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Actionable Behaviors
Create and Sustain a Culture of Safety
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Proverb
BY JUDY AGNEW
It is widely agreed that a key to improving
wsafety is to create a “culture of safety.” But
reate one?
The first step for any organization is to
define culture in a way that enables and directs
action. Most definitions of culture are
values-based, and, while this is an excellent
starting point, such definitions do not make
clear how to make it happen.
A behavioral definition of culture, on the
other hand, is actionable: Patterns of behavior
(what we say and do), encouraged
or discouraged, inadvertently or intentionally,
by people or systems over time.
To explain this further and to understand
what is needed at each level in an
organization; let’s take a closer look at
each component.
Patterns of behavior (what we say and
do): Culture is expressed through behavior.
c hat is a culture of safety and how do you
As noted above, organizations typically describe
the desired safety culture in terms of
values. Values are the foundation, but the
culture, as it exists today, is expressed
through what is said and done. Having
good safety values is only helpful if they
translate into desired behavior.
Encouraged or discouraged: Since culture
is expressed through patterns of behavior,
and behavior is influenced by
consequences, it follows that those patterns
of behavior are influenced by consequences.
Good patterns of behavior (those
consistent with safety values) can be encouraged
or discouraged (reinforced or punished).
Poor patterns of behavior (those
inconsistent with safety values) can also be
encouraged or discouraged. Culture must
be carefully and purposefully cultivated.
Inadvertently or intentionally: Because
there are so many different consequences
operating within organizations, quite frequently
the wrong behaviors are inadvertently
(accidentally) reinforced. For
example, the supervisory behavior of focusing
on production at the expense of
safety gets reinforced when managers praise
the achievement of production goals.
Alternatively, the right behaviors often
get punished (discouraged). For example,
an overly cumbersome reporting
system inadvertently discourages nearmiss
reporting.
By people or systems over time: Behavior
is encouraged and discouraged by people
(executives, management, peers,
customers, etc.) and systems (pay, promotion,
measurement systems, reporting procedures,
communication, etc.). Creating an
exemplary safety culture requires evaluating
all possible sources of behavioral consequences
and ensuring that those conse32
FSM | April 2013
www.fsmresponse.com
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