Safety Culture… Continuous Nurturing Required Sunshine McCarthy

Today’s Objectives: Explore behaviors present in a Safety Culture 1 Explore behaviors present in a Safety Culture 2 Discuss what drives our behaviors 3 Introduce a Safety Culture model 4 Provide ways to nurture a strong safety culture

Assumptions related to safety culture Warm Up! Assumptions related to safety culture Name, Company, role

Following regulations (being compliant) ensures safety

People naturally avoid taking risks

Blaming is counter productive for a strong safety culture

People are afraid to speak up

What is Safety Culture? Safety Culture is defined as a set of beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors that members of a group use to relate to their world and each other regarding safety Safety Culture is the way we do things around here Every organization has a safety culture

Culture Iceberg Formal Behaviors Informal Behaviors Core Beliefs Visible Formal Behaviors Informal Behaviors Core Beliefs Invisible

What influences our beliefs about our behaviors? Mission Organizational norms Experience Past history People we spend time with Age/Generation Equipment Environment Core beliefs are what we expressed during the opening exercise

Culture Iceberg Formal Behaviors Informal Behaviors Core Beliefs Visible Formal Behaviors Informal Behaviors Core Beliefs Invisible

Pinnacle Regional Airline 2004 Flight 3701 "Yeah ... we don't have any passengers on board so we decided to have a little fun and come on up here"

Closer to home…GIV Accident in Bedford NTSB found… the “flight crew’s omission of a flight control check before the accident indicates intentional, habitual noncompliance with standard operating procedures”

“Why” we do it….what drives our behaviors?

Humans have two systems of thought Feeling Thinking Rational vs. emotional

Consider this question… A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? 5¢

You’re on vacation…

Pinnacle Regional Airline 2004 Flight 3701 "Yeah ... we don't have any passengers on board so we decided to have a little fun and come on up here"

When people view the benefit to be high, they judge the level of risk to be more acceptable

Identifying and understanding why we do something is important, but beliefs and “feelings” are very hard to change Change the behavior, and you begin to change the culture Changing beliefs can be done, but it takes a long time.

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Highest rated items I personally monitor submission and follow up on safety reports to be more aware of safety issues facing the organization SMS is about open communication and learning, and these core principles are clearly reflected in our organization’s SMS Our organization has adequate resources to allow it to function safely

Lowest Rated Items There are company rules or guidelines in place that support and protect me in case I have to make a safety related decision Giving and accepting feedback, constructive as well as positive, is second nature in our company, regardless of position or seniority Crew member or maintenance decisions to cancel, delay or divert a flight are never challenged by senior manager

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TED Talk - Margaret Heffernan “Dare to Disagree”

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Survey says… Are we afraid to speak up? “We are told feedback is encouraged. Feedback is not encouraged or used in reality” “Staff seems to fear they will suffer reprisal if they bring issues to light” “From my observation, a lot of people are afraid to give feedback” “Feedback is not welcome. A high score risk assessment is viewed as a problem” Are we afraid to speak up?

Nurturing your Safety Culture Identify gaps between current behaviors and desired behaviors Understand the beliefs that are driving the behavior Realignment of beliefs by changing the behavior Set in place support for desired behaviors Be and remain clear and consistent about desired behaviors

What can you do today? Pick a critical few behaviors that exemplify the best of your safety culture, and that you want everyone to adopt (Read Beyond Measure by Margaret Heffernan) Balance your appeals to the group to include both thinking and feeling cues Make the change sustainable by maintaining vigilance. Promote everyone’s involvement in SMS Learn from incidents in a non-punitive environment Let speaking up start with YOU Lead a discussion to determine how to foster cultural realignment. End with a story, video…something powerful. Maybe the Christmas bird video????

“Openness isn’t the end, it’s the beginning”

To learn more about Baldwin Safety & Compliance and SMS www.BaldwinAviation.com 888.222.2112