Safety Culture - Theory and Practice
Abstract
Safety Culture is seen as a way of ensuring high levels of safety perfoin%ance in orgamsations, in contrast to the systematic engineered management of hazards and effects. This paper examines the notion of a saicty culture in ten%s of the characteristics of being infoimed and trusting. These notions are related to more general organisational din%ensions desenhing behaviours an attitudes. Cultures are seen as being defined by their Values their Beliefs their Common working Practices and also the ways in which they respond to unusual situations. tn a Safety Culture these are all aligned to ensrne safe operation even or especially, when hazardous operations are undeitaken. The evoluflonary framework of cultures from the Pathological and the Reactive, through the Calculative or Bureaucratic to the Proactive and Generative cultures are described. The Generative culture is equated with the High Reliability Organisations identified in studies of military and civil high risk operations. Next a model is proposed for how to change organisations in order to acquire a satety culture. Finally il%e ban%iers to successful intervention are discussed. These include the nature of bureaucratic organisations, the conflicting goals of regulators, failures of management and the fact that change processes are hard.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADP010445
Entities
People
- Patrick Hudson
Organizations
- Leiden University