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WHEN NO ONES WATCHING UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF SAFETY CULTURE

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GROUND RULES Dont Take Copious Notes Ask Frequent Questions Feel Free to Stop By our Booth if you have Questions or want more info We are likely not to be able to get through all of the content! 3

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WHAT EVENT LEAD TO THE TERM SAFETY CULTURE 4 1. Challenger Disaster 2. Bhopal India Union Carbide 3. Chernobyl 4. Titanic 5. 3-Mile Island

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WHAT DOES THE TERM SAFETY CULTURE ACTUALLY MEAN??? 5 1. I dont know 2. What my people do 3. The way my organization acts 4. Nothing, its not a valid concept 5. Shared beliefs about safety

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WHAT IS SAFETY CULTURE? A constituent of Workplace Culture The key component to determining if a workplace safety process is successful or not (Erickson 1994, Petersen 2001, Krause, 2006 etc) An idea that is not difficult to understand, but is difficult to define A LEADING INDICATOR 6

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WHAT IS A LEADING INDICATOR 7 1. A process-oriented metric that predicts success or failure 2. A validated measure that has value by not relying on outcomes 3. A metric that can be used to evaluate a process before outcomes occur

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THE TERM SAFETY CULTURE Used over and over and over (53,000,00 Google Hits September 23, 2012) Not well understood by many in the field of safety How do you know if you have a safety culture or not? Generally used to describe an overall sense of they way it feels like employees, supervisors, and managers engage in safety 8

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A KEY COMPONENT OF WORKPLACE CULTURE? Some authorities completely discount the concept of safety culture Others view it as a component of overall workplace culture Many Safety Professionals view it as a distinct entity in and of itself Some advocate that it is a leading indicator and others state it is lagging 9

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OUR DESCRIPTION OF SAFETY CULTURE A CRITICAL PART OF THE OVERALL CULTURAL FRAMEWORK OF AN ORGANIZATION The way we do things around here What employees do when no one is watching The beliefs, actions, behaviors, values, and traditions of safety activities for a company tied together with a historical context 10

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COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF SAFETY CULTURE Only set by the management Safety processes such as employee engagement initiatives or Behavior Based Safety will immediately improve the culture Culture cant be controlled or changed, it just is 11

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WHERE DOES SAFETY CULTURE REALLY COME FROM? The Larger Organizational Culture The Founder Effect! Regional and Societal Norms Industry Specific Values and Traditions Environmental or Objective Driven Culture Management Influence (management often rose through the ranks and was selected because they conform to the culture) 12

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HOW TO CHANGE/IMPROVE AN EXISTING SAFETY CULTURE 13

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LETS TALK ABOUT EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION What are the two primary motivators for employees to work safely??? If you want to get different results change the fundamental motivation.

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IF YOU WANT DIFFERENT RESULTS DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT Transition from a culture of blame to one of accomplishment Move from Fault-Finding to Fact-Finding Create a fully Engaging Culture 15

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HOW IS SAFETY CULTURE USUALLY EVALUATED? Safety Surveys Safety Cultural Interviews Behavioral and Situational Observation Each of these evaluates a slightly different manifestation of safety culture (perception, beliefs, and actions) 16

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HAS YOUR CURRENT COMPANY USED A PERCEPTION SURVEY? 17 1. Yes Both Safety and Engagement 2. Yes Just Engagement 3. Yes Just Safety 4. No None at All

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Allows for Anonymous Involvement of Employees Automatically Becomes Empirical Not Difficult to Administer Typical Participation can be as High as 90% According to the Petersen Study (2001) is the indicator that is directly linked with outcome performance 18 USING A PERCEPTION SURVEY

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A SURVEY CAN ACCOMPLISH Quantified Culture Evaluation Allows an Organization to 1. Determine Gaps in Perception Between Management and Employees 2. Establish A Baseline to Measure the Results of Safety Initiatives Against 3. Demonstrates Concern for Employees 4. Can Benchmark with Other Organizations 5. Provides information on a number of Demographics 19

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN RESULTS Internal comparisons External comparisons Strengths or weaknesses in SMS Gaps in perceptions based on: Employee Tenure Employee Grade Locations 20

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WHAT HAVE WE FOUND WITH REGARDS TO SAFETY CULTURE FROM OUR CARES SURVEY

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YOUR SAFETY TRAINING IS EFFECTIVE. (4.23) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE ENGAGED IN SAFETY. (4.13) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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MANAGEMENT TAKES OWNERSHIP FOR SAFETY. (4.08) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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EMPLOYEES RECEIVE SUFFICIENT FEEDBACK AND COACHING FOR THEIR SAFETY ACTIVITIES. (4.07) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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SUPERVISORS TAKE OWNERSHIP FOR SAFETY AND MODEL SAFE BEHAVIOR. (3.91) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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YOUR COMPANY IS ETHICAL AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCEMENT. (3.83) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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PRODUCTION DEMANDS ARE NOT VALUED MORE THAN SAFETY. (3.73) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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EMPLOYEES ARE COMFORTABLE REPORTING ACCIDENTS, INJURIES, AND NEAR MISSES. (3.65) 1. Strongly Disagree 2. Somewhat Disagree 3. Neither Agree or Disagree 4. Somewhat Agree 5. Strongly Agree

