The Power of Safety Climate: A Key Driver of Organizational Safety

Safety climate, often referred to as the “pulse” of an organization’s safety culture, plays a vital role in shaping employee attitudes, behaviors, and ultimately, safety performance. It’s a complex interplay of shared perceptions, values, and beliefs about safety within an organization. By understanding and actively managing safety climate, organizations can significantly reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

Safety climate is a crucial component of a safety management system (SMS) and evaluating safety performance because it reflects the collective attitudes, perceptions, and values that employees and management have towards safety within an organization (Zohar, 2010).

To assess safety climate, organizations often utilize standardized tools such as the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50). This widely-used questionnaire provides valuable insights into various aspects of safety culture, including management commitment, safety procedures, and employee involvement. By regularly administering the NOSACQ-50, organizations can identify areas of strength and weakness, track progress over time, and implement targeted interventions to improve safety performance.

Top 6 Reasons Why You Need a Safety Culture Assessment

Do you employees have trust in your safety systems? Do they feel safe on the job site? Strong safety cultures are fostered from the top down and it’s crucial for management to ensure workers feel safe and incidents are proactively prevented. According to NOSACQ-50’s latest data, on average workers

1.Indicator of Safety Culture: A Window into Organizational Health

Safety climate provides insights into the overall safety culture of an organization. A positive safety climate indicates that employees and management prioritize and value safety, which often translates into safer behaviors and practices (Guldenmund, 2000).

2. Influence on Employee Behavior: Shaping Actions and Attitudes

Employees are more likely to engage in safe work practices if they perceive that safety is a priority for their organization. A strong emphasis on safety encourages workers to adhere to procedures, report hazards, and take proactive steps to maintain a safe work environment (Hofmann & Stetzer, 1996).

3. Predictor of Safety Outcomes: Foreseeing and Preventing Incidents

Research indicates that a positive safety climate is associated with reduced incidents, accidents, and injuries. Evaluating the safety climate can provide early warning signs about potential safety issues, allowing organizations to take corrective action before incidents occur (Clarke, 2006).

4. Engagement and Commitment: Strong Safety Climate Fosters a Proactive Safety Mindset

A good safety environment fosters employee engagement and commitment to safety goals. When workers feel that their well-being is valued, they are more likely to be motivated and proactive in identifying and mitigating risks (Neal & Griffin, 2006).

5. Evaluation and Continuous Improvement: Data-Driven Safety Decisions

Measuring safety climate as part of an SMS provides data that organizations can use to evaluate the effectiveness of their safety policies, programs, and procedures. This evaluation helps identify areas for improvement and guides decision-making in developing targeted interventions (Zohar & Luria, 2005).

6. Communication and Trust: Building the Foundation of Safety Through Safety Climate

Safety climate assessments often highlight the level of trust and communication between management and employees regarding safety issues. Trust is critical for a successful SMS because it ensures that employees feel comfortable reporting hazards and sharing safety concerns without fear of retaliation (Flin et al., 2000).

In summary, a strong and positive safety climate supports the implementation and effectiveness of an SMS and serves as a reliable measure for evaluating safety performance. It ensures that safety principles are integrated into the organizational culture and behaviors, leading to better safety outcomes (Zohar, 2010).

Contact us to learn how to measure the safety climate of your teams.

About the Author:

Josh Ortega

Vice President, Safety, Sustainability, and Procurement

Josh formerly served as the Chairman of SafelandUSA and an Executive board member for the National STEPS Network. Before joining Veriforce as Vice President of SSP, Josh was with BHP for 18 years. During his time with BHP, Josh worked in operations, human resources, health, safety, environment, and community, primarily focused on contractor management. Josh’s extensive experience in oil and gas production, drilling, completions, well interventions, and construction across the United States provides a robust platform to help industry partners enhance safety and bring workers home safe.

Sources:

Clarke, S. (2006). The relationship between safety climate and safety performance: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11(4), 315-327. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.11.4.315

Flin, R., Mearns, K., O’Connor, P., & Bryden, R. (2000). Measuring safety climate: Identifying the common features. Safety Science, 34(1-3), 177-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00012-6

Guldenmund, F. W. (2000). The nature of safety culture: A review of theory and research. Safety Science, 34(1-3), 215-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-7535(00)00014-X

Hofmann, D. A., & Stetzer, A. (1996). A cross-level investigation of factors influencing unsafe behaviors and accidents. Personnel Psychology, 49(2), 307-339. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1996.tb01802.x

Neal, A., & Griffin, M. A. (2006). A study of the lagged relationships among safety climate, safety motivation, safety behavior, and accidents at the individual and group levels. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(4), 946-953. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.946

Zohar, D. (2010). Thirty years of safety climate research: Reflections and future directions. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(5), 1517-1522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2009.12.019

Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 616-628. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.4.616