Abstract

Formal health and safety policies and procedures are not the only factors that affect workplace health and safety performance, it is also affected by the culture of safety that permeates the organisation. This research attempts to explore the significance and influence of a safety culture on health and safety performance by exploring how a safety culture can be reflected in organizational values, management commitment, employee involvement, safety communication, training and compliance to safety practices. A positive safety culture helps employees identify hazards, adhere to safety protocols, report unsafe situations and contribute to decision making around safety. This study sees safety culture as a multidimensional organizational factor and health and safety performance as the prevention of accidents, adherence to safety procedures, identification of hazards, reporting of incidents, and employees’ perceptions of workplace safety. The research emphasises the need for leadership that is clearly demonstrated in management pledges, communication, ongoing training, the involvement of employees and shared responsibility for the creation of positive safety behaviours. It also notes that the improvement of safety culture must be embedded in the day-to-day activities of an organization, and not be considered a compliance exercise. The study will help to build knowledge and understanding on how cultural factors can assist in proactively managing safety and enhance the health and safety outcomes within an organization. The results will offer helpful implications for managers, safety professionals, human resource practitioners and policy makers interested in improving the safety culture in the workplace.