What is Health and Safety Culture? | Positive | Negative |
The term Health and Safety culture refers to the beliefs (What Employees think about) , amount of value (Employees importance to) and the attitude (Employees behaviour)of organisation and it's employees (Management) related to health and safety. It is the responsibility of every employee in any organisation to priorities safety on all else to create a environment where everybody can feel safe. In this blog, we will discuss about health and safety culture of any organisation, it's positive and negative characteristics and it's importance in the workplace. so lets get into it!
What is meant by health and safety culture of any organisation?
Health and Safety culture is a very important term in overall HSE field. it's very difficult to promote a positive health and safety culture at any workplace (Organisation) because it's not just meant by compliance of safety regulations and checking safety checklists, but it is a deep psychological view that shows that how organisation looks and performs in health and safety matters.
Definition of Health and Safety Culture:
The health and safety culture of any organisation could be defined as the shared attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviour of its employees related to health and safety.
It can also be defined as: "The way we do works in workplace"
How to assess Health and Safety Culture? (Whether it it positive of Negative)
Health and Safety culture of an organisation could be assessed by checking past accident records, sickness rate, absenteeism, staff turnover rate, compliance with health and safety rules, workers feedback about working condition.
There are two types of health and safety culture.
- Positive Health and Safety Culture.
- Negative Health and Safety Culture.
Lets discuss each one by one:
What is Positive Health and Safety Culture?
Positive Health and Safety culture is an environment where
Health and Safety is prioritised every other objective.
Involvement of workforce is encouraged.
Open Communication is implemented.
Workers feedback is respected.
Continuous improvement is prioritised.
Management prefers learning from incidents.
Proactive approach of risk management is encouraged.
Management is committed to health and safety.
Safety is a shared responsibility among each and every employee.
Safe behaviours are appreciated.
Hazards are reported properly and formally.
Employees has the robust of reporting unsafe conditions.
Health and Safety performance is monitored and measured regularly.
Adequate training is provided to the overall workforce.
Adequate resources are provided for safety jobs.
Read (Indicators of Positive Health and Safety Culture):
If any organisation contains all above mentioned characteristics then it is said to be positive health and safety culture.
What is negative Health and Safety Culture?
Negative Health and Safety Culture is a working environment where:
Health and Safety related concerns are ignored.
Other objectives (Production) is prioritised on Health and Safety.
Has no transparency and accountability.
Culture of fear and blame is promoted.
Reporting of hazards is discouraged.
Reporting Incident is discouraged.
No clear policy.
Training is not provided.
Inadequate procedures.
No provision of resources.
Unsafe behaviours are high.
Management is not committed to Health and Safety.
Read (Indicators of poor management commitment to health and safety)
Incidents are not investigated.
Management do not learn from Near-misses.
No visible leadership.
Read (Indicators of negative health and safety culture)
If any organisation contain above mentioned lags, then negative health and safety culture is promoted in this organisation.
Also Read (How Health and Safety culture can be improved in an organised?)
Importance of Health and Safety Culture in a workplace:
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As health and safety impose's a heavy impact on the well-being of employees and success of organisation. Therefore, Health and Safety Culture is most important thing for any organisation. Positive health and safety culture leads to many organisational benefits such as reduced accidents rate, increased productivity etc. On the Other hand, Negative health and Safety culture leads to many organisational risks such as increase fearful environment decrease morale of employees, increase in accidents etc.
Negative health and safety culture can also lead to many regulatory issues such as fines, penalties, court costs and company might be sealed.
Therefore, Promoting a positive health and safety culture is important for organisations to ensure the well-being of their employees, maintain a positive reputation, and achieve long-term success in the era of competition.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, health and safety culture is a critical component of any organisation's success and employee well-being. A positive health and safety culture, characterised by shared values, open communication, and continuous improvement, is essential for creating a safe and healthy work environment. On the other hand, a negative health and safety culture, marked by complacency, fear, and neglect, can have devastating consequences, including increased risk of accidents, decreased employee engagement, and damage to reputation. By understanding the importance of health and safety culture and actively promoting a positive culture, organisations can reduce accidents, increase productivity, and achieve long-term success. It is crucial for organisations to assess their health and safety culture regularly and work towards creating a positive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and safe. By doing so, organisations can create a culture of care, accountability, and continuous improvement, leading to a better future for all.
[Declaimer/Note: You can use this knowledge of Indicators of poor management commitment in your NEBOSH IGC exam, but make sure that you apply this knowledge in your scenario. Do not just copy and paste in your exam.]
Hope this blog finds you well.
Thanks for visiting HSEWALA.
Regards: Rehan Waseem
