What is safety culture, and whose job is it to change it? If it’s not just a feeling, but about people doing the right thing, is behaviour-based safety the answer? And does all of this just mean more work for safety professionals?
The ISO 45001 standard includes a statement about Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) that we probably already knew:
“The success of the OH&S management system depends on leadership, commitment and participation from all levels and functions of the organization.”
The HSE had realised for a long time that alongside ‘compliance activities’ based on legislation and approved codes of practice, there is a need to consider the safety culture of an organisation.
A key element of success has been identified as ‘workforce participation and ownership of safety problems and solutions.’
Recognising the benefits of participation is not new. The 1918 annual report from the British chief inspector of factories and workshops explained that “if a real reduction in accidents is to take place, it can be affected only by the joint effort of employers and workers.”
Whether looking at your OH&S management system from the perspective of standardisation or of culture, worker participation and engagement is therefore an essential component.
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