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WHAT ARE WE SEEING WITH COMPANIES THAT HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN ONE CARES SURVEY When conducted in Conjunction with BBS or other Safety Culture Improvement Initiatives 1) The Safety Culture Score Improves from 10% - 15% 2) Injuries Decline 35% - 65% 3) Production and Profitability is not Impacted

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OTHER TRENDS/COMMONALITIES Business Acquisitions/Divestitures Management Support for Safety Appears to have Paramount Importance Organizations with the strongest Safety Cultures tend to Be smaller organizations Perceived to have strong Safety Departments Consistently Rank Production VS Safety as the lowest category

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OTHER CARES SURVEY RESULTS Safety Culture Norms Based on Tenure not as Divergent as other Demographics Gaps Based on Employee Class can be Significant or Flat Gaps Based on Locations and Departments are Typically very Large 33

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WHY CONDUCT INTERVIEWS? To Gain Additional Knowledge About the Safety Culture To Obtain Specific Information To Validate the Results of Specific Initiatives To Provide Relevant Location Information 34

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WHY OBSERVE BEHAVIORS? To Validate the Results from Surveys and Interviews To Obtain the REST-OF-THE-STORY To Accumulate Any Other Relevant Information 35

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WHAT ARE SOME INDICATORS OF A STRONG SAFETY CULTURE? Management that Consistently Sets the Example An Organization that is Willing to Ask and Answer Hard Questions An Empowered Workforce that is Able to Make Meaningful Contributions to the Safety Process 36

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STRONG CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS CONTINUED High-Functioning Safety Committees Well Written Safety Mission and Values Statements A Professional Safety Department Not JUST Starting Organizational Meetings with Safety 37

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STRONG CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS CONTINUED A Process of Self Auditing, Risk Assessment, or Formalized Hazard Identification Presence of a Plan for Mergers, Acquisitions, and Sale of Business Units Linkage of Safety to all Levels of the Business 38

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WEAK CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS Using only lagging indicators to measure performance These measure failure rates They manage safety by looking at what has happened not what will happen May encourage injury hiding Recordability or Severity is influenced by many factors AFTER the even 39

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WEAK CHARACTERISTICS CONT Poor Incentive Programs A vigilant focus on the outcomes not the process Too much safety training Accident Investigations that result in causal factors like wasnt paying attention, needs to be more careful 40

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WEAK CHARACTERISTICS CONT Use of Punishment in Accountability Standards Punishment does not reinforce anything Punishment becomes part of a repeating cycle Has the use of punishment ever inspired anyone? 41

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ACCOUNTABILITY VS PUNISHMENT Punishment can become an organizational value Punishment is needed under certain circumstances however, it will only generate malicious compliance (at best) Balance is KEY!

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A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES THAT GOVERNMENT IS BEGINNING TO GET IT OSHA Letter of Interpretation FAA Rules for Air Traffic Controllers 43

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WHAT ABOUT CULTURE VERSUS CLIMATE? Safety Climate and Safety Culture are often used as one in the same concept, but there are significant differences Culture is the underlying belief system that drives innate actions. Culture is generally a company concept (but not always) Climate is a specific measure in time that describes how things are at a location or other sub-unit level. 44

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TO CREATE AN OPTIMAL CONDITION AFTER CULTURE HAS BEEN EVALUATED Begin to Approach Safety With Integrity! 46

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INTEGRITY Integrity is defined as always being true to your core values Doing the right thing when no one is watching Demonstrating a repeatable and predictable pattern of always engaging in actions that are ethical, moral, and always contribute to the betterment of society

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SAFETY Safety represents the preservation of life, health, and well- being. It is the fundamental condition of being protected against physical, financial, occupational, educational or other types of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which is not desirable. When done the right way, Safety must inherently have Integrity

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SOME CLASSIC EXAMPLES OF WORDS LACKING INTEGRITY Elliott Spitzer Tiger Woods Pete Rose Bill Clinton Mark Sanford Richard Nixon Others?

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CONSIDER THESE WORDS Safety is our Most Important Value Be mindful of risk all the time Always be careful Be aware of your surrounds at all times Expect the Unexpected If it can go wrong it will?

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WHAT WORDS ARE IMPORTANT Safety Vision and Mission Statement Well-Designed Written Programs Written Management Commitments Appreciative Feedback Education and Direction

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KNOWING YOUR COMPANYS SAFETY CULTURE Culture influences everything that an organization undertakes as an initiative Culture is the most important Leading Indicator and an Upstream Metric with predictive value Culture can Change Given Directed Efforts Organizational Behavior influences culture and vice-versa 53

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WHAT OCCURS WHEN THE SAFETY CULTURE IS STRENGTHENED? Morale Improves Productivity goes up Employee Engagement Improves Dramatically Safety Results are Greatly Enhanced A System of Continuous Improvement is Established 54

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THE PINNACLE OF WORKPLACE SAFETY! Senior leadership provides a concrete vision of ethical safety that is demonstrated by the alignment of organizational actions within this vision Continuous improvement is measured using leading indicators Full and complete employee engagement is attained and demonstrated as employees take personal ownership for their own safety and the safety of their co-workers All elements of the Safety Management System (SMS) are fully integrated Strategies for controlling risk are customized to the environment where they are employed

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For Further Information Feel free to contact me at Chris.goulart@rci-safety.com (586) 764-2126 56