How to Create a Safety Culture in Your Organization

A safety culture is the shared values, attitudes, and behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to safety over competing goals and demands. A positive safety culture can help prevent injuries, illnesses, and incidents, as well as improve employee morale, productivity, and reputation. Creating a safety culture requires leadership, engagement, learning, and accountability from all levels of the organization.

Safety Culture Key Takeaways

Here are some key takeaways on how to create a safety culture in your organization:

What is a Safety Culture?

A safety culture is the collection of the beliefs, perceptions, and values that employees share in relation to risks within an organization, such as a workplace or community. Safety culture is a part of organizational culture, and has been described in a variety of ways; notably the National Academies of Science and the Association of Land Grant and Public Universities have published summaries on this topic in 2014 and 2016.

Safety Culture Studies

Studies have found that workplace related disasters are a result of a breakdown in an organization’s policies and procedures that were established to deal with safety, and that the breakdown flows from inadequate attention being paid to safety issues. A good safety culture can be promoted by senior management commitment to safety, realistic practices for handling hazards, continuous organizational learning, and care and concern for hazards shared across the workforce.

Beyond organizational learning, individual training forms the foundation from which to build a systemic safety culture.

How to Create a Safety Culture in Your Organization

Creating a positive and proactive safety culture in your organization is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires leadership, engagement, learning, and accountability from all levels of the organization. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a safety culture, as each organization has its own unique context, challenges, and opportunities. However, there are some common elements and best practices that can guide your efforts and help you achieve your safety goals.

The following sections will describe each of the key takeaways from the table above in more detail, and provide some examples and tools that you can use to implement them in your organization.

Establish a compelling vision for safety

One of the first steps to creating a safety culture is to establish a compelling vision for safety that communicates the importance and benefits of safety to all employees and stakeholders. A vision for safety is a clear and concise statement that describes the desired state of safety in the organization, and how it supports the organizational values and strategies.

Safety Vision Criteria

A vision for safety should be:

• Inspiring: It should motivate and energize employees to pursue safety excellence and overcome challenges.
• Aspirational: It should set a high but realistic standard of safety performance and improvement.
• Specific: It should define what safety means and looks like in the organization, and how it can be measured and evaluated.
• Relevant: It should align with the organizational mission, vision, and goals, and reflect the needs and expectations of the customers, regulators, and other stakeholders.
• Shared: It should be developed with the input and involvement of employees at all levels, and communicated widely and consistently across the organization.

Examples of vision statements for safety

Some examples of vision statements for safety are:

• “We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for our employees, contractors, customers, and communities.”
• “Safety is our core value. We strive to achieve zero harm to people, property, and the environment through continuous improvement and learning.”
• “Our vision is to be the safest company in our industry. We believe that all injuries and incidents are preventable, and that everyone has the right and responsibility to work safely.”

Establish a compelling vision for safety

To establish a compelling vision for safety in your organization, you can use the following steps:

1. Conduct a situational analysis of your current safety performance, culture, and challenges. Identify the gaps between your current state and your desired state of safety.
2. Engage your senior management team in developing a draft vision statement for safety that reflects your organizational values and strategies. Use the criteria above to guide your writing process.
3. Solicit feedback and input from your employees at all levels, as well as your customers, regulators, and other stakeholders. Incorporate their suggestions and concerns into your vision statement.
4. Finalize your vision statement for safety and communicate it to all employees and stakeholders. Use various channels and methods to ensure that everyone understands and supports your vision.
5. Review and update your vision statement for safety periodically to ensure that it remains relevant and inspiring. Celebrate your progress and achievements in pursuing your vision.

Value trust, respect, and inclusion

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to value trust, respect, and inclusion among all employees and stakeholders. Trust is the belief that others will act in a consistent, honest, and reliable manner. Respect is the recognition of the dignity, worth, and diversity of others. Inclusion is the involvement of all employees in decision-making processes that affect their work. Trust, respect, and inclusion are essential for fostering a climate of psychological safety, where employees feel comfortable to speak up, report errors, suggest improvements, or seek help without fear of negative consequences.

