Safety compliance and safety climate: A repeated cross-sectional study in the oil and gas industry

IntroductionViolations of safety rules and procedures are commonly identified as a causal factor in accidents in the oil and gas industry. Extensive knowledge on effective management practices related to improved compliance with safety procedures is therefore needed. Previous studies of the causal relationship between safety climate and safety compliance demonstrate that the propensity to act in accordance with prevailing rules and procedures is influenced to a large degree by workers' safety climate. Commonly, the climate measures employed differ from one study to another and identical measures of safety climate are seldom tested repeatedly over extended periods of time. This research gap is addressed in the present study.MethodThe study is based on a survey conducted four times among sharp-end workers of the Norwegian oil and gas industry (N = 31,350). This is done by performing multiple tests (regression analysis) over a period of 7 years of the causal relationship between safety climate and safety compliance. The safety climate measure employed is identical across the 7-year period.ConclusionsTaking all periods together, the employed safety climate model explained roughly 27% of the variance in safety compliance. The causal relationship was found to be stable across the period, thereby increasing the reliability and the predictive validity of the factor structure. The safety climate factor that had the most powerful effect on safety compliance was work pressure.Practical applicationsThe factor structure employed shows high predictive validity and should therefore be relevant to organizations seeking to improve safety in the petroleum sector. The findings should also be relevant to other high-hazard industries where safety rules and procedures constitute a central part of the approach to managing safety.     

The effects of Crew Resource Management (CRM) training on flight attendants' safety attitudes

IntroductionA number of well-known incidents and accidents had led the aviation industry to introduce Crew Resource Management (CRM) training designed specifically for flight attendants, and joint (pilot and flight attendant) CRM training as a way to improve teamwork and communication. The development of these new CRM training programs during the 1990s highlighted the growing need for programs to be evaluated using research tools that had been validated for the flight attendant population.MethodThe FSAQ (Flight Safety Attitudes Questionnaire—Flight Attendants) was designed specifically to obtain safety attitude data from flight attendants working for an Asia–Pacific airline. Flight attendants volunteered to participate in a study before receiving CRM training (N = 563) and again (N = 526) after CRM training.ResultsAlmost half (13) of the items from the 36-item FSAQ showed highly significant changes following CRM training. Years of experience, crew position, seniority, leadership roles, flight attendant crew size, and length of route flown were all predictive of safety attitudes.Practical applicationsCRM training for flight attendants is a valuable tool for increasing positive teamwork behaviors between the flight attendant and pilot sub-groups. Joint training sessions, where flight attendants and pilots work together to find solutions to in-flight emergency scenarios, provide a particularly useful strategy in breaking down communication barriers between the two sub-groups.     

Modeling attitudes and perceptions as predictors for changing safety margins during organizational change

This study describes the relations between different dimensions of leadership commitment, safety climate and attitudes toward change, and how these affect employee perceptions of safety during organizational change in a high risk environment. We collected data from a European national air navigation services provider during a volatile 3-year corporatization process that ended in the sudden collapse of a deliberate change implementation project. Surprisingly, despite visible signs of internal and external stress caused by the volatile and disruptive change process, we did not observe any change in the traditional safety metrics of incident and accident reporting during the study. The study is based on a large survey (n = 422) of individual attitudes and perceptions of safety climate, perception of leadership commitment to safety, attitudes to organizational change, and perception of safety. The data support the claim that perception of safety at least, in part, depends on individual perceptions of the leadership’s commitment to safety, and the safety climate in place at a given point in time. The model shows how employee perceptions of the leadership’s commitment to safety and safety climate are related to both attitudes toward change, and to perceived safety.     

Safety climate differences among job positions in a nuclear decommissioning and demolition industry: Employees’ self-reported safety attitudes and perceptions

This study examined group differences in safety climate among job positions in a nuclear decommissioning and demolition industry in the United States. Safety climate surveys were conducted at 10 locations. Survey responses totaled 1587 out of an available population of 3296 workers for an overall response rate of 48.1%. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in mean safety climate scores, factor scores, and item scores among job positions were observed. Most notably, foremen’s self-reported safety attitudes and perceptions indicate a lower safety climate and suggest the need to target safety improvements at this key organizational level.     

