)Culture change
Although improving safety culture is an exciting process, it does take a long time. There are no short cuts or ‘quick fixes’. And we’ve learnt from experience that there is no standard programme which can be applied to each and every case. So our safety culture programmes are always tailored to suit individual needs.
Principles for culture change
The seven principles formulated by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment are D&F’s guiding principle during culture change procedures. However, the organisation’s own ambitions are a crucial factor in achieving the desired changes.
- What does the organisation want to achieve?
- Is the raising of safety awareness your own line of approach?
- Is it important to make specific changes in behaviour?
- Or do you have higher ambitions and does your vision include culture change?
The Ministry’s seven principles
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment has formulated seven principles for successful safety culture change. These principles are management commitment, raising safety awareness at all levels, communication, a structured approach and a clear objective, employee commitment, clear expectations and attention for leadership.
Assisting you during the culture change process
D&F has learnt from experience that one condition for success is that the management sets targets and specific rules of conduct beforehand. This should be used as a basis for starting up a culture change procedure. D&F’s steps to achieve change in this respect are described in detail in the book “Brainsafe”®.
Model programme for culture change
D&F can help you implement a practical tailor-made programme to enhance safety culture at your company. Here’s a model programme for culture change:
- Awareness: baseline measurement of safety culture using the Safety Climate Barometer. What’s the set-up with respect to your present safety culture, and what could be improved? Click here for more information on the Safety Climate Barometer.
- Preparing for changes: formulating a clear vision, a strategy and specific rules of conduct during one or more workshops.
- Implementing changes: drawing up a programme for change together with you, containing e.g. quarterly issues, team sessions and behaviour observation.
- Enshrining changes: implementing formal and informal rules of conduct in the safety management system.
- Achieving greater depth: we continually assess progress using audits, accident analysis and the annual Safety Climate Barometer. The programme can be adjusted on the basis of the results.
Information on culture change
The article ‘Working towards improving safety culture’ gives the steps taken for implementing culture change at the Umicore technology group at Eijsden, where D&F carried out a culture improvement project. Read this article to see how our step-by-step approach works in practice.
Click here to read ‘Working towards improving safety culture’. (only available in Dutch)
D&F has built up a team of specialists during the past seven years, who will be happy to discuss the safety culture at your company with you, free of obligation. Contact us now to make an appointment: