The first element is whether strategic plans and action plans integrate safety into all aspects of an organization’s activities. Are there measurable short, medium, and long-term safety objectives in these plans, and is there regular progress monitoring in implementing the plans? Monitoring progress by the senior management team is vital to good safety leadership. Regular plans should be reviewed to confirm that they remain valid. Information about progress and the outcome of reviews should be communicated to all employees. Thus the existence of plans, objectives, monitoring, reviews, and the involvement of senior management are tangible evidence of safety leadership, which is important for developing a positive safety culture.
Another key element of a solid foundation for safety is the presence and quality of the organization’s risk control systems. If risk assessments have been conducted on all the organization’s activities and the appropriate control measures have been fully implemented, safety is probably being actively controlled at the operational level. However, the extent to which risk assessments have been conducted can only be determined if such assessments and the appropriate control measures have been properly recorded. Thus, the presence and quality of recorded risk assessments covering all the organization’s activities indicate a positive safety culture. A planned review schedule involving the persons undertaking the operational activities also indicates a positive approach to safety.
Another element of a good foundation for safety is the presence and quality of an organization’s safety management system. This provides how the organization can evaluate its ongoing safety activities. It also helps the organization measure its effectiveness at controlling risks via the SMS and produce the information required to correct errors or weaknesses. The extent to which an organization’s safety management systems are reviewed is also a key element. This can only be achieved by conducting regular and planned safety management system audits throughout the whole organization. The frequency with which these are done indicates a positive approach to safety. Conducting audits is one thing; the organization must act upon and implement any recommendations in the audit report. Thus, the extent to which an organization provides the necessary resources to deal with the findings of audits of processes or the safety management system also indicates a solid foundation for safety.
Another key element is the extent to which every employee receives high-quality integrated job and safety training. Exposing people to infrequent safety lectures in classrooms is insufficient. The evidence required is that a planned integrated series of safety training events (relevant to the participants) are being conducted on a rolling basis for all employees. In addition, the extent to which an organization changes its systems and management practices to support safety training provides further evidence of a positive approach.
One of the better indications that safety is well based in an organization is the existence of a good attitude to safety among its employees. Safety attitude can be measured using psychometric surveys covering various characteristics considered important to safety. The survey will indicate how employees perceive the organization’s safety efforts. An organization’s willingness to consult its members and act on their views strongly indicates a positive approach to safety. The most important indication of a good safety foundation in an organization is the extent to which employees are actively involved in safety daily. Suppose there is little involvement, with safety solely dependent on managers and specialists. In that case, it can be said that the organization has failed to win people over to the safety effort. Conversely, when all employees identify and act on safety issues as part of their normal working routine, the organization can be said to have won over people’s hearts and minds to the safety cause.
The position of senior safety staff in an organization’s hierarchy gives a visible indication of the importance attached to safety. Suppose the senior safety staff has direct and unimpeded access to the head of the organization. In that case, it can be said that the organization actively recognizes the important contribution that the safety function makes to the organization.
All the above elements play an important role in establishing a good foundation for safety in an organization. These elements, individually or in totality, do not constitute a safety culture, although they are an important part of it. The elements can be observed; hence they lie at the highest level (i.e., artifact level) of the “Three Level” culture model.