A safety culture maturity model for petrochemical companies in Brazil

A framework to measure safety culture maturity in the Brazilian oil and gas companies was formulated based on the model of Hudson (2001). Following a review of the safety culture literature, a questionnaire was designed to measure five aspects of organisational safety indicative of five levels of cultural maturity. The questionnaire was completed by the safety managers of 23 petrochemical companies based in Camacari, Bahia, Brazil and they were interviewed one month later. The reliability of the questionnaire was tested by asking the same questions in an interview and comparing the results (alternate forms reliability). The correlation coefficients between the questionnaire and interview scores on each dimension ranged from r = 0.7 to 0.9, demonstrating good reliability of the measures used. The research findings demonstrated that the 23 companies studied showed characteristics of different levels of safety culture maturity. Most scores were at the level of proactive. The model of Hudson (2001) and the revised framework and questionnaire were found to be practical to use, making it possible to identify levels of safety culture maturity in the context of the Brazilian petrochemical industry.     

Association between safety leading indicators and safety climate levels

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association of leading indicators for occupational health and safety, particularly safety inspections and non-compliances, with safety climate levels.MethodsNordic Occupational Safety Climate Assessment Questionnaire was employed to evaluate safety climate in cross-sectional design. The geographically diverse population of the inspection body made it possible to conduct the survey across 10 provinces in Iran. 89 completed questionnaires were obtained with a response rate of 47%. Except for management safety justice, the internal consistency of other six dimensions was found to be acceptable (α ≥ 0.7).ResultsMean scores of dimensions ranged from 3.50 in trust in the efficacy of safety systems (SD = 0.38) to 2.98 in workers' safety priority and risk non-acceptance (SD = 0.47). Tukey HSD tests indicated a statistically significant difference of mean scores among groups undergoing different number of safety inspections and those receiving different number of non-compliances (p < 0.05), with no significant differences based on safety training man-hours and sessions (p > 0.05). Spearman's rank-order correlation showed no relationship between work experience and number of non-compliances (correlation coefficient = − 0.04, p > 0.05) and between safety training man-hours and number of non-compliances (correlation coefficient = − 0.15, p > 0.05).ConclusionsOur results indicate that safety climate levels are influenced by number of safety inspections and the resultant non-compliances.Practical applicationsFindings suggest that safety non-compliances detected as a result of conducting safety inspections could be used to monitor the safety climate state. Establishing plans to conduct scheduled safety inspections and recording findings in the form of safety non-compliance and monitoring their trend could be used to monitor levels of safety climate.     

中国民航行业可接受的安全水平研究

中国民航局提出持续安全理念,并正在制定国家航空安全方案,推动行业安全管理由目前基于规章符合性的安全监管逐渐转向规章符合性基础上的安全绩效监管,其中一项重要的工作是设定中国民航业可接受的安全水平,来衡量民航业是否满足持续改进安全的目标的要求。本文根据国际民航组织对可接受安全水平的设定指南,同时参考国外民航常用的事故指标,设计了一套中国民航行业可接受安全水平的指标体系,该指标体系包括安全评估指标、安全绩效评估指标和安全指数三层,并对该指标体系内事故率指标和事故征候率指标设定了未来10年的目标值。该指标体系及其目标值的设定不仅可作为衡量民航是否持续安全的标准,也可为航空运输企业设定自身的安全绩效考核指标提供参考。     

Distracting behaviors among teenagers and young,middle-aged,and older adult drivers when driving without and with warnings from an integrated vehicle safety system

