A safety culture is characterized by shared beliefs, values and attitudes regarding safety. It is a subset of overall organizational culture. Key aspects of a positive safety culture include employees understanding the importance of safety and exhibiting safe behaviors like wearing PPE. Developing a strong safety culture should be a top priority as it has the greatest impact on reducing accidents. Objectives of a safety culture include connecting all employees around reducing incidents through following not just procedures but also being accountable for safety. Management must be committed to enforcing standards while employees follow and ensure compliance. Developing a culture of safety is an ongoing process that requires continuous efforts like training, feedback, and recognizing safe behaviors.

1. BUILDING A SAFETY CULTURE
A safety culture is an organizational culture that places a high level of importance on safety
beliefs, values and attitudes—and these are shared by the majority of people within the company
or workplace. It can be characterized as 'the way we do things around here'.
It is a subset of the overall organizational or company culture. Many companies talk about 'safety
culture' when referring to the inclination of their employees to comply with rules or act safety or
unsafely.
A positive safety culture exists when employees understand the importance of safety and exhibit
positive safety behaviors. Examples of positive safety behaviors include wearing personal
protective equipment (PPE) without being asked, completing risks assessments for all jobs and
reporting all incidents.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), developing a strong
safety culture has the single greatest impact on accident reduction of any workplace
practice. Therefore, developing a safety culture should be a top priority for the managers and
supervisors at your organization.
OBJECTIVES OF A SAFETY CULTURE
Safety culture is the set of shared attitudes, beliefs, and practices demonstrated by workers at all
levels of the company. A positive safety culture connects everyone in the company around a
common goal to measurably reduce near misses and incidents. It goes beyond following safety
procedures and rules.
In a positive safety culture, all employees are accountable for maintaining standards and
procedures. This means management enforces safety standards and understands the requirements
for a safe workplace, while on-site employees follow those standards and ensure their colleagues
follow them, too.
Safety Culture is about People, Practices and Environment. As organizations and workplaces we
should endeavor to be strong culture based.

2. What does strong culture-based safety mean?
Let’s take a look at each word in turn…
 Culture: the shared values, beliefs and attitudes of a given group, which show themselves
as behavior.
 Based: the main principle or starting point.
 Safety: people not getting injured or killed.
A safety culture consists of shared beliefs, practices and mind-sets that exist at an organization
and form an atmosphere of attitudes that shape behavior in a positive way. An organization’s
safety culture is a direct result of the following factors:
 Management and employee norms, assumptions, and beliefs
 Management and employee attitudes
 Values, myths, and stories
 Policies and procedures
 Supervisor priorities, responsibilities, and accountability
 Production and bottom line pressure versus quality issues
 Actions, or lack thereof, to correct unsafe behaviors
 Employee training and motivation
 Employee involvement and buy-in during the process
A company’s safety culture is a direct reflection of the organization’s overarching culture and the
people who work in it. As a result, most employees will generate their perceptions of safety and
its importance based on the attitude their employer projects.

3. IMPORTANCE OF A SAFETY CULTURE IN HSE
Undertaking safety culture improvements shows your commitment to the wellbeing of your staff
but also offers measurable benefits: -
 Accelerated safety culture improvement
 Reduced accident and injury rates
 Reduction in absenteesm and seek offs.
 Increased employee productivity.
 Helps build perception of a strong company brand and image
OBSTACLES TO A SAFETY CULTURE
 Short cuts
 Overconfidence
 Lack of cleanliness
 Negative mindset
 Ignorance of safety rules
 Group pressure
 Mental distractions
 Stress
 Fatigue
 Lack of work preparation
 Unscheduled work without adequate information
 Inadequate risk assessment.
 Lack or inadequate training

