Safety Management And Culture

Dr David Creedy

Wardell Armstrong, UK

1. Introduction

This paper examines the role of safety management, and the importance of safety culture, in improving workplace safety with special reference to the coal mining industry.

A responsible employer will recognise the moral, legal and financial necessity of ensuring the safety of employees. The benefits to a company of improved safety standards can be substantial and include:

¡ñ Fewer working days lost due to accidents
¡ñ Increased profit
¡ñ More secure and motivated workforce
¡ñ Better image to public and customers

In most countries, health and safety laws have been enacted and regulations implemented to protect the safety of the workforce. Inspection and enforcement by a trained inspectorate monitor compliance. However, a legal requirement for safe working practises and the threat of prosecution does not necessarily guarantee the law is obeyed. Examples can be found in both developed and developing countries of failures in this respect. The consequences of failure to manage safety can be particularly devastating in the coal mining industry as shown by some of the examples in Table 1.

The above cases provide examples from around the world, of which there are unfortunately too many, of non-existent or inadequate safety management. The stark lesson from Table 1 is that stringent safety legislation, inspection and enforcement is not sufficient by itself to ensure adequate workplace safety. 

Similar problems can be recognised in the coal mining industry in China, especially in the small mines were a poor safety record can often be attributed to untrained management with neither knowledge nor regard for the law or consideration for the safety of their workforce. A total of 5,798 recorded fatalities in coal mines in China in the year 2000 and 5,670 in 2001 is a clear indication of the absence of a mature safety culture and shows the need for improved safety management. The government of China recognises the problem and is determined to respond positively through the auspices of the State Administration of Work Safety. 

Table 1. Examples of safety management failures in underground coal mining operations

Country

Brief details of the incident and contributory factors

Australia

Investigations following an explosion leading to 11 fatalities at Moura No2 mine in 1994 revealed serious inadequacies in safety management

Canada

In 1992 an explosion at Westray mine killed 26 men. Contributory factors included management inexperience and commercial pressures

UK

The UK¡¯s principal coal producer was prosecuted in 2000 for allowing illegal operation at one of its mines of battery powered locomotives in excessive methane concentrations. Investigations revealed a culture of intimidation by senior mine officials. Fortunately, no serious incident occurred but it could have if the attitudes and practice had not been halted

Ukraine

An ignition of dust and gas caused by faulty insulation of a power cable and a disabled safety device resulted in 63 deaths. This, and 80% of accidents in the coal sector could be attributed to poor work discipline and violations of safety rules

USA

A gas explosion at Hensley mine, Kentucky in which 2 men were killed led to an investigation which revealed a blatant disregard for safety law by the mine management

2. Safety Management
Failures to manage safety adequately arise in both developing and developed countries although, in general, the consequences are less severe in the latter. One reason for this is fewer men underground due to greater mechanisation; another may be that non-compliance with safety rules occurs less frequently. 

The challenges are also greater in developing countries where accident rates may be exacerbated by: 

¡ñ Obsolete equipment
¡ñ Lack of management skills
¡ñ Absence of a safety culture
¡ñ Poor rewards
¡ñ Shortage of investment in modern safety equipment

It is all too easy to place the blame for accidents solely on management. They have an important role to play but effective safety management also requires the active participation of the workers. There is strong evidence that involvement of the workforce in safety committees and as workers safety representatives can reduce workplace injuries significantly, by more than fifty per cent according to some research. 

The failures leading to any workplace accident arise as a result of human frailty involving both management and workforce. In order to provide the necessary level of protection the following elements are required:

¡ñ An effective safety management system
¡ñ A safety culture which permeates both management and workforce.

Effective safety management systems facilitate the safe integration of humans and work-related processes. Human error is unavoidable so safety management is designed to minimise the consequences of human failure. The more severe the consequences of failure, the greater the importance of safety management. 

