Safety Culture…Continuous Nurturing Required

Sunshine McCarthy

Today’s Objectives:

1• Explore behaviors present in a

Safety Culture

2• Discuss what drives our behaviors

3• Introduce a Safety Culture model

4• Provide ways to nurture a strong

safety culture

Warm Up!

Assumptions related to safety culture

Following regulations (being compliant) ensures safety

People naturally avoid taking risks

Blaming is counter productive for a strong safety culture

People are afraid to speak up

What is Safety Culture?

Safety Culture is defined as a set of beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors that members of a group use to relate to their world and each other regarding safety

Safety Culture is the way we do things around here

Culture Iceberg

9

Formal Behaviors

Informal Behaviors

Core Beliefs

Visible

Invisible

What influences our beliefs about our behaviors?

• Mission• Organizational norms• Experience• Past history• People we spend time with• Age/Generation• Equipment• Environment

Culture Iceberg

11

Formal Behaviors

Informal Behaviors

Core Beliefs

Visible

Invisible

Pinnacle Regional Airline 2004Flight 3701

"Yeah ... we don't have any passengers on board so we decided to have a little fun and come on up here"

Closer to home…GIV Accident in Bedford

NTSB found…the “flight crew’s omission of a flight control check before the accident indicates intentional, habitual noncompliance with standard operating procedures”

“Why” we do it….what drives our behaviors?

Humans have two systems of thought

Thinking Feeling

Consider this question…

A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball.

How much does the ball cost?

5¢

You’re on vacation…

Pinnacle Regional Airline 2004Flight 3701

"Yeah ... we don't have any passengers on board so we decided to have a little fun and come on up here"

When people view the benefit to be high, they judge the level of risk to be

more acceptable

Identifying and understanding why we do something is important, but beliefs and “feelings” are very hard to change

Change the behavior, and you begin to change the culture

4.02

4.02

3.95

4.05

Highest rated items

1. I personally monitor submission and follow up on safety reports to be more aware of safety issues facing the organization

2. SMS is about open communication and learning, and these core principles are clearly reflected in our organization’s SMS

3. Our organization has adequate resources to allow it to function safely

Lowest Rated Items

1. There are company rules or guidelines in place that support and protect me in case I have to make a safety related decision

2. Giving and accepting feedback, constructive as well as positive, is second nature in our company, regardless of position or seniority

3. Crew member or maintenance decisions to cancel, delay or divert a flight are never challenged by senior manager

4.22

4.15

4.06

4.07

TED Talk - Margaret Heffernan “Dare to Disagree”

4.22

4.15

4.06

4.07

Survey says…

• “We are told feedback is encouraged. Feedback is not encouraged or used in reality”

• “Staff seems to fear they will suffer reprisal if they bring issues to light”

• “From my observation, a lot of people are afraid to give feedback”

• “Feedback is not welcome. A high score risk assessment is viewed as a problem”

Are we afraid to speak up?

Nurturing your Safety Culture

• Identify gaps between current behaviors and desired behaviors

• Understand the beliefs that are driving the behavior• Realignment of beliefs by changing the behavior• Set in place support for desired behaviors• Be and remain clear and consistent about desired behaviors

What can you do today?

• Pick a critical few behaviors that exemplify the best of your safety culture, and that you want everyone to adopt (Read Beyond Measure by Margaret Heffernan)

• Balance your appeals to the group to include both thinking and feeling cues

• Make the change sustainable by maintaining vigilance.• Promote everyone’s involvement in SMS• Learn from incidents in a non-punitive environment• Let speaking up start with YOU

“Openness isn’t the end, it’s the beginning”

To learn more about Baldwin Safety & Compliance and

SMS

www.BaldwinAviation.com888.222.2112