Combining survey and database technologies in support of a safety climate improvement strategy

Abstract

[Abstract]: Safety climate is now a well-known construct within the safety literature. Many surveys exist that purport to measure safety climate but few of these surveys are based on a sound theoretical model. In this paper, we introduce the organisational health model as a framework for investigating the role of safety climate within military settings. We also describe our work in the public sector and show how to construct a climate survey using this model. The collection of data via safety climate surveys is a first step in the safety management strategy we advocate. A key component in our approach is the use of a database (Total-IDEAS) that stores survey data and has a graphical interface that allows managers with minimal statistical skills to conduct further analyses and prepare reports on the status of various psychological factors within the organisation. We have found this approach to be very effective in our work with other organisations and have shown how it can be used to monitor change within an organisation.