4. Benefits of Safety Culture in the Workplace
Creating and maintaining a safety culture is a lengthy and elaborate process that requires
considerable investments. For this reason, smaller organizations that don’t deal with immediate
hazards are slow on implementing it. In reality, however, having a sound and sustainable culture
of safety offers numerous advantages that justify the effort in the long term. Here is a rundown of
the most apparent benefits.
1. Preparedness: When the staff is familiarized with the most likely emergency scenarios, they
can deal with the situation in a fast and efficient manner. Even better, recognizing the threat early
will help prevent the emergency from happening in the first place.
2. Decision-making: The ability to analyze the situation and make relevant decisions will not
only reduce the losses from accidents but will also improve the company’s processes during
regular operations.
3. Accountability: Understanding the consequences of one’s actions as well as the ability to deal
with the situation adds to the sense of responsibility and encourages a proactive position.
4. Stability: Establishing a safe environment means fewer accidents in the long run and, by
extension, more predictable and reliable performance.
5. Employee retention: The perception of a safe working environment improves employee
satisfaction and contributes to the efficiency of HR practices.
6. Regulatory compliance: The presence of transparent safety policies improves the results of
audits, simplifies reporting, and minimizes the chance of being fined.
So, while the culture of safety does require some resource allocation, it eventually pays off from
the strategic perspective, especially once the effect is sustainable.

5. PRINCIPLES OF A CULTURE OF SAFETY
a) Shared respect
b) Shared meaning
c) Shared knowledge.
ELEMENTS OF A SAFETY CULTURE
Below are the 5 Key Elements of Workplace Safety Culture, which can contribute to creating a
positive safety culture in the organization:
 Risk Awareness.
 Fair and Just culture.
 Inclusiveness.
 Management Commitment.
 Accountability.
In summary, these three elements influence safety:-
Evaluation, Education, and Enforcement also known as the Es of Safety.

6. TYPES OF SAFETY CULTURES
There are four major categories of safety culture: -
1. Forced culture.
The forced culture uses bribes and threats to motivate employees. “It’s a carrot and stick
culture” where health and safety officers are seen as the “safety police” because code
enforcement is the name of the game. Health and safety officers are there to catch
employees doing something wrong and write them up. The problem is that most
organizations that have forced—or “got you”—cultures receive minimal job performance
from workers because fear does not cultivate high-level performance,
2. Protective culture.
The protective culture implements safety programs for employees; its main feature is that
it produces endless “policies and procedures,”. When a worker violates a policy or
procedure, management’s first reaction is to write more policies and procedures. Thus,
the risk of having this type of culture is the creation of an unending flow of regulations
that leave everyone confused. In addition, protective cultures produce average [job]
performance within an industry.
3. Involved culture.
The involved culture is characterized by high levels of safety training sessions held for
employees but not attended by top management. Morale is higher at organizations with
involved cultures because management is less interested in monitoring behaviors and
prefers to “monitor by performance.” However, involved cultures that are “doing OK”
run the risk of settling for OK, which supports the notion that “the good can be the enemy
of great,”
4. Integral culture.
An integrated safety culture implies that both managers and operational staff feel
responsible for keeping the system safe through their activities and, to this end, interact
with all of the other actors involved. The integral culture is characterized by high levels
of safety training for employees—training sessions that are attended by top management,
including the CEO. Organizations with integral safety cultures are characterized by safety
officers that have budgets and authority. Safety officers need to develop relationships

7. with the highest level of company executives with the goal of getting senior managers
excited about achieving high-level safety cultures within a firm. When senior managers
get excited about achieving high levels of safety culture, the firm likely will devote the
time and money needed to reach the goal.
The largest influences/Domains on safety culture are:
 Management commitment and style;
 Employee involvement;
 Training and competence;
 Compliance with procedures
 Organizational learning.
 Transparency
 Effective teamwork
 Active communication
 Civility
 Direct and timely feedback.
PILLARS OF SAFETY
a) Technical safety
b) Management systems
c) Human and organizational factors (HOF)
The Four Baselines Of Safety
 Awareness of safety hazards.
 Stay informed – Open Communication
 Complete training.
 Identify unsafe conditions.

