A new report by health and safety tech provider Safe365 sheds light on current safety practices and identifies areas for improvement in UK workplaces. The Safe365 Safety Culture Maturity Report is the first of its kind to offer an in-depth analysis of safety strengths and weaknesses, aiming to significantly reduce workplace harm.
Key Findings:
- As a profession, we’re meeting our obligations, but beyond that, our maturity towards proactivity is lacking.
- There is less than a 10% difference in safety culture maturity between small and large organisations on average.
- Verification and Audit is the most immature area we see in safety culture.
- Practice Assurance and Control Effectiveness are a profession-wide weakness.
- We see an average of 17% difference in maturity between SME and Large Enterprise across components of Emergency Preparedness, yet the growing rate of emergency situations affects companies of all sizes.
- Director and Management knowledge are holding safety culture maturity back.
- Having effective systems for contractor management safety is the weakest area of personnel safety culture.
- Health and Safety is still overly reliant on one person, one safety leader and one set of eyes vs a safety team and company-wide capability.
Building People’s Capability: A Crucial Shift
The report emphasises building employee capability as a key theme. Empowering employees to make informed decisions in risky situations is more effective than simply adding rules and regulations.
“The report highlights a current focus on robust health and safety management plans with comprehensive policies,” observes the report. “However, a stronger emphasis on human behaviour is needed. By encouraging positive safety behaviours, we can ensure that established systems translate into real-world improvements.”
Lack of Director and Management Knowledge Poses Risks
The report acknowledges the good intentions of senior leadership but identifies a knowledge gap hindering effective safety governance.
“Directors and managers often lack a deep understanding of risk management practices and industry-specific safety concerns,” the report reveals. “This knowledge gap weakens their ability to govern effectively, leading to misplaced focus and inadequate investment in safety initiatives.”
The report proposes equipping directors and managers with the knowledge to ask the right questions, demonstrate visible leadership, and address safety concerns. Access to data, including risk assessments, incident reports, and safety audits, is also highlighted as crucial for effective decision-making.
Moving Beyond Compliance: A Call for Excellence
The report highlights a prevalent misconception that compliance with health and safety regulations equates to a safe workplace.
“Compliance represents the minimum requirement, not a comprehensive safety picture,” the report emphasises.
The data confirms this, with reactive practices like safety policies (70%) and incident reporting (68%) dominating over proactive measures like internal auditing (37%), emergency stress testing (36%), and ensuring safety practice implementation (33%).
“Reward and recognition for proactive safety behaviours are currently underutilised,” the report adds, with a score of just 38% on a 100-point scale.
The report also identifies weaknesses in monitoring and assurance. While companies may have systems in place, most lack a clear understanding of their effectiveness. This superficial approach prioritises compliance over genuine risk mitigation and hinders continuous improvement.
Investing in Safety Creates Value
The report highlights a clear link between strong safety performance and positive business outcomes. Organisations with a focus on harm reduction experience benefits including improved loss performance ratios and more favourable insurance terms.
“A longitudinal study published in Safety Science this year also found a positive impact of safety investment on financial performance and corporate reputation,” the report adds.
Benchmarking for Improvement
Safe365 acknowledges the good intentions around health and safety but recognises the need for a clear picture of best practices.
“Our report provides valuable insights and allows organisations to benchmark their performance against established standards,” they explain.
The report leverages data from thousands of organisations across various industries in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. This comprehensive dataset allows for the identification of strengths and weaknesses across sectors and facilitates knowledge sharing for continuous improvement.
“By understanding what good safety culture looks like and where the gaps lie, businesses can make informed decisions and prioritize worker safety,” the report concludes.
The full Safe365 Safety Culture Maturity Report can be accessed here.
