In a recent SNIPS article, we discussed improving a safety program and how establishing a safety culture is a good start. So, let’s dive deeper into safety culture by starting with “What is a culture?” There are many ways to describe or define a “culture,” but it usually includes the morals and core values that the company believes in and follows on a daily basis, often reflected in a mission statement. By their nature, the topics of safety and health are perfect to form a culture since everyone agrees that protecting workers should be a primary goal of a company.
The old way of implementing safety and health on the job was through a safety compliance program. This often included a huge binder of written policies and procedures that sat on the shelf for supervisors to reference when needed and training was basically accomplished through regular toolbox talks. More recently, the focus has evolved into a safety culture with company-wide involvement, often based on continuous improvement and a significant training process.