Interested to know what your company’s safety culture is? Take the quick confidential quiz below and find out where you stand in safety culture!
/18 Created on February 15, 2022 Types Of Safety Culture Quiz Your work place safety is very important, there are even organizations that ensure that safety regulations are upheld. How does your company fair?The way that your management implements these regulations can cultivate a certain kind of work culture. There are three stages of a work culture. We will go into the stages and what to do to improve in the result section.Finding out where you are in the three stages of a culture is the first step in altering the culture in your organization. To gain an accurate assessment of where you stand in your safety culture, you need to answer those questions honestly. After you've answered the questions at the bottom of the last question, you'll be able to see your culture stage and which particular behaviors you need to modify to go closer to an interdependent safety culture. 1 / 18 How does your company balance between HSE and profitability? Profitability is the only concern. Safety is seen as costing money and the only priority is to avoid extra costs. Cost is important, but there is some investment in preventive maintenance. Operational factors dominate most decisions. Safety and profitability are juggled rather than balanced, with the line managers spending most of its time on operational issues. Line managers know how to say the right things, but do not always demonstrate what they say. Safety is seen as a discretionary expense. If all contractors are unacceptable, the best of the worst are selected. The company tries to make HSE the top priority, while understanding that HSE contributes to financial return. The company is quite good at juggling the two, and accepts delays to get contractors up to standard in terms of safety. Money still counts. HSE and profitability are in balance, so that this becomes a non-issue. Management believes that good HSE makes money. The company accepts delays to get contractors up to standard in terms of safety. 2 / 18 Is management interested in communicating HSE issues with the workforce? Management is not interested in communicating HSE apart from telling workers not to cause problems. The 'flavor of the month' safety message is passed down from management. Any interest diminishes over time as things get 'back to normal.' Management shares a lot of information with workers and has frequent safety initiatives. Management does a lot of talking but there are few opportunities for bottom-up communication. Managers realize that dialogue with the workforce is desirable and so a two-way communication process is in place. Asking as well as telling occurs. The emphasis is on looking out for each other in the workplace. There is a definite two-way communication process in which management gets more information than they provide. The process is transparent. It's seen as a family tragedy if someone gets hurt. 3 / 18 What is the purpose of your company's safety procedures? The company makes HSE procedures out of necessity. They are seen as limiting peoples' activities to avoid litigation or damage to assets. The purpose of HSE procedures is to prevent individual incidents recurring. They are often written in response to accidents and their overall effect may not be properly considered in detail. There are many HSE procedures, serving as 'barriers' to prevent incidents. It is hard to separate procedures from training. HSE procedures communicate best practices but are seen as occasionally inconvenient by a competent workforce. A limited degree of non-compliance is considered reasonable. There is trust in employees that they can recognize situations where compliance should be challenged. Non-compliance to HSE procedures goes through recognized channels. Procedures are refined for efficiency. 4 / 18 How does your company react to incidents/accidents, investigations, and analysis? Many incidents are not reported, only taking place after a serious accident. Incident investigations don't go beyond legal requirements. The focus is to protect the company and it's profits. There is an informal reporting system and investigations are aimed only at immediate causes. A paper trail is maintained to show an investigation has taken place. Investigations focus on finding guilty parties. There is little systematic follow up. Previous similare events are not considered in investigations. There are procedures in place and investigations produce a lot of data. However, opportunities to address the real issues are often missed. The search for causes usually bogged down to what the workforce did or did not do to contribute to the incident. There are trained investigators, with systematic follow-up to check that change has occurred and has been maintained. Reports are sent company wide to share information and lessons learned. Investigation analysis is driven by a deep understanding of how accidents happen. Real issues are identified by aggregating information from a wide range of incidents. Follow up is systematic, to check that changes occur, are adequate, and are maintained. 