IntroductionNegative reinforcement from crash warnings may reduce the likelihood that drivers engage in distracted driving. Alternatively, drivers may compensate for the perceived safety benefit of crash warnings by engaging in distractions more frequently, especially at higher speeds. The purpose of this study was to examine whether warning feedback from an integrated vehicle-based safety system affected the likelihood that various secondary behaviors were present among drivers ages 16–17, 20–30, 40–50, and 60–70.MethodParticipants drove an instrumented sedan with various collision warning systems for an extended period. Ten 5-second video clips were randomly sampled from driving periods at speeds above 25 mph and below 5 mph each week for each driver and coded for the presence of 11 secondary behaviors.ResultsAt least one secondary behavior was present in 46% of video clips; conversing with a passenger (17%), personal grooming (9%), and cellphone conversation (6%) were the most common. The likelihood that at least one secondary behavior was present was not significantly different during periods when drivers received warnings relative to periods without warnings. At least one secondary behavior was 21% more likely to be present at speeds below 5 mph relative to speeds above 25 mph; however, the effect of vehicle speed was not significantly affected by warning presence. Separate models for each of the five most common secondary behaviors also indicated that warnings had no significant effect on the likelihood that each behavior was present.ConclusionsCollision warnings were not associated with significant increases or decreases in the overall likelihood that teen and adult drivers engaged in secondary behaviors or the likelihood of the behaviors at speeds above 25 mph or below 5 mph.Practical applicationsThere was no evidence that forward collision warning and other technologies like those in this study will increase or decrease distracted driving.     

航空安全信息管理的问题与对策

航空安全信息是民航实施安全风险控制和事故预防的基础,对航空安全水平的提高有重要的作用。笔者总结了民航安全信息的基本构成和来源,及其在安全风险识别、管理决策方面的功用;结合中国民航安全管理状况及行业发展趋势,分析了当前中国民航安全信息管理方面存在的主要问题,指出当前民航安全信息存在着数量不足、质量不高、交流共享困难、分析利用不充分等问题,不利于基于数据驱动的安全管理机制的建立和向规章符合性基础上的绩效管理的转变。针对安全信息管理的这些问题,文章建议民航局通过改善安全信息管理政策、建立航空企业安全信息共享平台、建立国家航空安全信息分析中心、开发安全信息分析利用工具等措施来改善安全信息的收集、分析利用和共享,为提高行业安全管理水平服务。     

民航安全状况与社会经济指标关联分析

为了分析中国民航的安全趋势,基于中国民航1995-2014年安全生产历史数据和民航安全运行关系密切的26项社会经济指标,利用因子分析、相关系数等数学方法,建立了多元线性回归模型分析民航安全状况与社会经济指标的管理关联性。该模型表明对民航安全具有显著影响的社会经济指标包括国民经济、产业结构和人员素质。通过对比安全生产指标的拟合值和实际值,分析民航安全趋势的变化规律,并利用自回归移动平均模型预测2015-2018年民航安全生产指标值。计算结果显示该时间段内民航安全生产指标将处于历史高位,且呈现缓慢上升趋势。最后给出了针对行业安全监管、安全运行等方面的改进建议。     

Educational status and organizational safety climate: Does educational attainment influence workers’ perceptions of workplace safety?

From a practical perspective, understanding the impact of education on perceptions of workplace safety would benefit management’s decisions regarding workers’ adaptability, general work effectiveness, accident frequency, implementation of safety management policies, and handling of education-related accident characteristics. The current study thus examined the relationship between educational attainment and (i) safety perception, (ii) job satisfaction, (iii) compliance with safety management policies, and (iv) accident frequency. Participants were Ghanaian industrial workers (N = 320) categorized into four educational groups based on their responses: basic education 50% (n = 159); secondary education, n = 98 (30%); vocational/professional education, 17% (n = 56); and university education, 3% (n = 7). Workplace safety perception was assessed with Hayes et al.’s 50-item Work Safety Scale (WSS): a scale that effectively captures the dimensions identified by safety experts to influence perceptions of workplace safety. Multivariate analysis (MANOVA) was used to test for differences of statistical significance. Posterior comparison with t-test consistently revealed significant differences between the two higher-educated cohorts and their lower-educated counterparts. The results indicated a positive association between education and safety perception. Higher-educated workers recorded the best perceptions on safety, indicated the highest level of job satisfaction, were the most compliant with safety procedures and recorded the lowest accident involvement rate.     

