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Building a Strong Safety Culture: Strategies, Responsibilities, and Sustainable Approaches

Building a strong safety culture: strategies, responsibilities and sustainable approaches

A strong safety culture is critical to a healthy, productive workplace where employees are actively engaged in safeguarding each other’s wellbeing. Unlike mere compliance, safety culture reflects the values, behaviours, and attitudes towards safety at every level of the organisation. Developing a positive safety culture takes effort, commitment, and the right strategies, especially when starting from scratch.


This post explores what good and poor safety cultures look like, strategies for improvement, roles and responsibilities, sustainable program approaches, and the leadership qualities essential to sustaining a culture of safety.


What Does Poor Safety Culture Look Like?

Poor safety culture often exists in workplaces where safety takes a backseat to productivity or is seen as a mere compliance exercise. Characteristics of poor safety culture include:

  • Minimal Reporting: Employees rarely report near-misses or hazards, fearing blame or assuming management won’t respond.

  • Reactive Approach: Safety measures are only implemented after incidents occur, rather than preventing risks proactively.

  • Lack of Accountability: Incidents are ignored, and breaches go unpunished, leading to inconsistent safety practices.

  • Disengaged Leadership: Leaders aren’t visibly involved in safety efforts, signalling to employees that safety is not a priority.


What Does Good Safety Culture Look Like?

In a positive safety culture, safety is embedded in daily operations and embraced by everyone from executives to frontline workers. A strong safety culture is characterised by:

  • Open Reporting: Employees feel safe to report hazards, near-misses, and incidents without fear of reprisal.

  • Proactive Risk Management: Hazards are identified and managed before they become incidents, with controls regularly reviewed.

  • Shared Responsibility: Safety is a collective effort where everyone is responsible for their own and each other’s safety.

  • Active Leadership: Leaders are actively involved in safety, participating in training, leading by example, and regularly engaging with employees on safety issues.


Strategies for Improving Safety Culture

Improving safety culture requires a combination of clear communication, consistent actions, and an inclusive approach:


Set Clear Expectations and Goals:

  • Develop and communicate a clear vision for safety culture with defined goals.

  • Engage employees in the goal-setting process to give them ownership of the outcomes.


Establish Open Communication Channels:

  • Implement regular safety briefings, toolbox talks, and feedback mechanisms where employees can voice concerns and share ideas.

  • Use accessible language and examples that resonate with frontline workers, encouraging them to actively participate.


Provide Continuous Training and Education:

  • Implement ongoing training that covers new risks, safety protocols, and role-specific safety responsibilities.

  • Include practical, scenario-based training that empowers employees to handle real-world safety issues confidently.


Recognise and Reward Safe Behaviours:

  • Acknowledge individuals and teams who exemplify good safety practices, whether through formal awards or simple peer recognition.

  • Encourage a positive safety culture by reinforcing safe behaviours rather than focusing solely on correcting unsafe ones.


Conduct Regular Safety Audits and Feedback Sessions:

  • Perform safety audits and engage workers in reviewing the findings, allowing them to contribute ideas for improvement.

  • Hold quarterly safety culture meetings where employees provide feedback on progress, challenges, and next steps.


Roles and Responsibilities in Building a Safety Culture

Every level of an organisation plays a role in fostering a safety culture:

  • Management: Sets the vision and allocates resources, ensuring that safety remains a core organisational value.

  • Leaders: Lead by example, engaging with teams, supporting safety initiatives, and addressing safety concerns promptly.

  • Safety Personnel: Provide expertise, facilitate training, conduct audits, and ensure compliance with safety standards.

  • Workers: Report hazards, follow safety procedures, and actively participate in creating a safe work environment.


Case Studies in Improving Safety Culture

Alcoa: Alcoa, a global aluminium manufacturer, prioritised safety as a core value under CEO Paul O’Neill’s leadership. By embedding safety in every aspect of the company’s operations, Alcoa significantly reduced workplace injuries and saw productivity increase as well. Success was measured by lower incident rates and higher employee engagement scores.