8. Workplace safety tips
 Use tools, equipment and machinery properly. ...
 Report any unsafe conditions. ...
 Wear all necessary safety gear. ...
 Keep your workplace clear from clutter. ...
 Stay hydrated. ...
 Practice good posture when sitting or lifting. ...
 Take regular breaks. ...
 Be aware of your surroundings.
Top safety policies for any workplace.
 Incident reporting policy.
 Drug and alcohol policy.
 Safe driving policies.
 Personal protective equipment (PPE) policy.
 Lockout/tagout policy and procedures.
 Transitional duty policy.
 Fire Safety policy.
 Waste management policy.

9. A GOOD SAFETY CULTURE
A good safety culture exists when everyone, irrespective of the position or place, have inculcated
a discipline to follow the rules and are inspired to work together for a greater, common good.
High accident rates are a warning sign of a poor health and safety culture. Even in high-risk
industries, no workplace should be unsafe. So, if there are lots of accidents, even if they are
minor, your health and safety culture needs addressing.
Decision-making in high-hazard environments is often affected by uncertainty and ambiguity; it
is characterized by trade-offs between multiple, competing objectives.
Managers and regulators need conceptual tools to help them develop risk management strategies,
establish appropriate compromises and justify their decisions in such ambiguous settings.
To have a strong safety culture, it's important to have an overall workplace culture that fosters
positive relationships and outcomes (e.g., respect, integrity, ethics, a shared sense of duty, etc.).
To be truly effective, your safety program needs to be layered on these existing cultural
principles.
When a strong, successful safety culture, such as in the Integral Culture model, is in place,
everyone feels responsible for safety and pursues it on a daily basis by going beyond the “call of
duty” to identify unsafe conditions and behaviors and intervene to correct them. Additionally,
co-workers look out for one another and point out unsafe behaviors to each other. As a result, a
company with a strong safety culture typically experiences few at-risk behaviors and,
consequently, experiences lower accident rates, lower turn-over rates, lower absenteeism, and
higher productivity.

10. It’s the sum of all of the things that go into making a workplace safe, such as:
1. Safety policies and procedures: These are well-researched and documented guidelines on
what one should do in certain situations. For example, they may include instructions for
dealing with lifting heavy loads or using machinery safely.
2. Training & Coaching programs: Both Employees and Management leaders must be
trained and upskilled on how to perform their jobs safely, including using equipment
properly and be aware of associated risks, hazards, and control measures that are
available.
3. Management commitment and leadership: Management plays a vital role in creating a
safety culture by setting expectations for employees to follow safety policies and
procedures, providing training when necessary, encouraging workers to use safe work
practices on the job and rewarding workers who demonstrate good performance in this
area.

11. Promoting a Safety Culture at Your Organization
The development of a safety culture can be described as a journey, not a destination. It must be
effectively managed over time, focusing on continuous improvement and reinforcement of
critical behaviors.
Use these strategies to develop a culture of safety:
 The first step to building a safety culture is to develop your awareness of the risks,
hazards and control measures in your workplace. This will help identify and eliminate
any potential problems before they become serious. Once you have a clear picture of
what could go wrong, you can start planning ways to prevent workplace incidents and
improve the safety of your employees.
 Make Safety a habit. Implementing behavioral change needs to happen from top to
bottom starting with Leadership followed by in-person interventions with employees and
contract workers. This means that everyone needs to understand the concept of Behaviour
Based Safety Observations, how to report incidents, take appropriate actions when they
see a safety violation or potential hazard, and ensure that they follow all safety rules and
regulations. If you want people to report non-compliance, then it’s important that they
know what constitutes a non-compliance. That means training them on what it means to
identify compliance issues, recognize risks, know the hazards and consequences and take
corrective measures appropriately.
 Integrate Safety KPIs into Job Responsibilities. Make sure that everyone in the
organization understands their role in creating a safe culture. This is especially important
for frontline managers and supervisors. Create and integrate Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) into Objectives and Key Results(OKRs) and set safety-specific goals with
recognition and rewards. You need to ensure that everyone understands the importance of
safety and see it as part of their job description. You can do this by having regular safety
meetings, where you discuss new safety policies and procedures and the actions every
individual needs to follow according to the safety guidelines.
 Reinforce the Right Behaviors. Your company needs to focus on behavior — what people
do, not just what they say. You have to get people engaged at the highest levels of your

