Torkel Soma 25. August 2010 Can safety culture be measured? DNV Solutions DNV contact person:

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 A simple model of key business elements Ambition Framework conditions Resources How the work is done

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Is safety going the wrong direction?

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Studies in various industries demonstrates that more than 90% of all serious accidents are triggered by at least one unsafe human act  An unsafe act or condition is an incident that did, or potentially could have, caused damage To improve operational performance, the key is to understand how to improve Violation of procedures is a typical unsafe act

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Cross industry studies summarise some circumstances that increases likelihood of violations  Perceived low likelihood of detection  Inconvenient to follow procedures  Status to violate and override instructions  Copying behaviour  No disapproving authority figure present  Expectations to obey authority figure  Gender (Male)  Perceived group pressure There is a relationship between violations and risk behaviour implying that there is a significant improvement potential in safer shipping Surveys for seafarers shows that roughly 50% admit that they break procedures on a general basis

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Is ISM implemented?  Distribution of non-conformities - Mapping of 8000 ISM non-conformities - 54% are of a “Plan” character

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Safety culture in shipping “The captain has the last word” “Safety is our first priority!” Observable circumstances: Visible behaviors such as organizational structures, practices and processes, technology, routines, and language Expressed truth: Is a set of beliefs on “what ought to be” Behavioral drivers: Underlying assumptions that are unconscious, taken-for-granted § The captain has the overriding authority Risk assessment is completed before start-up An incident reporting system is in place “Safety First” is painted on the bulkhead “It is important to be proactive!” “We have a no-blame policy” If I report that I have failed, I will be sanctioned To stop the job is not an acceptable option The procedures are there only to reduce management responsibility It is only fools that causes accidents To speak up is an offence to the person in charge

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 There are different maturity levels of safety culture … Safety performance Safety Culture Maturity Bureaucratic Culture Ignorant Culture Ad-hoc Culture Aware Culture Learning Culture Safety is something you have or not. The greatest threat is seen as. human error. Safety is dependent on HSE department. Safety is documentation of rules. Ignores warning signs, many audits, focus on PPE. Safety is dependent on rules. Accidents are part of the business. Blame and train, sack the idiot. Reactive approach to safety. Safety is seen as business critical and must actively be created by everyone independent of HSE departm. Ability to learn and actively avoid and recover from critical situations. Interdependent/just culture

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Significant safety improvement achieved by addressing safety culture  Rapid improvement on safety performance is achievable  Annual insurance claims down from 10 to 1  50% reduction serious accident frequency over three years  An annual saving of 10 million dollar  Improved safety reputation  Improved organisational learning

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 So… can safety culture be measured? Ambition Framework conditions Resources How the work is done There are variances in the efficiency of safety cultures It is possible to assess these variances IF the people involved is willing to “open up” So, yes to that extent we can measure safety culture

© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved. 01 April 2009 Safeguarding life, property and the environment