Factors Affecting H&S Culture & Climate

Question 1

List some of the methods used to promote a positive H&S culture or climate

Answer 1

Management Commitment & Leadership

High Business Profile to H&S
Including safety in business documents and meetings, Newsletters, minutes of meetings, notices, advertisements and brochures.

Provision of Information
Posters, Leaflets, Staff Newsletters etc.

Involvement & Consultation
Risk Assessments, Workplace Inspections, Accident Investigations and Safety Committee Meetings

Training

Promotion of Ownership

Setting & Meeting Targets

Question 2

List the factors that may promote a negative H&S culture and climate?

Answer 2

Organisational Change
Merger, Relocation, Redundancies, Downsizing, External Pressures over which the organisation has no power

Lack of Confidence in Organisations Objectives and Methods
Improvements made after accidents, Double standards, Unsafe practices ignored, Permit to work systems not being operated as they should be and changes being made to safety rules during operation.

Uncertainty

Management Decisions that Prejudice Mutual Trust or Lead to Confusion Regarding Commitment
No rules or precedents, employees wearing PPE whilst visitors and managers don’t, refusal to delegate decision making, constant rescinding by management of decisions made at lower levels, delays in making decisions, decisions affected by conflicting goals between management and worker, decisions affected by conflicting goals between different departments and a lack of consultation prior to decision-making.

Question 3

List the three factors that should be considered when managing a change in culture

Answer 3

Dissatisfaction with the existing system

A vision of the new safety culture

Understanding how to achieve it

Question 4

List the problems associated with change in an organisation?

Answer 4

Changing culture too quickly

Adopting too bread an approach

Absence of trust in communications

Resistance to change