Benefits of valuing trust, respect, and inclusion

Benefits of valuing trust, respect, and inclusion in your organization are:

• Increased employee engagement, satisfaction, loyalty, and retention
• Enhanced communication, collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving
• Reduced conflicts, grievances, turnover, absenteeism, and stress
• Improved safety performance, quality, customer service, reputation

Ways to value trust, respect, and inclusion

Some of the ways to value trust, respect, and inclusion in your organization are:

• Model trust, respect, and inclusion from the top. Leaders should demonstrate these values through their words and actions, and hold themselves and others accountable for them. Leaders should also provide feedback and recognition to employees who exhibit these values.
• Promote diversity and equity in your organization. Diversity is the representation of different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences among your employees and stakeholders. Equity is the fair and impartial treatment and access to opportunities for all employees and stakeholders. You can promote diversity and equity by ensuring that your hiring, promotion, compensation, and development practices are free from bias and discrimination, and by providing training and education on diversity and inclusion topics.
• Encourage participation and empowerment in your organization. Participation is the involvement of employees in decision-making processes that affect their work. Empowerment is the delegation of authority and responsibility to employees to make decisions and take actions within their scope of work. You can encourage participation and empowerment by soliciting input and feedback from employees on safety issues and opportunities, by creating opportunities for employees to join safety committees, teams, or projects, by empowering employees to stop work when they encounter unsafe conditions or behaviors, and by supporting employee-led initiatives or innovations that enhance safety (safety posters competition and workplace safety signs and symbols monitoring in their respective areas, job safety analysis monitoring, safety slogan competition on social media).

Select, develop, and engage your board

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to select, develop, and engage your board of directors or trustees. The board is the highest governing body of your organization, and has the ultimate responsibility and authority for overseeing safety performance. The board sets the tone and direction for safety, approves safety policies and budgets, reviews safety data and reports, and holds senior management accountable for safety outcomes. Therefore, it is essential that the board has the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to fulfill its safety role effectively.

Benefits of selecting, developing, and engaging

Some of the benefits of selecting, developing, and engaging your board are:

• Enhanced strategic alignment and integration of safety with organizational goals and values
• Increased visibility and credibility of safety as a priority and a core value
• Improved accountability and transparency of safety performance and improvement
• Strengthened stakeholder confidence and trust in the organization’s safety commitment and capability

Ways to select, develop, and engage

Ways to select, develop, and engage your board are:

• Select board members who have relevant expertise, experience, or interest in safety issues and challenges. Ensure that the board composition reflects the diversity of your organization and stakeholders. Provide orientation and induction for new board members on their safety roles and responsibilities.
• Develop board members’ safety competencies through ongoing training and education on safety topics, such as safety culture, risk management, incident investigation, human factors, etc. Provide opportunities for board members to visit work sites, observe safety practices, interact with employees, and learn from best practices or lessons learned.
• Engage board members in setting safety priorities, reviewing safety data and reports, approving safety policies and budgets, and monitoring safety performance and improvement. Solicit feedback and input from board members on safety issues and opportunities. Recognize and reward board members for their contributions to safety excellence.

Prioritize safety in selection and development of leaders

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to prioritize safety in the selection and development of leaders. Leaders are the people who have the authority, responsibility, and influence to direct and motivate others in the organization. Leaders play a critical role in shaping and sustaining the safety culture, as they set the expectations, provide the resources, model the behaviors, and reward the outcomes for safety. Therefore, it is essential that leaders have the necessary competencies, skills, and knowledge to lead safety effectively.

How to Create a Safety Culture in Your Organization

Benefits of prioritizing safety

Benefits of prioritizing safety in the selection and development of leaders are:

• Increased alignment and consistency of safety vision, values, and goals across the organization
• Enhanced empowerment and engagement of employees in safety decisions and actions
• Improved communication and feedback on safety issues and opportunities
• Reduced resistance and barriers to safety change and improvement

Ways to prioritize safety

Some of the ways to prioritize safety in the selection and development of leaders are:

• Select leaders who demonstrate safety leadership competencies, such as vision, communication, empowerment, accountability, and learning. Use behavioral-based interviews, assessments, and references to evaluate candidates’ safety attitudes, skills, and experiences. Ensure that safety performance and impact are part of the selection criteria and process.
• Develop leaders’ safety competencies through ongoing training and coaching on safety topics, such as safety culture, risk management, incident investigation, human factors, etc. Provide opportunities for leaders to learn from internal and external sources of best practices or lessons learned. Evaluate leaders’ safety performance and impact based on their actions and results.
• Reward leaders who exhibit positive safety leadership behaviors and outcomes. Provide recognition and appreciation for leaders who promote safety excellence in their teams and departments. Provide incentives and bonuses for leaders who achieve or exceed their safety goals and targets. Provide constructive feedback and support for leaders who need to improve their safety performance or impact.

