If You Think You Have a Safety Culture – You Probably Do Not!

At a recent workshop hosted by the Department of Transportation, Vice Chairman Robert Sumwalt, of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), challenged all participants to promote a safety culture within their organizations. Drawing on his extensive professional experience and academic scholarship, Sumwalt delivered an inspiring presentation, reminding us that technological innovation and improved oversight cannot alone deliver optimum safety outcomes. He focused on NTSB investigations of serious hazmat incidents attributable to a lack of procedures or training of employees involved in safety sensitive activities. He stressed that a safety culture starts at the top, with leaders who embrace, promote, and communicate safety values at all levels in the organization, creating an environment in which employees do the right thing, “even when no one is watching.” He challenged managers to assess their own safety culture, asserting that those who think they have a safety culture probably do not. Finally, Sumwalt closed by saying that a safety culture is more about the process than the product. It depends on the integrity and core values of leadership and how those values are communicated and enforced by the organization.