Safety Culture
Essay on Safety Culture
Safety culture is the ways in which safety is managed in the workplace, and often reflects "the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety".[1] In other words, "the way we do safety around here". Safety culture is a complex structure in an organization that includes values and attitudes most of which are potentially changeable and related to actual accident behavior. The components of safety culture included organizational commitment, management involvement, employee empowerment, reporting system, and rewarding system.
The term “Safety Culture” was first coined by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) in a summary report after the events during April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [2]. It refers to a very general concept of “dedication and personal responsibility of all those involved in any safety related activity” [3]. The inculcation of safety culture is of vital importance to the success of any industry. During 2010/11 the UK lost 26.4 million working days due to work-related illness and workplace injury, costing society an estimated 14 billion during 2009/10 [4]. Evidently there are significant stimuli for the promotion of safety culture. Health and Safety has become synonymous with idiosyncrasies, bureaucracy and inefficiency. As an industry, how can apathy and agitation be succeeded by enthusiasm and a personal commitment to a set of safety principles. This report will discuss methods for the inculcation of safety culture in an organisation, with ambition to increase safety awareness and the value of safety initiatives throughout the electricity generation and distribution industry.
Change Through Leadership A cultural shift can only be realised through commitment and co-operation at all levels of an organisation. The role of leaders cannot be understated, “the involvement and commitment of senior management in
Safety culture is the ways in which safety is managed in the workplace, and often reflects "the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety".[1] In other words, "the way we do safety around here". Safety culture is a complex structure in an organization that includes values and attitudes most of which are potentially changeable and related to actual accident behavior. The components of safety culture included organizational commitment, management involvement, employee empowerment, reporting system, and rewarding system.
The term “Safety Culture” was first coined by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) in a summary report after the events during April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [2]. It refers to a very general concept of “dedication and personal responsibility of all those involved in any safety related activity” [3]. The inculcation of safety culture is of vital importance to the success of any industry. During 2010/11 the UK lost 26.4 million working days due to work-related illness and workplace injury, costing society an estimated 14 billion during 2009/10 [4]. Evidently there are significant stimuli for the promotion of safety culture. Health and Safety has become synonymous with idiosyncrasies, bureaucracy and inefficiency. As an industry, how can apathy and agitation be succeeded by enthusiasm and a personal commitment to a set of safety principles. This report will discuss methods for the inculcation of safety culture in an organisation, with ambition to increase safety awareness and the value of safety initiatives throughout the electricity generation and distribution industry.
Change Through Leadership A cultural shift can only be realised through commitment and co-operation at all levels of an organisation. The role of leaders cannot be understated, “the involvement and commitment of senior management in