5 / 18 Who checks safety on a day to day basis? There is no formal system to check safety daily. Instead individuals take care of themselves as they see fit. External inspectors check sites after major incidents. Cursory site checks are performed by line supervision or management when they are visiting, mostly after incidents or inefficiencies have occurred. There is no formal system for follow up of these checks. Site activities are regularly checked by the line management, but not on a daily basis. Inspections focus on compliance issues. Supervisors encourage work teams to check safety for themselves. Managers conducting walk-through inspections are seen as sincere. They engage employees in dialogue. Internal cross-audits take place, involving managers and supervisors. Everyone checks for hazards, looking out for themselves and each other. Inspections by supervisors are largely unnecessary. There is no problem if a shutdown of operations is initiated as a result of the inspection. 6 / 18 How do the company/employees view training? Are workers interested? Training is seen as a necessary evil. Employees only attend training when it is required by law. Workers don't mind exchanging a harsh working environment for a couple of hours off the job in a training room. Training is seen as a necessary evil. Employees only attend training when it is required by law. Workers don't mind exchanging a harsh working environment for a couple of hours off the job in a training room. Competence matrices are in place along with a host of standard training courses provided. Training sessions end with a test of knowledge gained. There is some on-the-job transfer of training. Leadership fully acknowledges the importance of verifying skills on the job. The workforce is proud to demonstrate their skills in on-the-job assessments. Gradually the workforce begins to identify specific training needs. Issues like attitude become as important as knowledge and skills. Development is seen as a process rather than an event. Needs are identified before training is developed. Methods of acquiring skills are proposed by the workforce, who are an integral part of the process for developing training rather than just passive receivers. 7 / 18 What are the rewards of good safety performance? Rewards for safety performance are not given nor expected. The reward is staying alive. There are only punishments for failure. There are disincentives for poor HSE performance. Most employees don't understand that positive behavior can be rewarded. Manager's bonuses are linked to lost-time incident rates. Some lip service is paid to good safety performance. Safety awards such as T-shirts or baseball hats are provided. There are safety competitions and quizzes. There are some rewards for good safety performance. Performance is also considered in promotion reviews. Evaluation is based on the process rather than the outcomes. Recognition itself has high value. Good HSE performance is intrinsically motivating. 8 / 18 How are the benchmarks of injuries, safety procedures, financial, or production goals visible to both the employee and the consumer? We follow the HSE requirements. Only displaying finance and production goals. We respond to questions like other companies. Our data only tracks the immediate causes of accidents. Reports include incidents and accidents. Most data is published publicly throughout the organization. Focused on current problems that can be measured objectively and numerically. We compare our statistics to other companies in the same industry. Our focus is on being the best in the industry. We search for trends so we can analyze and adapt our strategies. Our benchmarks include companies both inside and outside the industry using 'hard' and 'soft' measures. We involve all levels of the organization and identify action points for improvement. 9 / 18 What happens after an accident? Is the feedback loop closed or open? After an accident occurs, the focus is on the employee, and they are often fired. The priority is to limit damage and get back to production. Line management is annoyed by 'stupid' accidents. Accident reports are not communicated up the management chain if it can be avoided. Warning letters are sent by management. The workforce reports their own accidents but maintain a distance with contractor incidents. Management goes ballistic when they hear of an accident and immediately concerned about statistics. Management is disappointed , but asks about the well-being of those involved. Investigations focus on underlying causes. Results are fed back to the supervisory level. Top management are directly involved after an accident. They show personal interest in individuals and the investigation process. Employees take accidents to others personally. 10 / 18 What is the commitment level of the workforce and level of care for colleagues? The reigning philosophy is "Who cares as long as we don't get caught?" Individuals only look after themselves. "Look out for yourself" is still the rule. There is a voiced commitment by management and the workforce to care for colleagues after an accident. However this care diminishes after a period of good safety performance. There is a trickle down of management's increasing awareness of the costs of failure. People know how to pay lip service to safety, but practical factors may prevent complete follow through. Pride is beginning to develop, increasing the workforce's commitment to HSE and their care for each other. However the feeling is not universal. Levels of commitment and care are very high and are driven by employees who are passionate about living up to their high expectations. Standards are defined by the workforce. 