing to provide the necessary time and resources for workers to be trained and to carry out observations?

Has a program “champion or champions” been identified?

Are the existing communication processes adequate for the increased communication and feedback between management and workers?

Behavioural Change Behavioural Change ConclusionsConclusions

Any behavioural modification program needs a strongly implemented and robust HSE MS as a foundation

Research and practical evidence shows significant improvements can be achieved by implementing appropriate behaviour interventions

Behavioural modification initiatives unlikely to be successful unless job environment and organization factors also considered

Behavioural Change Behavioural Change ConclusionsConclusions

Intervention tools which work at one location, may not work at another

Suitability of behavioural tools is influenced by the existing safety culture

A Safety Culture model provides a framework to identify current level and identify appropriate action to improve and move to next level

Emerging Level 1

Managing Level 2

ContinuallyImproving

Level 5

Cultural maturity model

Involving Level 3

Cooperating Level 4

Develop management commitment

Involve frontline staff and develop personal responsibility

Develop cooperation between management and frontline workers

Ensure consistency

Impro

ving

Safety C

ulture

Reinforc

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behaviours

Kiel Centre

The Journey

ForwardsBackwards

Sta

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HSE MATURITY CHART

• Administrator driven• Loose systems, elements of

NOSA• Re-active risk assessment• Minimum legal compliance• Apply PPE as a way of

eliminating exposure• Incident investigation and root

cause analysis (AOR)•Remedial action•Incident inquiry•Video conference

• Waste recognised but no plans• Ad hoc occupational hygiene and

environmental surveys• Reactive medical monitoring• Ad hoc HSE inspections

• Co-ordinator driven• NOSA 5 star system and ISO

9002 or equivalent• Risk assessment through existing

systems• Total legal compliance• Strictly enforce the use of PPE

where required (knowing risk)• Incident knowledge sharing

across departments• Waste sorting at source• Planned Occupational hygiene /

environmental monitoring• Periodical medical examinations• Planned HSE audits• Safety talks• Planned task observations

• Line driven• ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18000 or

equivalent• Pro-active formal risk assessment• Beyond legal compliance• Seek to actively engineer out

process/equipment inadequacies• Incident knowledge sharing at all

levels between individuals• Active waste reduction initiatives• Focus on control rather than

monitoring• Integrated audits• Peer evaluation and discussion

• Individually internalized• Integrated management

systems• Risk assessment integrated

into all systems• Self regulating• Eliminate problems before

they occur• Waste elimination as far as

possible• International recognition

through externalevaluation

• Un-coordinated• No system• No risk assessment• Legal non compliance• Accept equipment /

process decay• Superficial incident

investigation• Waste a necessary evil• Poor equipment condition• Permit non-compliance• Potential illegal practices

• Compliance culture• Participation• Near miss discussions

• Acceptable training/awareness• Established and good

communication channels• Safety half hour for people

involvement and focus

• Ownership culture• Involvement at floor level• Near miss involvement

• High level of training/awareness• Communication at a high level

hiding nothing

Improve the workingenvironment

Proactive

Regressive

Accept that incidentshappen

Prevent incidentsbefore they occur

Planned

Reactive

Prevent a similarincident

Stable

HSE culture

Var

iab

ility

• No care culture• Apathy/resistance• Near misses not

recognized• Negligence• Dishonesty• Hiding incidents

• No or little training• Poor or no communication

• Blame culture• Acceptance• Near miss reporting• Potential for window

dressing e.g. pre-inspectioncleanups and light duty

• Disciplinary action• Minimum training• Some communication on a need

to know basis

• Way of life• Comes natural• Personal involvement

by all to preventincidents

• Complete understanding• All informed at all times

about everything

Safety Culture Safety Culture AssessmentAssessment

Diagnostic tools• Safety climate surveys• Structured workshops• Combination of the above

Results assist in selection of appropriate behaviour modification program and planning in how to implement

Tools to Improve Tools to Improve SafetySafety

Diagnostic• Used to identify issues, which require

improvement

Intervention• Improve safety by addressing specific safety

behaviours

Establishing where an organization’s safety culture maturity lies is key to selecting appropriate behaviour modification programs and implementing them effectively

