Positive Safety Culture

- Roles of Regulators
Mr Ho Siong Hin
2 Divisional Director
Occupational Safety and Health Division
Ministry of Manpower
Singapore

Overview

Safety Culture Defined

Importance of Safety Culture
Virtuous Cycles to Cultivate Positive Safety
Culture
New Legal Framework to Support Positive
Safety Culture
Regulators Roles

Capability Building
Facilitation roles
Enforcement Stance

Safety Culture

Organisational Culture is,

a system of shared values (what is important) and
beliefs (how things work) that interact with a
companys people, organisational structures, and
control systems to produce behavioural norms (the
way we do things around here).
(Uttal, B. 1983)
Safety Culture is,
a system of shared values (what is important) and
beliefs (how things work) that interact with a
companys people, organisational structures, and
control systems to produce safety-related behavioural
norms (the way we do things around here).

Safety Culture Defined

Shared
Values

Safety
Culture

Shared
Beliefs
Safety-related
behavioural norms
Organisational
Structure
People

Control
Systems

Accident

Positive Safety Culture

Shared Values

All human lives are precious

Safety is more important than production

Shared Beliefs

All accidents are preventable

My actions/decisions have safety implications on
others
I am accountable for my safety actions/decisions

Accident Frequency Rate by

Year
(All
Industries)
8

Average frequency
rate remained at 2.2

7
Introduction of Safety
Management System

5
4
3
2
1

03
20

01
20

99
19

97
19

95
19

93
19

91
19

89
19

87
19

85
19

83
19

81

19

Frequency Rate

Accident Frequency Rate = No. of accidents per million man-hours worked

Limits to Growth/ Success

Safety culture of
industry

Key to
overcoming
plateau
-

Growth Loop
+
+
Efforts on
enforcement
& SMS

+
Y = Expectation of
industry

Gap = X - Y
Perf Vs
Expectation

Society/
publics
expectation

X = Safety
performance

Amount of
industry efforts
& resources on
safety

Limiting Loop

Accident Frequency Rate by

Year
(All
Industries)
8

Average frequency
rate remained at 2.2

7
Introduction of Safety
Management System

5
4
3
2

03
20

01
20

99
19

97
19

95
19

93
19

91
19

89
19

19

85
19

83
19

81

87

Time to focus on
Positive Safety
Culture

19

Frequency Rate

Accident Frequency Rate = No. of accidents per million man-hours worked

Cultivating Positive Safety

Culture

To support and develop a positive

safety culture 3 virtuous cycles are
needed:

Virtuous cycle sustaining organisations

safety performance results

Virtuous cycle supporting networks of
committed people
Virtuous cycle supporting personal
results

Virtuous Cycle: Organisations

Safety Performance Results
Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit
Investment
to build
Safety Culture
Credibility

DEL

New
Behavioural
Norms

Y
LA

AY

Capabilities

DE

Safety
Performance
Results

DELAY

Virtuous Cycle: Networks of

Committed People
Investment
to build
Safety Culture
Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

People
Engagement

Shared Values
& Beliefs

Virtuous Cycle: Personal

Results
Investment
to build
Safety Culture
Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

Capabilities
AY
DEL

Personal
Results

Virtuous Cycles to Support

Growth of Positive Safety Culture

LAY
E
D

Credibility
Personal
Results
LAY
E
D

Shared Values
& beliefs

People
Capabilities Engagement

Failure to
engage
stakeholders
eg seen as
adversary

DE
LA
Y

New
Behavioural
Norms

Failure to
recognise /
reward
personal
results

Safety
Performance
Results

LAY
DE

Failure to
see
through
delays

Investment
to build
Safety Culture

Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

Legal Framework to Support

Positive Safety Culture

From Minimising Presented Risks

to Mitigating Them at Source:
Involving All Stakeholders

Occupiers, employers, suppliers,

manufacturers, designers and persons at
work must have responsibility for risk
prevention

Legal Framework to Support

Positive Safety Culture

Prevent accidents through higher

penalties for poor safety
management

Greater financial disincentives and

penalties

Legal Framework to Support

Positive Safety Culture

Industry Required to Take Greater

Ownership of Safety Outcomes

From Prescriptive to Goal-setting

Legislation: Mandatory Safety Management
Systems, Health and Safety Plans

Regulators Roles

Regulators Roles

Capability Building

Facilitation

Surfacing results through enforcement

Role of Regulators
LAY
DE

Safety
Performance
Results
Credibility
Personal
Results

New
Behavioural
Norms

Shared Values
& Beliefs

LAY
E
D

Capability
Building

People
Capabilities Engagement
DE
LA
Y

LAY
E
D

Investment
to build
Safety Culture

Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

Capability Building

With the new framework, competency gaps

will develop, for e.g.

ability to design for safe construction, operation

and demolition
ability to conduct Risk Assessment
ability to create and implement S&H Plans

Initial period, there will be a need to provide

incentives and also bring in such
competencies

Role of Regulators
LAY
DE

Safety
Performance
Results
Credibility
Personal
Results

New
Behavioural
Norms

Engaging
Stakeholders
thru
Facilitation

LAY
E
D

People
Capabilities Engagement
DE
LA
Y

LAY
E
D

Shared Values
& Beliefs

Investment
to build
Safety Culture

Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

Facilitation

Facilitation = Make it easier

Consult and communicate with all
stakeholders

Address concerns
Anticipate problems
Mitigate implementation costs

Encourage communication between

stakeholders

Facilitation

Communication channels

Seminars
Promotion activities

Promoting Best Practices

Identify & Publicise Best Practices

Recognition & Awards

Role of Regulators
LAY
DE

LAY
E
D

Credibility
Personal
Results
LAY
E
D

Shared Values
& Beliefs

People
Capabilities Engagement
DE
LA
Y

EnforcementPersonal
accountability
New
and duties on
Behavioural
all stakeholders
Norms

Safety
Performance
Results

Investment
to build
Safety Culture

Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

Enforcement Stance

Instilling key values

Accountability balanced with power

Personal accountability
Duties on all stakeholders

RSOs power to be expanded

Preventative enforcement

Penalise on poor safety management

Nurturing Stakeholders Culture

Role of Regulators
LAY
DE

LAY
E
D

Capability
Building
Engaging
Stakeholders
thru
Facilitation

Credibility
Personal
Results
LAY
E
D

Shared Values
& Beliefs

People
Capabilities Engagement
DE
LA
Y

EnforcementPersonal
accountability
New
and duties on
Behavioural
all stakeholders
Norms

Safety
Performance
Results

Investment
to build
Safety Culture

Enthusiasm &
Willingness to
Commit

Conclusions

The current system has reached plateau and

to achieve a quantum leap we need to
inculcate a positive safety culture in the
industry
Safety culture is the key to sustained
improvement of safety performance

Shared values and beliefs that create behavioural

norms

Need to revamp OSH framework

Conclusions

Regulators can play unique roles in the

system and it encompasses:

Capability building
Facilitation
Enforcement

However, legal framework can seek to

support, but not create, a positive safety
culture Need the industry to help itself!