11 / 18 What are some of the techniques your company used for work-site job safety? There are no techniques applied to identify worksite safety before starting jobs. Individuals are expected to look out for themselves. After accidents occur, a standard work-site hazard management technique is brought in, but there is little systematic use after its initial introduction. A commercially available technique is introduced to meet the requirements of the management system, but this leads to little action. Quotas are used to demonstrate that the system is working. Nothing else is used to ensure worksites are safe before jobs. A commercially available technique is introduced to meet the requirements of the management system, but this leads to little action. Quotas are used to demonstrate that the system is working. Nothing else is used to ensure worksites are safe before jobs. Job safety analysis and observation techniques are accepted by the workforce as being in their own best interest. The workforce regards such methods as standard practice. Job hazard analysis, as a work-site hazard management technique, is updated regularly in a defined process. People (both workers and supervisors) are not afraid to tell each other about the hazards identified. 12 / 18 How does your company plan for Health Safety Environment and what does the plan focus on? There is no HSE planning and little planning overall. The work planning that does occur concentrates on the quickest, fastest and cheapest execution. HSE planning is based on what went wrong in the past. There is an informal general planning process, based primarily on managing the time taken to complete a job. There is a lot of emphasis on hazard analysis and Permit to Work. There is little use of feedback to improve planning, but people believe that the system is good and will prevent accidents. Planning is a standard practice, with work and HSE integrated in the same plan. Plans are followed through. There is some evaluation of the effectiveness of plans by supervisors and line management. There is a polished planning process with both anticipation of problems and review of the process. Employees are trusted to do most of the planning. There is less paper and more thinking in the planning process. The process is well known and disseminated. 13 / 18 What is the relationship between management and HSE department? The HSE Department is reactive. It counts trends and statistics. It produces new rules and procedures following incidents. Management requires the HSE department to identify necessary corrections. Management does not pay much attention to the information provided by the HSE department. The HSE department has little power. The staff is on call constantly, but are usually only active in the background. The HSE department is seen as a police force. Management pays selective attention to the information the HSE department provides for legal compliance only. The HSE department works more proactively, mostly by sending people on training courses. Management understands that it has to promote personal responsibility for HSE to the workforce. The HSE department provides solutions which are mainly procedure based. Management is sometimes involved in the solution finding process. When initiated by the HSE department communication with management works well. The HSE department and management work closely together. Managers gain experience in HSE function roles. HSE is seen as an important department. Management wants to be involved in finding technical HSE solutions because of organizational pride. Management values good communication with the HSE department. The HSE department is a business partner and HSE tactical and technical solutions are found in co-operation with management. HSE has equal status with other departments and management has continual two way conversation with HSE. The HSE department is viewed as a valuable asset and advisor. 14 / 18 What is the reporting system your company operates with when dealing with hazard and unsafe reports. There are no reports of hazards and unsafe acts. Reporting of hazards and unsafe acts is simple and factual. Focus is on determining who or what caused the situation. The company does not track corrective or preventive actions after the reports are made. Hazard and unsafe act reports follow a fixed format for categorization and documentation of observations. The number of reports is what counts. The company requires complete forms without blanks. Reporting of hazards and unsafe acts looks for the 'why' rather than just the 'what' or 'when'. Quick submission of reports is appreciated, and blanks in forms can be filled in later. Management sets goals for the number of reports that should be completed. All levels of personnel actively access and use the hazard and unsafe act reports in their daily work. 15 / 18 How are the contractors/employees in your company managed and how do they implement HSE? Contractors are managed with a philosophy of getting the job done with minimum effort and expense. The company only pays attention to HSE issues in contracting companies after an accident occurs. The primary selection criterion is price, and only poor safety performance has consequences for choice for contractors. Contractors meet extensive pre-qualification requirements, based on questionnaires and statistics. HSE standards are lowered if no contractor meets requirements. Contractors have to get up to speed on their own. HSE issues involving contractors are seen as a partnership. Pre-qualification is on the basis of proof that the contractor has a working HSE-management system. Joint company and contractor safety efforts are observed and the company helps with contractor training. No compromises are made to work quality. The company