Risk Management, Safety Management and Loss Control

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Safety Culture

An organization always has a safety culture but getting a desired culture is something you will have to work at. This is not something you do overnight. You have to work at it and never stop.

Safety culture is related to behavior at all levels in the organization and when talking of desired behavior, the behavior of people in leadership positions is of critical importance - their decision-making and example.

I am not a behavior specialist but when working in the area of safety management, you really cannot get around it. So I was involved in suggesting a process to arrive at safe behavior at the operational level.

I also suggested an element "Culture and Behavior Modeling" as part of Integra (previously named IPSRS) which was a processindustry version of the ISRS. For several - mainly internal political - reasons Integra never was accepted by the organization within which it was developed. The subjects listed below were part of the element I suggested. This does not give you a complete picture but it may help you to think about the activities you may want to establish to reach the culture that you are looking for in your organization.

1. Identification of desired behavior To identify the desired behavior of people in decision-making and operational positions. Of particular importance in high-risk jobs.	Has desired behavior been determined? yes / no
2. Selection of personnel To select those people that have the ability and motivation to show the desired HSE behavior.	Does personnel selection include ability to show desired behavior? yes / no
3. Procedure and rule preparation To establish guidelines for the preparation of rules, work practices and procedures such that they will reinforce desired behavior.	Do guidelines for rule preparation etc. exist? yes / no
4. Competency surveys To periodically establish that people working in the organization have the competencies to properly carry out their jobs.	Competency surveys done? yes / no
5. Leadership behavior surveys To assure that people in leadership positions show the HSE behavior desired.	Leadership behavior surveys carried out? yes / no
6. Employee behavior surveys To assure that people in operating positions show the desired HSE behavior.	Employee behavior surveys carried out? yes / no
7. Employee satisfaction and perception surveys To periodically carry out surveys to establish the level of HSE perception and satisfaction amongst employees.	Employee satisfaction and perception surveys? yes / no

THE principle of RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

"The greater the departure of any planned change from the accepted ways of the past, the greater the potential resistance by the people involved.