Organizational Culture and Safety Culture: Are they one and the same?

August 2009

Presenter: Michael Gaden, TRU Waste Processing Center - Oak Ridge
Track 1-2

Topic Covered:

An organization’s culture has attributes that support good safety attributes, or it doesn’t.
 

Examples: 
 

• If good safety practices require information flow both up and down the chain of command –  and if flow up is not a cultural norm in all aspects of the organization – upward information flow won’t exist in the safety aspect for very long.
• If employee involvement in planning is not a norm for the organizational culture – employee involvement in safety planning won’t last long.
• If employee responsibility for employee actions is not a norm in the organizational culture – then employee responsibility for safety won’t last long.
• If clear and agreed-upon expectations for performance are not a norm for the organization –  clear and agreed-upon expectations for safety performance won’t be a lasting norm, either.