and contractor work together to find ways to achieve expectations even if this means postponing the job until requirements are met. 16 / 18 How does your company react to surprise or upcoming Audit/Review? The company is unwilling to comply with the requirements of inspection. Audits are focused on financial items. HSE audits are unstructured and only occur after major accidents. We accept that being audited is inescapable, especially after serious or fatal accidents. There is no schedule for audits and reviews, because they are seen as punishment. We have a structured audit program. Audits are conducted regularly and focus on known high hazard areas. Audits are structured in terms of management systems. There is an extensive audit program including cross-auditing within the organization. Management and supervisors realize that they are biased and welcome outside help. Audits are seen as positive even if painful. There is a full audit system running smoothly with good follow up. There is a continuous informal search for non-obvious problems with outside help when needed. There are fewer audits of hardware and systems, and more at the level of behaviors. 17 / 18 Who causes accidents in the eyes of management? Individuals are blamed for accidents, and it is believed that accidents are part of the job. Responsibility for accidents usually belongs to those directly involved. There are attempts to remove 'accident-prone' individuals. It is believed that accidents are often just bad luck. The responsibility of the 'system' allowing accidents to occur is considered but has no consequences. Faulty machinery and poor maintenance are identified as causes as well as people. There are attempts to reduce exposure. Management has a 'us and them' mentality rather than a 'we' philosophy and typically focuses on individuals rather than the system. Management looks at the whole system, including processes and procedures when considering accident causes. They admit that management must take some of the blame. Blame is not an issue. Management accepts it could be responsible when assessing what they personally could have done to remove the root causes. They take a broad view looking at the interaction of systems and people. 18 / 18 How do safety meetings feel? Meetings, if any, are seen as a waste of time. They are perceived as of going through the motions. Conversation often turns to sport. Meetings are attended reluctantly. They provide opportunities to point the finger of blame for incidents, and form a standard response to an accident. Toolbox meetings may be dominated by non-work issues. Meetings are like textbook discussions about company policy with limited interaction. The regular scheduled meetings feel like overkill. Toolbox meetings are run on a strict agenda. Meetings feel like a genuine forum for interaction across the company. At lower levels all meetings are safety meetings and are used to identify problems before they occur. Meetings can be called by any employee, taking place in a relaxed atmosphere, and may be run by employees with managers attending by invitation. Toolbox meetings are short and focused on ensuring everyone is aware of what problems might arise. 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Types Of Safety Culture Quiz
Your work place safety is very important, there are even organizations that ensure that safety regulations are upheld. How does your company fair?
The way that your management implements these regulations can cultivate a certain kind of work culture. There are three stages of a work culture. We will go into the stages and what to do to improve in the result section.
Finding out where you are in the three stages of a culture is the first step in altering the culture in your organization. To gain an accurate assessment of where you stand in your safety culture, you need to answer those questions honestly. After you've answered the questions at the bottom of the last question, you'll be able to see your culture stage and which particular behaviors you need to modify to go closer to an interdependent safety culture.
1 / 18
How does your company balance between HSE and profitability?
2 / 18
Is management interested in communicating HSE issues with the workforce?
3 / 18
What is the purpose of your company's safety procedures?
4 / 18
How does your company react to incidents/accidents, investigations, and analysis?
5 / 18
Who checks safety on a day to day basis?
6 / 18
How do the company/employees view training? Are workers interested?
7 / 18
What are the rewards of good safety performance?
8 / 18
How are the benchmarks of injuries, safety procedures, financial, or production goals visible to both the employee and the consumer?
9 / 18
What happens after an accident? Is the feedback loop closed or open?
10 / 18
What is the commitment level of the workforce and level of care for colleagues?
11 / 18
What are some of the techniques your company used for work-site job safety?
12 / 18
How does your company plan for Health Safety Environment and what does the plan focus on?
13 / 18
What is the relationship between management and HSE department?
14 / 18
What is the reporting system your company operates with when dealing with hazard and unsafe reports.
15 / 18
How are the contractors/employees in your company managed and how do they implement HSE?
16 / 18
How does your company react to surprise or upcoming Audit/Review?
17 / 18
Who causes accidents in the eyes of management?
18 / 18
How do safety meetings feel?
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