Employees’ mindsets play a crucial role in shaping health and safety performance in any organisation.
This article from Praxis 42 looks at the different mindsets that can contribute to unsafe behaviour in the workplace, and what managers can do to change attitudes to promote safer working environments.
What mindsets cause unsafe behaviour?In organisations where blame is routinely assigned for accidents or near-misses, employees develop a fear of reporting incidents. This creates an environment where employees are more concerned about avoiding blame than improving safety.
Complacency arises when individuals or teams become overconfident and assume that because incidents have not occurred in the past they won’t occur in the future.
A fixed mindset is the belief that skills and abilities, including safety awareness, are static and cannot be improved. Workers with this mindset may resist training or disregard feedback, believing they have nothing to learn.
This mindset reflects a focus on minimal compliance rather than striving for best practices. Workers or managers may only do what is necessary to meet basic regulatory requirements rather than pursuing continuous improvement.
This mindset involves an unrealistic belief that accidents only happen to others. It reflects a lack of personal responsibility for safety and is often rooted in the perception that risks are minimal.
Some employees may adopt a mindset where they think safety is solely the responsibility of management or not part of their job. Hazards go unaddressed because individuals do not raise concerns.
This mindset prioritises productivity and financial gain over safety concerns. Workers or managers may feel pressured to meet deadlines, increase output, or cut costs at the expense of safe practices.
This mindset reflects resistance to change and a preference for sticking with established practices, regardless of their effectiveness or safety implications. This attitude can prevent the implementation of improved safety measures.
These are strategies managers can implement to foster a positive health and safety culture:
Regular safety training ensures that employees are up to date with best practices.
Offer frequent opportunities for development, including refresher courses, workshops, and scenario-based learning. This encourages workers to remain proactive in improving their skills.
A growth mindset is the belief that skills, including safety skills, can always be improved. Encourage workers to view safety training as a chance to grow and learn, not just as a mandatory requirement.
Highlight personal stories or case studies where adopting new safety protocols or technologies has led to better outcomes.
Set the standard for safety behaviour by following best practices, participating in safety training, and directly addressing any safety issues they encounter. Employees are more likely to follow suit when they see their managers taking safety seriously.
Communicate that safety comes before deadlines, profits, or convenience, ensuring that employees understand the importance of adhering to safety standards even in high-pressure situations.
Integrate safety discussions into daily operations, making it clear that safety is an integral part of the organisation’s success.
Employees should feel comfortable reporting incidents, hazards, and near-misses without fear of blame or repercussions.
Emphasise that reporting is about preventing future accidents, not assigning fault.
Consider implementing an anonymous reporting system and conduct regular safety meetings where employees can raise concerns or suggest changes.
When incidents occur, use these moments as opportunities for learning.
Accountability means each employee takes ownership of their own safety as well as the safety of their colleagues. Instil this mindset by making safety everyone’s responsibility, not just that of the safety team or management.
Set clear expectations that each employee is responsible for following safety procedures, reporting hazards, and looking out for the wellbeing of their team.
Involve employees in safety committees and ensure diverse representation across departments. Create a feedback loop where workers can contribute to safety improvements and implement their ideas where appropriate.
The IOSH Managing Safely course equips managers with the skills to build a positive health and safety culture. By emphasising a proactive approach to managing risks, the course empowers managers to lead by example, demonstrating that safety is not just a policy but a shared responsibility.
Managers learn to integrate health and safety considerations into daily operations, making it a core part of decision-making and team discussions. This helps create a culture where open communication about potential hazards is encouraged, and employees feel comfortable raising concerns or suggesting improvements.
IOSH Managing Safely helps managers drive lasting cultural change, transforming health and safety from a compliance-driven task into an integral part of their organisation’s ethos.
Our course can be downloaded as a SCORM and hosted on your own LMS, or you can take the course through our dedicated LMS, SHINE.
Visit our website to discover all the benefits IOSH Managing Safely can bring to your organisation, or contact our friendly team today on 0203 011 4242/[email protected]
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