Every business has a legal obligation to ensure the health and safety of their workforce at all times and one of the best ways to go about this is to develop a safety culture that runs inherently throughout all levels of the organisation, from the very top to the very bottom.

Of course, this can be difficult to achieve, particularly for those organisations that have been in business for a long time and are set in their ways, as it means involving every person in the company, ensuring that everyone knows what their individual responsibilities are… and adheres to them at all times.

What is a health and safety culture?

A culture of health and safety is that which covers everything from the beliefs and attitudes to the values and perceptions of everyone in the organisation regarding safety. It encompasses why accidents happen and what causes them, as well as what kind of organisational culture can be developed that will stop them from taking place.

Your safety culture will have a big impact on members of staff and how seriously they take it, and it can be beneficial to know just where you need to improve in order to cement the appropriate culture level.

The five-rung Hudson ladder – developed by professor Patrick Hudson, a leading authority on the human factor in safety management – demonstrates how safety culture can evolve. From worst to best, the levels are:

– Pathological

– Reactive

– Calculative

– Proactive

– Generative

Within this, a robust safety culture has strong leadership, with everyone knowing where those in charge stand on risk management. 

Further, respect is a true cornerstone of the business, with experts listened to (regardless of where they stand in the hierarchy), managers know what’s happening and staff members feel safe to report incidents, errors and near-misses.

Mindfulness is also a top priority, with everyone alert and prepared for the unexpected, as well as being very clear about what’s acceptable and unacceptable, with consequences well understood and agreed upon by the entire organisation.

Finally, education is paramount in a safety culture, with the organisation willing to adapt and evolve based on incidents and the lessons learned as a result, even if heads have to roll and significant amounts of money spent.

Health & safety qualifications

There are various certificates and qualifications you can take that will help you improve health and safety standards across your organisation.

The IOSH Safety for Executives and Directors certificate

This one-day course has been designed to support directors and corporate policymakers in relation to essential health and safety issues that affect all organisations across all sectors and industries, enabling them to contribute to policy review, strategies and, where necessary, introduce changes to make operations safer.

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Health and Safety Leadership Excellence

This one-day course has been designed for senior business leaders or those aspiring to senior leadership positions, helping them to understand the reason for health and safety leadership on an organisational level, as well as the benefits this can bring for their wider organisations.

If you’d like to build your health and safety knowledge further, our NEBOSH General Certificate course is a great place to start. It’s designed for anyone looking to develop practical skills and gain a respected qualification in workplace safety. To find out more, get in touch with the ACT team today.