--- title: "Safety Culture – An Essential Part Of Your Organisation" description: "Safety culture’ makes up part of the overall organisational or company culture. It can be defined as the shared attitude that employees have toward safety in the workplace. Having a positive or good safety culture means that all in an organisation are well informed of safety pro..." canonical: "https://www.safety-management.co.uk/news/safety-culture-an-essential-part-of-your-organisation" type: "Article" publishedAt: "2024-01-01T21:00:41" modifiedAt: "2023-12-05T11:28:35" keywords: "Health and Safety" --- # Safety Culture – An Essential Part Of Your Organisation Safety culture’ makes up part of the overall organisational or company culture. It can be defined as the shared attitude that employees have toward safety in the workplace. Having a positive or good safety culture means that all in an organisation are well informed of safety pro... Canonical URL: https://www.safety-management.co.uk/news/safety-culture-an-essential-part-of-your-organisation ## Article Safety culture’ makes up part of the overall organisational or company culture. It can be defined as the shared attitude that employees have toward safety in the workplace. Having a positive or good safety culture means that all in an organisation are well informed of safety procedures and standards and actively adhere to them. Employees would be able to understand why certain safety procedures are put in place and what it means for them as well as their colleagues. Why Safety Culture Is So Important An organisation’s culture has the ability to influence employee behaviour as well as their performance at work. Poor safety culture can cause serious accidents and injuries. It can even go so far as to influence safety outcomes and for this reason its value is equal to a safety management system. It’s clear that the quality of safety culture plays a crucial role in organisations. As we begin the first month in 2024, it’s important to think about what kind of safety culture you want in your organisation. Developing a good safety culture can take several years which is why it’s better to start now rather than later. What You Can Do To Promote Good Safety Culture The HSE states that the largest influences on safety culture are: - management commitment and style - employee involvement - training and competence - communication - compliance with procedures - organisational learning Leaders in an organisation play an important role in ensuring that the proper training is received and that communication on safety procedures is strong. Failure to do so could result in serious safety violations. The HSE states that a large number of high-profile safety cases over the years have involved failures of leadership. Directors can be personally liable when the duties given to them through health and safety laws are breached. With this in mind, it is essential for directors (as well as board members) to carefully consider whether they as well as the various levels of employees in their organisation are working in harmony with the law. It is essential to ensure that all members and employees in an organisation appreciate the sense of urgency and importance that is paired with health and safety laws, procedures and regulations. Doing so will greatly contribute to the quality of your organisation’s safety culture. It would be wise for leaders in any organisation to ask themselves the following questions: - What have you done to ensure your organisation, at all levels including the board, receives competent health and safety advice? - How are you ensuring all staff – including the board – are sufficiently trained and competent in their health and safety responsibilities? At SML we provide [training](/services/training/) that assists leaders in carrying out their duty to make sure that all in their organisation is health and safety conscious. Our goal is to contribute to a safer and healthier working environment that will benefit not only employees, but also add to the strength of your company’s reputation. ## Related guidance - [Practical Health & Safety Support: Knowing Where to Start and What to Do Next](/news/practical-health-safety-support-knowing-where-to-start-and-what-to-do-next): Managing health and safety can feel straightforward when everything is running smoothly. Policies have been written, risk assessments have been completed, and there have been no recent incidents. However, many organisations reach a point where they begin to ask more fundamental... - [Why Retained Health & Safety Support Gives Leaders Greater Confidence](/news/why-retained-health-safety-support-gives-leaders-greater-confidence): For senior operations, health and safety and facilities leaders, the challenge is rarely a lack of documentation. Most organisations already have policies, risk assessments and procedures in place, and many have competent people responsible for maintaining them. The more difficu... - [How Workplace Safety Audits Help You Focus on What Actually Matters](/news/how-workplace-safety-audits-help-you-focus-on-what-actually-matters): A workplace safety audit is often associated with compliance, paperwork and preparing for inspections. While these are all important aspects of health and safety management, they are not the primary reason for carrying out an audit. The real value of a workplace safety audit UK... - [What Should You Do After a Near Miss in the Workplace? A Practical Guide for Businesses](/news/what-should-you-do-after-a-near-miss-in-the-workplace-a-practical-guide-for-businesses): A near miss in the workplace is an incident that had the potential to cause injury, ill health, damage to property or interruption to business operations but, fortunately, did not result in harm. While it may be tempting to regard these incidents as isolated events because no on... ## Explore local coverage - [Explore local coverage](/locations): Browse support across regions, towns, services and sectors. - [Health & Safety Consultancy in Bedfordshire](/services/health-safety/bedfordshire): Health & Safety Consultancy coverage linked to Bedfordshire businesses and surrounding towns. - [Manufacturing support in Bedfordshire](/sectors/manufacturing/bedfordshire): Manufacturing guidance connected to Bedfordshire operations and site risk. - [Health & Safety Consultancy in Bedford](/services/health-safety/bedfordshire/bedford): Health & Safety Consultancy support for Bedford and nearby areas including Luton, Dunstable.