Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
throughout. the. place. of. employment. is. the. outward. manifestation. of. the. culture..
If the.safety.culture.is.not.a.positive.one,.then.all.the.other.communication.attempts.
are.only.“window.dressing.”
Safety.culture.is.best.described.using.an.example.of.a.worker.wearing.his.or.her.
protective.safety.eyewear.without.being.told.to.do.so..This.behavior.is.an.example.of.
the.worker's.attitude.regarding.the.wearing.of.personal.protective.equipment..This.
is.an.outward.act.that.demonstrates.the.value.held.by.the.organization.related.to.the.
true.value.the.company.places.on.safety.and.health.
Thus,. the. value. the. organization. places. on. safety. and. health. is. demonstrated. by.
the.attitudes.that.not.only.the.workers.have,.but.also.the.attitudes.that.supervisors.and.
managers.hold.related.to.safety.and.health.issues..It.is.even.more.revealing.of.a.positive.
safety.and.health.culture.when.supervisors.and.managers.in.the.same.work.environ-
ment.are.seen.to.be.wearing.protective.eyewear..The.behavior.of.management.indicates.
that.they.do.not.view.themselves.above.the.values.espoused.by.the.company.
However,. most. of. the. time,. safety. culture. is. not. so. clear-cut.. For. example,. one.
company.that.was.surveyed.espoused.the.values.of.accident.prevention.outwardly..
Management. seemed. to. support. all. that. was. right. in. protecting. the. workforce..
Actually,.the.real.value.held.by.workers.especially.and.management.by.acceptance.
was.that.getting.injured.was.just.part.of.doing.the.job..Getting.injured.was.acceptable.
and.expected.by.those.performing.the.work..Although.the.company.voiced.a.posi-
tive.safety.and.health.message,.the.reality.was.that.the.consensus.in.that.workplace.
was.that.injury.is.just.an.acceptable.part.of.doing.business..This.is.an.example.of.a.
communicated.message.that.was.truly.not.representative.of.the.actual.safety.culture.
of.the.organization.
The.workplace.culture.is.not.something.that.can.be.categorized.into.certain.spe-
ciic.types.of.culture..Culture.is.what.everyone.in.the.workplace.believes.about.the.
company,.themselves,.and.safety..These.opinions,.assumptions,.values,.perceptions,.
stereotypes,.rituals,.leadership,.and.stories.all.mesh.together.to.form.the.culture.that.
translates.into.policies,.procedures,.and.accident/incidents..There.are.many.factors.
invisible.from.the.surface,.the.taboos,.assumptions,.and.norms.that.are.never.written.
down..These.are.the.true.forces.behind.outward.safety.behavior.that.relect.the.real.
value.of.safety.within.the.organization..No.one.espouses.these.deeply.buried.parts.of.
the.culture,.but.everyone.knows.what.they.are.
Many.factors.impact.the.culture.of.the.workplace,.including
•.
Intelligence.and.job.knowledge
•.
Emotions.and.emotional.illness
•.
Individual.motivation.toward.safe.work
•.
Physical.characteristics.and.handicaps
•.
Family.situations
•.
Peer.groups
•.
The.company.itself
•.
Existing.society.and.its.values
•.
Consequence.of.the.work.itself