Lead and reward a just culture

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to lead and reward a just culture. A just culture is a culture of fairness and justice, where employees are treated consistently and appropriately based on the nature and severity of their actions. A just culture distinguishes between human errors, at-risk behaviors, and reckless behaviors, and applies different responses accordingly. A just culture focuses on learning from errors rather than blaming or punishing individuals.

Benefits of leading and rewarding

Some of the benefits of leading and rewarding a just culture are:

• Increased reporting of hazards, near misses, incidents, injuries, illnesses, and other safety concerns
• Enhanced learning from errors and incidents, and identification of root causes and system failures
• Improved trust, respect, and psychological safety among employees and leaders
• Reduced fear, defensiveness, and cover-ups among employees and leaders

Ways to lead and reward a just culture

Some of the ways to lead and reward a just culture are:

• Define and communicate the expected standards of conduct for all employees regarding safety. Provide clear guidelines and procedures for safe work practices. Monitor and audit compliance with safety rules and regulations.
• Establish a system for responding to errors and incidents based on the following principles:
  • Human errors are unintentional mistakes that result from limitations or failures of human cognition or perception. Human errors should be responded with support, coaching, training, or counseling to prevent recurrence.
  • At-risk behaviors are intentional deviations from safe work practices that are influenced by personal or situational factors, such as peer pressure, time pressure, or complacency. At-risk behaviors should be responded with feedback, education, or incentives to change behavior.
  • Reckless behaviors are intentional violations of safe work practices that disregard or harm the safety of oneself or others. Reckless behaviors should be responded with sanctions, discipline, or termination to deter behavior.
• Implement a robust reporting system for collecting, analyzing, and sharing safety data and information. Encourage reporting of hazards, near misses, incidents, injuries, illnesses, and other safety concerns. Provide feedback and follow-up actions to reporters. Use data to identify trends, risks, and improvement areas.
• Recognize and reward positive safety behaviors and outcomes. Provide recognition and appreciation for employees who report hazards, near misses, incidents, injuries, illnesses, or other safety concerns. Provide incentives and bonuses for employees who achieve or exceed their safety goals and targets. Celebrate successes and achievements in safety improvement.

Establish organizational behavior expectations

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to establish organizational behavior expectations for all employees regarding safety. Behavior expectations are the specific and measurable standards of conduct that define what is expected and acceptable for safety performance and improvement. Behavior expectations should be aligned with the organizational vision, values, and goals for safety, and reflect the desired safety culture.

Benefits of establishing organizational behavior expectations

Some of the benefits of establishing organizational behavior expectations are:

• Increased clarity and consistency of safety expectations and requirements across the organization
• Enhanced accountability and responsibility of employees for their own safety and the safety of others
• Improved feedback and recognition of safety behaviors and outcomes
• Reduced ambiguity and confusion about safety roles and responsibilities

Ways to establish organizational behavior expectations

Ways to establish organizational behavior expectations are:

• Define and communicate the expected standards of conduct for all employees regarding safety. Provide clear guidelines and procedures for safe work practices. Monitor and audit compliance with safety rules and regulations. Enforce consequences for non-compliance or violations.
• Align behavior expectations with the organizational vision, values, and goals for safety. Ensure that behavior expectations are relevant, realistic, and achievable for each level, function, and department in the organization. Review and update behavior expectations periodically to ensure that they remain current and appropriate.
• Involve employees in developing and reviewing behavior expectations. Solicit input and feedback from employees on what they think are the most important and effective safety behaviors for their work context. Incorporate their suggestions and concerns into the behavior expectations. Communicate the rationale and benefits of the behavior expectations to employees.
• Measure and monitor behavior performance and improvement. Establish SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals and indicators for behavior performance and improvement. Collect and analyze data on behavior performance and improvement using various methods, such as observations, inspections, audits, surveys, etc. Provide feedback and follow-up actions to employees on their behavior performance and improvement.
• Recognize and reward positive safety behaviors and outcomes. Provide recognition and appreciation for employees who exhibit positive safety behaviors or achieve their behavior goals. Provide incentives and bonuses for employees who exceed their behavior goals or demonstrate exceptional safety behaviors. Celebrate successes and achievements in behavior performance and improvement.

Implement a robust reporting system

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to implement a robust reporting system for collecting, analyzing, and sharing safety data and information. A reporting system is a system that enables employees to report hazards, near misses, incidents, injuries, illnesses, and other safety concerns, and provides feedback and follow-up actions to reporters. A reporting system also allows the organization to use the data and information to identify trends, risks, and improvement areas.

Benefits of implementing a robust reporting system

Benefits of implementing a robust reporting system are:

• Increased awareness and identification of safety issues and opportunities
• Enhanced learning from errors and incidents, and identification of root causes and system failures
• Improved communication and feedback on safety issues and opportunities
• Reduced recurrence of errors or incidents

Ways to implement a robust reporting system

Some of the ways to implement a robust reporting system are:

• Establish a clear and consistent reporting policy and procedure. Define what, when, how, and to whom to report safety issues and concerns. Provide clear guidelines and criteria for reporting. Ensure that the reporting process is easy, accessible, confidential, and non-punitive.
• Provide training and education on the reporting system. Explain the purpose and benefits of the reporting system to all employees. Demonstrate how to use the reporting tools and methods. Address any barriers or challenges to reporting, such as fear, stigma, or lack of knowledge.
• Encourage and support reporting of safety issues and concerns. Create a culture of openness and trust, where employees feel comfortable to report without fear of negative consequences. Recognize and reward employees who report safety issues and concerns. Provide feedback and follow-up actions to reporters.
• Analyze and use the reported data and information. Establish a team or committee to review and analyze the reported data and information. Identify trends, patterns, risks, root causes, and improvement areas. Implement corrective or preventive actions based on the analysis. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions.
• Share the reported data and information. Communicate the reported data and information to all employees and stakeholders. Use various channels and methods to ensure that everyone is informed and updated on safety issues and opportunities. Use data visualization tools or techniques to present the data in a clear and engaging way.

Provide continuous learning opportunities

Another key element of creating a safety culture is to provide continuous learning opportunities for all employees regarding safety. Learning opportunities are the activities or events that enable employees to acquire new knowledge and skills related to safety. Learning opportunities can be formal or informal, individual or collective, internal or external, and proactive or reactive. Learning opportunities can foster a culture of learning, where employees are encouraged and supported to learn from their own and others’ experiences, successes, and failures.

Benefits of providing continuous learning opportunities

Benefits of providing continuous learning opportunities are:

• Increased competence and confidence of employees in performing their work safely and effectively
• Enhanced innovation and creativity of employees in finding solutions and improvements for safety issues and opportunities
• Improved adaptation and resilience of employees in responding to changes and challenges in the work environment
• Reduced complacency and stagnation of employees in their safety performance and improvement

Ways to provide continuous learning opportunities

Ways to provide continuous learning opportunities are:

• Provide regular training and education on safety topics relevant to the work context. Identify the learning needs and objectives of employees based on their roles, responsibilities, and performance. Design and deliver training and education programs that are engaging, interactive, and tailored to the learners’ preferences and needs. Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the training and education programs.
• Facilitate learning from internal and external sources of best practices or lessons learned. Identify and share best practices or lessons learned from within or outside the organization that can enhance safety performance or improvement. Encourage employees to benchmark or visit other organizations or sites that have achieved safety excellence. Provide opportunities for employees to network or collaborate with peers or experts from other organizations or industries.
• Foster learning from errors and incidents. Establish a system for reporting, investigating, analyzing, and learning from errors and incidents. Promote a just culture that encourages reporting and learning from errors rather than blaming or punishing individuals. Implement corrective or preventive actions based on the learning outcomes. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions.
• Encourage self-directed learning. Empower employees to take charge of their own learning by setting their own learning goals, choosing their own learning methods, and assessing their own learning outcomes. Provide resources and support for employees to access various sources of information, such as books, journals, websites, podcasts, etc. Recognize and reward employees who demonstrate self-directed learning behaviors or outcomes.