Unit 6: The Human Element: Cultivating a Culture of Safety
If seafarers are fully informed and aware of the risks to their health, safety and welfare, they are much more likely to ensure they avoid the risks and remain safe. This knowledge is attained through risk assessment and in other ways throughout our lives including training in theory and practical application, information, observation, instructions, supervision and personal experience. We can improve the quality and usefulness of the information available by effective knowledge management. Application of the knowledge in the workplace is influenced by our values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors and by the views of others. This is facilitated by ensuring a safe working culture.
Extensive research has identified certain elements that contribute greatly to maintaining a safe working culture. These can be described as:
clearly defined expectations;
good communications;
clear leadership;
good planning;
risk awareness;
accountability;
good safety culture; and
effective knowledge management.
These elements should be both put in place at a Company level within the safety management system and implemented on board the vessel by the master and crew. It is important that the entire workforce, from the most junior crew members through to the senior managers ashore, are involved in the development of these elements for them to be fully successful. Many of them are already present within management systems but often some are missing, which can create weaknesses in the management system.
A good approach is to conduct a gap analysis to identify those elements that are missing or weak, and amend the systems accordingly. The more developed and comprehensive the systems are, the more effective they can be.
2. On just culture
A just culture policy is an important part of a positive health and safety culture. It clearly sets out the expectations for adherence to procedures in the workplace and provides a context for enforcing them. It recognizes behaviors that exceed Company expectations as well as those that fall below expectation, but are not always the fault of the seafarer.
A just culture places responsibilities on management to provide support, training and resources such that seafarers will have the necessary competence to undertake their tasks to the required standard.
The just culture policy provides a process (with appropriate support) for managing behaviors that fall below expectations in a transparent and fair manner. A just culture seeks to improve the organizational culture and the performance of the organization by modifying behavior, encouraging seafarers to take greater personal responsibility for their actions and rewarding behavior exceeding expectations. It also recognizes that firm action may be needed in circumstances where, despite management having carried out their responsibilities, inappropriate behaviors are still evident.
The just culture decision tree is a guide for ensuring consistent management for those who exceed or deviate from Company standards. The model presents a simple, yet robust, means of dealing with both exemplary and inappropriate behaviors, linked with a structure for an appropriate management response. It also recognizes that there are overlaps between the areas of any given established disciplinary response. It is essential that managers or supervisors fully understand the causal factors and root causes of an event before applying the decision tree. Where incorrect causes have been identified and applied to the model, there is a danger that inappropriate action is taken.
The decision tree operates on an increasing personal accountability baseline:
On the proactive side, the baseline covers a range from expected behaviour to exemplary behavior.
On the reactive side, the baseline covers a range from initiating actions that were malevolent, reckless, etc. (at the most extreme end) through to a no-blame error.
The decision tree is linked to a Company action model:
On the proactive side, Company actions range from actions for management to encourage behavior through to rewarding seafarers for their exemplary work.
On the reactive side, Company actions range from dismissal (at the most extreme response end) to coaching/mentoring (at the least extreme response end).
This recognizes that both seafarer and Company have responsibilities for achieving improvements in behavior and increasing the Company’s safety culture.