| Safety culture workshops |
| Description | - Series of workshops with cross-sections of the workforce.
- Participants consider and debate their perceptions on key aspects of safety and safety management.
- Workshops normally elicit views on improvement ideas.
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| Advantages | - Powerful way of eliciting/exposing differing perceptions within an organisation.
- Provides very useful insights into many key aspects of safety culture.
- Enables improvement ideas to be identified.
- Allows employees to participate and raises profile of safety culture.
- Flexible – allows key issues to be explored as appropriate.
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| Limitations | - Only involves participation of a limited number of employees – hence may not reflect views of whole organisation.
- Does not generate responses on a wide range of questions.
- Can be difficulties conveying the outcomes of the workshops to senior managers – especially if not present (lose emotions etc.).
- High profile raises workforce expectations about responses – can lead to management losing credibility if response perceived as being inadequate.
- Be careful to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.
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| When and how to use | - As part of a committed safety culture improvement programme as a high profile intervention AND when prepared and committed to respond to the outcomes.
- An alternative to a survey approach.
- As a means of demonstrating management commitment – BUT only if prepared to respond promptly and fully to outcomes.
- DO NOT use if uncertain what issues are likely to be revealed, or without planning, resourcing & being committed to address outcomes.
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