Some industries have more advanced safety management systems than others, particularly in the service sector where failures can threaten public safety. An example of this is the civil airline industry which requires an excellent safety record to stay in business. Great attention is paid to aircrew training, refresher training, performance monitoring of pilots, on-board safety systems, aircraft design, ground-based control systems, air traffic control, incident reporting and accident investigation. All these procedures combine to ensure risks are reduced to an acceptably low level. 
Some workplace environments are less easily controlled. For example, a mine manager is responsible for a large number of men working in a potentially hostile underground environment. Although it is possible to monitor gas, ventilation, machine activity and many other technical parameters, safety cannot be assured without the active co-operation of the workforce and the total commitment of management. 

Irrespective of the technical sophistication of a particular industrial sector, workplace accidents can and do happen.

A safety management system, as envisaged by the UK Health and Safety Executive and used as a framework by UK companies, contains the following elements: 

¡ñ Policy - a definition of what needs to be achieved and the
   strategy for achieving it
¡ñ Organisation - a management structure which identifies who
   is responsible and who does what
¡ñ Planning -identification of risks, probability of occurrence and
   their potential impact (risk assessment), design of control    
   measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level.Identification
   of suitable, safe technologies to do the job and provision of
   technical support from experienced specialists. Definition of
   operating rules and procedures (safe methods of working). 
¡ñ Monitoring to ensure the effectiveness of the safety  
   management system
¡ñ Audit and review to assess whether procedures are working
   and, if not, then to amend them.

3. Safety Culture
A safety culture will only develop once individuals recognise and accept some responsibility for the safety of themselves and colleagues. 

The attitudes of individuals to safety can be influenced by many factors. These could include a macho culture, social problems, poor living conditions, lack of hope for future improvement, low value of life, lack of self esteem, lack of recognition by seniors, ignorance, poor education and inadequate training. Attitudes will also depend on parental influence, education, training, leader and peer pressures.

Job related pressures may also play a part, especially in developing countries due to:

¡ñ Increased mechanisation
¡ñ Unfamiliar equipment
¡ñ Increased production
¡ñ Reduced staffing levels
¡ñ Cost saving pressures
¡ñ Difficult working conditions (eg mining)

Various approaches can be employed to raise awareness of safety issues and help to change cultural attitudes. These include introducing incentives and rewards for accident free achievements and for safety suggestions, worker involvement in safety competitions and dissemination of safety promotional material. Training is of paramount importance. This could include risk assessment techniques, improving the understanding of the workplace environment, use of safety equipment and first aid techniques. Once individuals recognise how they can help each other to work more safely, the necessary cultural change has started to take place. 

Safety culture in the workplace will also be reflected by the safety culture in society. Greater awareness of personal safety in everyday life, such as the wearing of seat belts in road vehicles, is a sign of a maturing safety culture. Factors conducive to an improving workplace safety culture are:

¡ñ Changing social attitudes
¡ñ Improving living and working conditions
¡ñ Increased responsibility for everyday living

The modern approach to safety education is to use interactive teaching methods and positive reinforcement of principles, that is, to concentrate on rewarding improvement rather than highlighting failure. In a country such as China which is developing rapidly, external assistance is needed to accelerate training in safety practises and culture. The most effective help would be to train the trainers. 

Various overseas institutions could provide the necessary service. For example, the South Birmingham Trade Union Education Centre in the UK has successfully delivered workplace safety education programmes in many countries including some of the former Soviet republics. This, and similar organisations could help to provide Chinese health and safety trainers with the necessary skills and understanding to implement training of workers and development of an enhanced workplace safety culture. The China Coal Information Institute and Wardell Armstrong are currently seeking to initiate safety training schemes focused on the needs of the coal mining industry in China. 

4. Conclusions

The basic principles of safety management - the systematic control of risk - can be applied to all workplaces. However, safety management will only be effective where a safety culture exists throughout all levels of the industry, including the senior management. Efforts are needed in China to raise safety awareness. The need is particularly acute in the hazardous underground coal mining industry.

A safer workplace can be achieved by a combination of:

¡ñ Suitable technology to do the job
¡ñ Compliance with all relevant laws, regulations and official
   guidance
¡ñ Regular inspection (by the statutory body, management,
   safety professionals and workers representatives)
¡ñ Firm enforcement of rules by management and laws by the
   regulatory authority
¡ñ Training for safe working 
¡ñ Responsibility (a safety culture)