12. organization, from executives to managers and supervisors, who set the tone for others on
safety issues. You may want to refer some of the proven frameworks for habit-formation
and behavioral change have been used by HR Managers and Coaches in instilling the
right mindset for safe work culture.
 Create A Feedback Loop. Feedback loops help us identify problems before they become
big issues. If you want your organization’s culture to be strong and healthy, create
feedback loops between employees and management through regular meetings or check-
ins.
 Develop a “No Blame” Culture. All too often, workers are afraid of retaliation when they
point out potential problems or unsafe conditions in their work environment. This fear
can lead to silence by employees who witness unsafe practices or situations that could
lead to injury or illness. If you want your organization’s safety culture to succeed, you
need people who feel comfortable bringing up concerns without fear of retribution. When
employees know they won’t be blamed for taking reasonable steps to keep themselves
and others safe, they are more likely to report hazards and injuries, even if they were
involved in them. Employees should feel comfortable reporting unsafe conditions without
fear of retaliation from supervisors or peers — no matter who was at fault.
 Recognize and Reward Positive Behaviors. You need incentives and rewards for those
who promote safety within your organization. It’s important that these rewards be based
on actual results, such as reduced injuries or illnesses, rather than simply rewarding
everyone equally regardless of their performance in promoting safe practices.
You can provide employees with an online safety management tools through which they
can report the safety incidents, violations and unsafe practices in the workplace. This will
also help you easily keep track of the employees who promote safety practices and strive
to make the workplace safe.
 Develop a Top-Down Approach. The best way to develop a strong safety culture is
through leadership from the top down. If leaders don’t support safety by example, their
employees won’t either.
If you’re a leader and want to create a safety culture in your organization, start by asking
yourself: What is my personal safety commitment? Can I model it for others? If not, why
not? What can I do to change that?

13. Similarly, make sure that the other people at the top management are taking action as
well. Ask them what they’re doing to build a safety culture in their departments or teams
— and hold them accountable for their actions.
 Regularly Measure the Level of Safety
An excellent way to measure progress is through quarterly surveys of employees about
their perception of safety in their work environment. You can also conduct anonymous
interviews with employees from different levels of your organization to find out what’s
working well and where there are gaps in communication or training.
It’s important to measure performance against key indicators that reflect the health of
your organization’s culture — such as turnover rates and injury rates. These metrics will
help you identify areas where improvements are needed so that everyone feels safe at
work every day.
 Develop a site safety vision including key policies, goals, measures, and strategic and
operational plans.
 Implement a “buddy system” in which experienced individuals pair up with newer
workers. The experienced workers can serve as role models for newer workers and can
demonstrate safe work procedures.
 Encourage all employees to watch out for others. In doing so, develop safety
responsibilities for all levels of the organization.
 Align management and supervisors by establishing a shared vision of safety and health
goals and objectives versus production.
 Hold management accountable for visibly being involved, setting the proper example,
and leading a positive change for safety and health.
 Have management make themselves available during worker orientation and introduction
sessions.
 Demonstrate a commitment to employee health and safety by implementing safe work
practices and prescribing the mentality that unsafe actions are unacceptable.
 Make health and safety part of workplace communications.