Safety Culture Safety Culture Improvement ProcessImprovement Process

Assess current level Develop plan to improve Implement plan Monitor implementation Re-assess to evaluate success and

identify further actions

Questionnaires Pros and Questionnaires Pros and ConsCons

Wide coverageCan ask for yes/no or sliding scale responsesFlexible timing for respondentsStandard format easy to summarize

Limited explanation, understanding of responsesNo discussion of remedies, improvementsNo commitment to change

Regular Meetings Pros Regular Meetings Pros and Consand Cons

Regular, frequent opportunitiesReal players are in the roomDecisions can be madeCommitment to act

Regular agenda items intrudeNo fresh perspectivesUnequal status of participantsInternal problems go unchallenged

Self AssessmentSelf Assessment

Carefully considered evaluation resulting in a judgment of the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization and the maturity of its HSE Management System

Self Assessment provides fact based guidance on where to invest resources for optimum improvement

Self Assessment and Self Assessment and AuditAudit

Self Assessment• those who have the knowledge and

expertise perform the evaluation

Audit• auditee provides information to

auditor who performs the evaluation

ModuSpec Self ModuSpec Self Assessment Process Assessment Process

Combination of Survey Questionnaire and Facilitated workshop

Complements the audit process by focusing resources on prioritized areas

Where to use?• Need to measure status of HSE MS

performance and the safety culture

Self Assessment Self Assessment DeliverablesDeliverables

Comprehensive review of HSE MS to provide status of:• Compliance, performance and effectiveness

Reliable identification of HSE Culture and all major concerns and strengths

Full understanding of underlying factors Prioritized action plan for continual

improvement Commitment and support from all

levels

Facilitated Workshop Pros Facilitated Workshop Pros and Consand Cons

Brainstorming plus standard questionsKey players in roomFocus and equalityDeep discussionNew benchmarksElectronic voting = speed, anonymity

Time consuming for participantsLimited coverageParticipants all come to locationIs there adequate time to develop action plans?

Workshop principlesWorkshop principles

Open, frank communication Trust Everyone's input is important The person who performs the task

understands it better than anyone else

Group comments may be shared externally but individual anonymity is preserved

Combination HSE Self Combination HSE Self Assessment ProcessAssessment Process

Decisions

Analyze

EmployeeQuestionnaire

PreliminaryAnalysis

Mixed TeamWorkshops

ManagementWorkshop(s)

No Action

Audit Key Risks

PrioritizedAction Plan

Combination Combination AdvantagesAdvantages

Wide coverage to gather data Deep discussion to understand Managers/staff collaborative effort Accurate final analysis Graphic + Qualitative reporting Save audit for key risk areas Management workshop takes

decisions and feeds into business (action) plan

This Company Walks the This Company Walks the Talk on SafetyTalk on Safety

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Stronglydisagree

Stronglyagree

Just What We’re Looking Just What We’re Looking ForFor

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Disagree Agree

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This company walks the talk on safety.

A Specific Problem – A Specific Problem – Known Only to a FewKnown Only to a Few

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Disagree Agree

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This company walks the talk on safety.

Abandon Ship!!Abandon Ship!!

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Disagree Agree

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This company walks the talk on safety.

HSE Corporate ProfileHSE Corporate Profile

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BU ComparisonsBU Comparisons

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North South Central

Workshop OutputWorkshop Output

ConclusionsConclusions

The need to understand Safety Culture or Human Factors is the way of the future if we are to improve safety performance

Everyone’s doing it! • UK - Culture Maturity Model and Climate

Questionnaires• Canada – Safety Stand Down Week Perception

Survey, Imperial, CPC, Shell Hearts and Minds• US – Dan Petersen Perception Surveys started

in the early 90s on railroads

ConclusionsConclusions

In the 80s, there was UPITFOS, which initiated the Basic Safety Program (BSP) and Certificate of Recognition (COR)

Is Safety Culture the step change needed for the beginning of the 21st century?

Should we draw closer parallels to Quality Management and use Six Sigma Safety Culture approach?

Statistical information from the UK offshore and North America would suggest that significant improvements are resulting from Safety Culture initiatives