The effects of a traffic guidance scheme for auto-toll lanes on traffic safety at toll plazas

The Transport Department of the Hong Kong SAR government conducted a trial traffic guidance scheme at the plaza of a busy road tunnel. The scheme involves the placing of reflective road markings on the approach lanes to the toll plaza and the erection of a gantry sign that clearly distinguishes the auto-toll lane. The main purpose of the scheme is to improve traffic flow and traffic safety at the toll plaza. If the scheme is successful, then it will be applied to all other toll plazas in Hong Kong. We conducted an observational before-and-after study to assess the effects of the scheme. We found that the overall lane-changing rate decreased significantly by 23% (0.1 lane crossings per vehicle) at a significance level of 0.05, the pooled conflict count decreased sharply by 44% at a significance level of 0.10, and the crash count also decreased sharply by 38%. The mean travel time for non-auto-toll traffic increased significantly by 30% (8 s), whereas that of auto-toll Sunday traffic decreased by 18% (2 s). Both changes are statistically significant at a level of 0.05. The results indicate that the trial scheme provided good guidance to drivers. Traffic safety was improved, and the travel time of auto-toll traffic improved in certain periods, although at the expense of non-auto-toll traffic.     

组织因素对民航维修人员安全行为的影响

为了减少民航维修人员不安全行为,探讨组织因素对民航维修人员安全行为的影响机理。基于组织行为学理论并结合民航维修人员的访谈分析,确定了影响民航维修人员安全行为的4个组织因素——安全氛围、工作压力、风险感知和安全管理,在此基础上,构建了组织因素与民航维修人员安全行为关系的假设模型。选取国内航空公司维修基地的一线机务维修人员进行问卷调查,采用结构方程模型对假设模型进行验证。结果表明,安全氛围、工作压力、风险感知和安全管理4个维度与安全参与行为、安全服从行为显著相关,其中,安全氛围对安全参与行为的影响最大。风险感知对安全服从行为的影响最小。     

Perspectives on safety: The impact of group membership,work factors and trust on safety performance in UK and Norwegian drilling company employees

This study is anchored in a contractor company providing well services for platform drilling on the Norwegian (NCS) and the UK Continental Shelves (UKCS). The research project has as its point of departure the potential influences of group level characteristics, structural work factors, trust, and safety behaviour on safety performance. Do perceptions and performance differ across Shelves? Are “nomadic” groups or employees that have more unpredictable shift rotations more exposed to accidents than others? Is high trust and sound safety behaviour enhancing good safety performance? The results are based on questionnaire data from two samples of personnel distributed across three installations on the UKCS and nine on the NCS with a response rate of 67%: N = 170 (UKCS) and N = 621 (NCS). In addition, two focus group interviews were held in each country, with 15 participants in each. The results show that our model makes sense. Shelf shows a significant influence on safety performance in all but the final stage in our five-step logistic regression model, indicating that the effect may be mediated by safety compliance and safety participation. Installations and different work teams have different exposure and structural work factors matter significantly. Somewhat counter-intuitively, employees who have a “nomadic” status and who hold the least regular shift rotations appear to have a lower risk of being involved in incidents. High trust in workmates buffers against incident involvement and the same applies for high safety compliance. The results, challenges and implications for research and safety practitioners are discussed.     

Cross-cultural comparisons of traffic safety,risk perception,attitudes and behaviour

The core aim of the present study is to examine cultural differences in risk perception and attitudes towards traffic safety and risk, taking behaviour in the Norwegian and the Ghanaian public. An additional aim is to discuss the applicability of various traffic measures, suited for low and middle income countries in Africa.Sample: The results of the present study are based on two self-completion questionnaire surveys carried out in February and March 2006. The first was a representative sample of the Norwegian public above 18 years of age (N = 247). The second was a stratified sample of Ghanaian respondents (N = 299). In Ghana the data was collected in Accra and Cape Coast.The results showed that there is potential for further improvement of safety attitudes and risk behaviour among Ghanaians as well as Norwegians. There were also differences in the respondents’ evaluation of attitudes, risk perception and behaviour. Perceived risk and attitudes also significantly predicted risk behaviour and accidents/collisions. The implications of these results for traffic safety will be discussed.     