14.  Encourage workers to report health and safety concerns that they encounter and respond
to their concerns in a timely fashion. Also, provide multiple paths for employees to bring
suggestions, concerns, and problems forward.
 Develop a system for tracking and ensuring the timeliness of hazard corrections.
 Ensure that the organization has a system for reporting near-miss accidents, injuries, and
the need for first aid.
 Maintain safety equipment and ensure that employees wear or use it correctly.
 Revise incentives and disciplinary systems to accommodate safety and health concerns.
SIGNS YOU HAVE AN AWESOME SAFETY CULTURE
 There is visible leadership commitment at all levels of the organization.
 All employees throughout the organization exhibit a working knowledge of health and
safety topics.
 There is a clear definition of the desired culture the organization wishes to achieve.
 There is a lack of competing priorities – safety comes in first every time!
 There is visible evidence of a financial investment in health and safety.
 Opportunities for improvement are identified and resolved before a problem occurs.
 There is regular, facility-wide communication on health and safety topics.
 A fair and just discipline system is in place for all employees.
 There is meaningful involvement in health and safety from everyone in the organization.
 Managers spend an adequate amount of time out on the shop floor, where the people are.
 Participation rates are at an all-time high, indicating that employees are highly motivated
and your marketing of health and safety initiatives is effective.
 Employees are actively engaged in health and safety initiatives, producing tangible
results for your company.
 Your employees report high job satisfaction due to the company’s commitment to their
health and well-being.

15.  Safety is the first item on the agenda of every meeting.
 Employees feel comfortable reporting safety issues to their supervisors.
 Regular, detailed audits of the company’s health and safety program are conducted by an
external auditor.
 Rewards and recognition of good behaviors are regularly given and serve to motivate
continued health and safety performance.
 Safety is a condition of employment.
 Managers and supervisors respond positively to safety issues that are raised.
 Safety is viewed as an investment, not a cost.
 A high standard exists for accurate and detailed reporting of injuries and illnesses –
nothing is swept under the rug!
 There is a concrete definition of what success looks like for your health and safety
program.
 The organization has the willpower to make major changes when necessary.
 Safety issues are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner.
 All employees throughout the organization are empowered with the necessary resources
and authority to find and fix problems as they see them.

I have observed with time that developing strong safety cultures have the single greatest impact
on accident reduction of any process. It is for this single reason that developing these cultures
should be top priority for all managers and supervisors.
Creating an effective safety culture is an integral part of your loss control efforts, good
brand/image building and staff welfare program.
A company with a strong safety culture typically experiences few at-risk behaviors, consequently
they also experience low accident rates, low turn-over, low absenteeism, and high productivity.
They are usually companies who are extremely successful by excelling in all aspects of business
and excellence.

16. Creating a safety culture takes time. It is frequently a multi-year process. A series of continuous
process improvement steps can be followed to create a safety culture. Employer and employee
commitment are hallmarks of a true safety culture where safety is an integral part of daily
operations.
A company at the beginning of the road toward developing a safety culture may exhibit a level of
safety awareness, consisting of safety posters and warning signs. As more time and commitment
are devoted, a company will begin to address physical hazards and may develop safety
recognition programs, create safety committees, and start incentive programs.
Top management support of a safety culture often results in acquiring a safety director, providing
resources for accident investigations, and safety training. Further progress toward a true safety
culture uses accountability systems.
These systems establish safety goals, measure safety activities, and charge costs back to the units
that incur them. Ultimately, safety becomes everyone's responsibility, not just the safety
director's. Safety becomes a value of the organization and is an integral part of operations.
Management and employees are committed and involved in preventing losses. Over time the
norms and beliefs of the organization shift focus from eliminating hazards to eliminating unsafe
behaviors and building systems that proactively improve safety and health conditions. Employee
safety and doing something the right way takes precedence over short term production pressures.
Simultaneously, production does not suffer but is enhanced due to the level of excellence
developed within the organization.
Safety is both an individual and collective responsibility that starts with Me/You/Us and is as
simple as ABC (Always Be Careful). You have to always be Responsible, Resilient, Vigilant,
Proactive, Cautious, Alert and Aware of your surroundings.
As an Ambassador of Safety my mission is to help build a culture of safety at all places and all
the time by creating awareness and equipping people with knowledge and skills that help them
Prevent, Prepare for and Respond to Incidents in a manner that is Safe, Prompt and Effective as
well as provide the Relevant, Appropriate and quality Safety Equipment.

17. You can contact me Email info@ambstevembugua.co.ke , WhatsApp +254724036078 or login
to www.ambstevembugua.org and let us join hands in the building of a Safety Culture.
#SafetyFirst #SafetyCulture