Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Because.everyone.at.the.workplace.knows.what.the.culture.is,.it.is.necessary.to.
be.very.observant.and.listen.prior.to.trying.to.communicate..It.does.not.take.long.to.
discover.the.culture..It.is.seen.in.the.safety,.productivity,.quality,.and.discipline.of.the.
work.and.the.workforce..The.culture.often.stymies.efforts.to.communicate.even.when.
the.outcomes.are.good..It.is.the.sovereign.duty.of.all.to.maintain.the.old.culture.as.it.
is..Thus,.the.process.of.changing.the.culture.is.time.consuming.and.quite.complex.
It.is.bad.enough.that.the.workforce.has.its.own.culture,.but.this.is.compounded.
by.the.company's.culture.that.impacts,.and.at.times.is.diametrically.opposed.to,.the.
culture.of.the.workforce..The.goal.would.be.to.meld.the.two.cultures.together.in.a.
viable.and.productive.relationship.
Industries.and.companies.that.have.labor.unions.seldom.are.able.to.perfectly.inte-
grate.safety.into.their.culture.even.though.safety.should.be.in.everyone's.best.interest..
Unions.often.hold.safety.hostage.as.a.bargaining.chip,.tool,.or.weapon.against.man-
agement.. Thus,. the. culture. does. not. see. safety. as. a. level. playing. ield. on. which.
everyone.can.participate.equally..But.in.the.same.light,.management.often.ights.the.
battles.related.to.safety.and.health.regulations.that.were.instituted.to.provide.safety.
and.health.for.its.workforce.and.is.intent.on.ighting.compliance.
Thus,.the.culture.that.exists.is.an.amalgamation.of.the.culture.of.labor.and.the.
company..At.times.there.is.reasonable.compatibility.and.the.two.parts.form.a.culture.
that.strives.for.effective.safety.while.at.other.times.they.are.so.opposite.that.no.one.
beneits.from.their.inability.to.merge.the.cultures.into.a.useful.entity.where.effective.
and.rational.communications.occur.
The. only. way. the. culture. can. be. changed. is. when. an. urgent. need. to. change. is.
the. motivator.. This. could. be. a. number. of. occupational. deaths,. a. catastrophe,. or. a.
series.of.occupational.injuries.or.illnesses.that.forge.partnerships.in.troubled.times..
Second,.the.resources.must.be.available.and.the.ability.to.change.must.be.present..
Third,.a.roadmap.or.plan.must.be.developed.and.agreed.upon.by.all.parties.involved.
in.order.to.transition.to.the.new.culture..Most.of.us.are.reticent.to.change..Thus,.gain-
ing.consensus.for.change.is.going.to.be.dificult..It.will.be.the.leadership's.responsi-
bility.to.decide.that.there.is.a.need.for.change,.communicating.it.to.the.organization,.
getting.consensus.of.all.parties,.and.directing.the.implementation.
If. this. discussion. of. culture. seems. ominous. and. overwhelming,. then. you. have.
some.feeling.of.how.dificult.it.is.to.communicate.if.the.culture.is.not.receptive.to.
your.message..This.makes.it.imperative.to.understand.the.culture.that.you.are.trying.
to.communicate.within..As.for.safety,.if.the.culture.is.antisafety,.then.your.commu-
nication.regarding.safety.will.fall.on.deaf.ears..So.in.order.to.communicate.safety.
in.your.workplace,.you.must.irst.understand.the.culture.and.then.begin.to.change.it..
This.is.a.communicate-or-lose.situation,.which.is.not.the.best.of.all.worlds..Sufice.
it. to. say. that. in. most. cases. you. will. be. able. to. accomplish. some. degree. of. safety.
communications.based.in.a.large.part.on.the.perception.of.how.you.really.feel.about.
safety.and.health.at.your.workplace.
P
ositivE
s
AfEty
C
ulturE
An.organization,.corporation,.or.company.with.a.positive.safety.culture.is.one.that.
gives.appropriate.priority.to.safety.and.realizes.that.occupational.safety.and.health.
