How do people behave in a shipboard culture? A culture is affected by the people that are part of it and by those that observe it. When experts, consultants and inspectors are not present and people are just attending to their duties, we see the culture as it really is. However, an observer can get an impression of a safety culture for example by observing and listening to the way people talk about safety issues in the mess during tea breaks.

When safety issues are being discussed, do they listen carefully or do they treat it all as a bit of a joke? In fact, how is safety in general regarded, spoken of and thought about by individuals and the whole group? In reality, how good is the safety culture on a vessel – for example where a Safety Management System, procedures, risk assessments and permits have all been drawn up and are in nice binders on the bridge? Safety meetings maybe held in line with the rules and the boxes on checklists ticked practically everywhere while a deck hand using a needle gun is chipping rust without safety glasses, gloves or ear defenders. Someone else is climbing down a ladder into a tank before checking for poisonous fumes and the risk of the explosion. No safety culture is stronger than its weakest link. And that is precisely where the safety culture can be measured.

So what is a safety culture? Despite many opinions, we should like to give our version based on our expertise in this area. A safety culture consists of…. Common values, work routines (habits) and attitudes in a company. The culture is the environment that shapes these values, attitudes, etc., and which affects the way we behave. An organisation’s safety culture is the result of a number of factors such as: The standards, attitudes and assumptions of management and employees Values, myths and history Policies and procedures The manager's priorities, responsibilities and reliability Production and bottom line pressures on quality Action (or lack of action) when it comes to changing unsafe behavior.

Crew training and motivation Crew involvement and acceptance. High level of safety culture means low staff turnover In an environment with a high level safety culture, everyone feels responsible for safety and tries to comply on a daily basis. Crew go further than required to identify unsafe practices and behavior and they take action to put them right. For example, they would feel that it is acceptable for a crew member to go to the captain and remind him to wear safety glasses. Such behavior should not be seen as over-enthusiastic or over the top; but should be appreciated by the organisation and rewarded. In the same way, workmates should routinely look out for each other and give reminders about unsafe practices. A company with a high level safety culture typically only sees few instances of risky behaviour.

Our experience nowadays is that companies with high levels of safety report low accident figures, low replacement rates for crew, less crew absence and high productivity levels. It takes time to establish a safety culture. It is a process that can take many years and may involve a range of ongoing, step-by-step process improvements in order to create a better safety culture. The commitment of employers and employees is the stamp of the optimum safety culture in which safety forms an integral part of day-to-day operations. Definition Out of many versions, the UK – Health and Safety Commission’s definition from 1993 is the most widely used.

The safety culture of an organization is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, competencies, and patterns of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization’s health and safety programs. Organizations with a positive safety culture are characterized by communications founded by mutual trust, by shared perceptions of importance of safety, and by confidence in efficiency of preventative measures

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