34.54 Culture

34.54.2 Identify the elements in a safety culture.

A strong safety culture exists when everyone in an organisation accepts responsibility for maintaining and improving safety.

The main elements are:

Informed culture

People understand the hazards and risks associated with their operation.

Relevant safety information is collected, analysed and made available to those who need it.

Reporting culture

People are encouraged to report:

• hazards;

• errors;

• incidents;

• near misses; and

• other safety concerns.

Reporting allows problems to be identified before they contribute to an accident.

Just culture

People are treated fairly when errors occur.

Genuine mistakes are distinguished from deliberate violations, reckless behaviour or intentional disregard of procedures.

A just culture encourages reporting without removing personal accountability.

Learning culture

The organisation learns from:

• accidents and incidents;

• reported hazards;