Shell’s Goal Zero Initiative: Shell aimed to achieve zero incidents by creating a safety culture where every worker was empowered to speak up and stop unsafe practices. Through regular training, leadership engagement, and a “Stop Work” policy, Shell fostered a proactive culture. Shell measures success with safety metrics and tracks its progress through regular safety culture surveys.


Signs Your Safety Culture is Moving in the Right Direction

You can tell your safety culture is improving when:

  • Increased Reporting: Employees feel comfortable reporting hazards and near-misses, indicating a positive shift in trust.

  • Reduced Incident Rates: Fewer injuries and incidents show that safety practices are effective.

  • Higher Engagement Levels: Employees participate in safety initiatives and actively contribute to safety discussions.

  • Regular Follow-Through: Management follows through on safety issues raised, reinforcing a commitment to improvement.


Sustaining Progress in Safety Culture

To keep your safety culture strong, consistency is key. Maintain regular audits, feedback loops, and refresher training sessions. Recognise and reward teams for consistent safety performance and celebrate safety milestones to keep motivation high.


Communication Strategies for Engaging Workers

Engaging workers in safety culture efforts requires clear, regular, and relatable communication:

  • Toolbox Talks: Short, focused talks that cover specific safety issues and encourage discussion.

  • Safety Newsletters: Regular updates that share safety achievements, tips, and reminders.

  • Suggestion Boxes: Anonymous boxes allow workers to voice concerns or provide safety suggestions.

  • Peer-to-Peer Conversations: Encourage employees to discuss safety in teams, fostering a sense of collective responsibility.


Programs that Avoid Fatigue

To prevent change fatigue, implement safety programs gradually and sustainably:

  • Staged Approach: Introduce new programs in phases rather than all at once. Start with foundational training and progress to more advanced initiatives over time.

  • Prioritise High-Impact Changes: Focus on changes that yield noticeable benefits without overwhelming employees. For instance, start with improving reporting channels before rolling out extensive safety audits.

  • Mix Up Training Formats: Combine in-person workshops, hands-on simulations, and online learning to keep training engaging and accessible.

  • Feedback and Adjustment: Gather feedback after each stage and adjust based on what’s working and what’s not.


Building a Safety Culture from Scratch

When starting from scratch, consider the following steps:

  1. Establish a Safety Vision and Policy: Define what a safe workplace looks like for your organisation and communicate this vision.

  2. Engage Stakeholders Early: Involve employees, management, and leaders from the beginning to create a sense of ownership and collaboration.

  3. Implement Basic Safety Protocols and Reporting Systems: Begin with foundational safety procedures and ensure easy, accessible reporting.

  4. Build on Small Wins: Focus on achieving small safety milestones that build confidence and demonstrate progress to employees.


Making Good Safety Cultures Sustainable

A sustainable safety culture requires ongoing attention and reinforcement. Encourage leaders at all levels to keep safety a priority by embedding it into KPIs and regularly discussing it in team meetings. Encourage workers to take ownership by participating in regular safety discussions and sharing their perspectives.


Leadership Styles that Foster Safety Culture

Front-line leaders play a critical role in shaping and sustaining a positive safety culture. Key leadership styles that contribute include:

  • Transformational Leadership: Inspires employees to embrace safety as a core value and empowers them to act safely.

  • Servant Leadership: Puts employees’ safety and wellbeing first, prioritising their needs and concerns.

  • Participative Leadership: Involves employees in decision-making, fostering a collaborative and accountable culture.

  • Coaching Leadership: Develops employees’ safety knowledge and skills, providing feedback and guidance to support growth.


A positive safety culture is built on collaboration, consistency, and commitment from every level of an organisation. By understanding the characteristics of good and poor safety cultures, implementing sustainable improvement strategies, and fostering the right leadership styles, organisations can create workplaces where safety is valued, proactive measures are embraced, and employees feel empowered to protect themselves and their colleagues.


If you’re looking to enhance your organisation’s safety culture or are in the process of building a strong safety culture, you might want to understand your organisation's critical risk intelligence before introducing any new strategies.

What Is Your Organisation’s Critical Risk Intelligence?
What Is Your Organisation’s Critical Risk Intelligence?


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