Safety culture assessment
The project will be implemented in three stages, covering all three areas of safety culture: the situational aspect (how the organization operates), the behavioral aspect (how employees behave), and the psychological aspect (their level of safety awareness).
STAGE 1: Central Audit – Documentation Review
Objective: To analyze practices and procedures based on ISO 45001:2018, assess performance results, and collect data for the subsequent stages of the audit.
In the first stage, a detailed analysis of existing safety-related documents and procedures will be carried out (desk-based data analysis).
As part of this stage, the analysis will cover elements such as:
- applicable occupational health and safety (OHS) procedures,
- safety-related projects and communication,
- OHS performance indicators,
- the method of setting and monitoring OHS objectives,
- accidents,
- near-miss incidents and similar events.
STAGE 2: Safety Climate Surveys
Objective: A qualitative survey aimed at assessing employees’ safety awareness and gathering their opinions on their attitude toward safety, understanding of OHS rules, challenges in complying with these rules, and the level of support provided by management and the OHS department in their daily work.
The survey will be developed based on established theories, such as:
- Bradley’s Curve,
- selected requirements of the ISO 45001 standard,
- meta-analyses of safety climate studies by Alrudgi et al., 2018, which we consider the most effective tools for assessing an organization’s safety culture.
Before rolling out the survey organization-wide, two pilot sessions (focus groups) are planned. The purpose of these sessions is to calibrate the survey questions, ensure they are clear and understandable for employees, and confirm that the tool is appropriate. Any necessary adjustments will be made based on the outcomes of these sessions. The survey will then be conducted across the entire employee population at all locations in the form of electronic questionnaires.
STAGE 3: Behavioral Audits
Objective: To assess the actual situation in relation to the declarations (Stage 1) and to deepen the qualitative insights from the safety climate survey (Stage 2).
In the third stage of the project, observational audits/visits are planned, based on the statistically processed results of the safety climate survey (Stage 2) and the findings from the Central Audit (Stage 1). During these visits, discussions will be held in specific areas requiring further analysis, and employees’ declarations will be compared with actual work practices within the organization.
Areas of assessment
Using the tools described earlier (surveys, interviews, and documentation), the following areas will be examined during the project:
- Shaping of attitudes by top management
- Operational standards – rules, procedures, instructions, and training
- Establishing and implementing objectives that promote a safety culture
- Shaping the work environment by operational managers
- Individual employee accountability
- Support provided by the OHS personnel
- Organizational process maturity
- Development of self-motivation for safety
- Proactive actions in workplace improvement
- Building relationships – vertical and horizontal
- Collaboration with subcontractors
Bradley’s Curve model
Bradley’s Curve is a model describing the evolution of an organization’s safety culture over time. It outlines four stages of development.
In the context of the study: Questions may address employees’ attitudes toward safety, their sense of responsibility, adherence to procedures, safety-related initiatives, and responses to potential hazards. The study can help determine, from the employees’ perspective, at which stage of Bradley’s Curve the organization currently stands.
ISO 45001 standard
ISO 45001 is an international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. It specifies requirements for organizations aiming to create a safe and healthy work environment, prevent work-related injuries and illnesses, and continually improve their OHS performance.
In the context of the study: Questions may be based on the key requirements of the standard.
Alruqi et all 2018
The 2018 meta-analysis by Alrudgi and colleagues systematically reviews and synthesizes the results of multiple safety climate studies. This approach allows for the identification of key dimensions and factors that consistently show a relationship with safety performance across different organizations.
In the context of the study: Based on the results of this meta-analysis, the most important aspects of the safety climate can be identified and incorporated into the survey.
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