Prevalence and demographic differences in microaccidents and safety behaviors among young workers in Canada

IntroductionThe present study examines the self-reported frequency of non-lost work time workplace injuries (“microaccidents”) and the frequency of three types of work-related safety behaviors (i.e., safety voice, safety compliance, and safety neglect) recalled over a four-week period.MethodWe analyzed data on microaccidents and safety behaviors from 19,547 young workers (aged 15–25 years, Mdn = 18 years; 55% male) from multiple Canadian provinces.ResultsApproximately one-third of all young workers recalled experiencing at least one microaccident at work in the last four weeks. Comparisons across three age groups revealed that younger workers, particularly between the ages of 15–18, reported more frequent microaccidents, less safety voice, less safety compliance, and more safety neglect than workers aged 19–22. This pattern of results also held for comparisons between workers in 19–22 and 23–25 age groups, except for safety voice which did not differ between these two older age groups. In terms of gender, males and females reported the same frequency of microaccidents, but males reported more safety voice, more safety compliance, and more safety neglect than females did. The results and limitations of the present study are discussed.ConclusionFrequency of microaccidents and safety behavior vary among young worker age sub-groups.     

Work-related driving safety in light vehicle fleets: A review of past research and the development of an intervention framework

This paper presents a critical review of past research in the work-related driving field in light vehicle fleets (e.g., vehicles < 4.5 tonnes) and an intervention framework that provides future direction for practitioners and researchers. Although work-related driving crashes have become the most common cause of death, injury, and absence from work in Australia and overseas, very limited research has progressed in establishing effective strategies to improve safety outcomes. In particular, the majority of past research has been data-driven, and therefore, limited attention has been given to theoretical development in establishing the behavioural mechanism underlying driving behaviour. As such, this paper argues that to move forward in the field of work-related driving safety, practitioners and researchers need to gain a better understanding of the individual and organisational factors influencing safety through adopting relevant theoretical frameworks, which in turn will inform the development of specifically targeted theory-driven interventions. This paper presents an intervention framework that is based on relevant theoretical frameworks and sound methodological design, incorporating interventions that can be directed at the appropriate level, individual and driving target group.     

我国通用航空安全监管问题研究

通用航空与运输航空是民航发展的两翼,民用航空的持续安全也包含通用航空的安全。随着低空空域的进一步开放,越来越多企事业进入通用航空市场领域,通用航空面临安全监管压力越来越大。论文在分析当前我国通用航空发展的趋势及面临的安全压力基础上,分析总结我国通用航空安全监管存在的问题,重点从监管机构、模式以及方式三层面深入探讨我国通用航空安全监管体系,指出完善通航安全监管法规体系和专业监管队伍建设,加强通用航空初始与持续安全监管,改善监管传统模式的通用航空安全监管思路。     

基于神经网络的民航安全态势评估模型及仿真

民航安全态势评估可以向管理者提供民航安全态势和未来态势变化的信息,帮助管理者作出科学的决策,是预防事故发生的关键。航空器事故征候、事故征候率和灾变的科学预测评估是民航安全态势评估的核心内容,分析选取影响民航安全态势的安全运行因素,尝试建立了民航安全态势评估模型,结合BP神经网络和Elman神经网络进行民航安全态势评估。2008-2010年民航安全态势评估结果如下：民航安全态势整体良好但事故征候较多,其中2009年的民航安全态势相对严峻,需要密切注意民用航空器事故的发生,同时应对2010年民用航空器事故进行高度关注,希望管理者采取积极措施进行事故预防。结果表明,基于神经网络建立的民航安全态势评估模型是可行的,可以作为我国民航安全态势评估的有效工具。     

Measuring safety climate in aviation: A review and recommendations for the future

This paper reviews 23 studies that have examined safety climate within commercial and military aviation. The safety climate factors identified in the aviation safety climate questionnaires were found to be consistent with the literature examining safety climate in non-aviation high reliability organizations. Therefore, it was concluded that the aviation safety climate tools had some construct validity (the extent to which the questionnaire measures what it is intended to measure). However, the majority of the studies made no attempt to establish the discriminate validity (the ability of the tool to differentiate between organizations or personnel with different levels of safety performance) of the tools. It is recommended that rather than constructing more aviation safety climate questionnaires, researchers should focus on establishing the construct and discriminate validity of existing measures by correlating safety climate with other metrics of safety performance. It is recognized that the accident rate in commercial aviation is too low to provide a sufficiently sensitive measure of safety performance. However, there are other measures of safety performance, collected as part of a company’s Aviation Safety Action Program or Flight Operational Quality Assurance, which could be used to assess the discriminate validity of an aviation safety climate tool.