What does Safety Culture mean?

Over the past decade much has been learned about safety culture, its impacts (both positive and negative) on worker and patient safety, and how it allows organizations to be more effective in carrying out their missions.

Your Safety Culture Experts

For more information, contact Steve Bump at

(509) 942-3639 or sbump@moellerinc.com.

Safety Culture

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There are several definitions of safety culture. Below are a few examples. Safety Culture is defined by the NRC as the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment, by leaders and individuals, to emphasize safety over competing goals to ensure protection of people and the environment. The Joint Commission defines safety culture within health care as the summary of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and beliefs that staff share about the primary importance of the well-being and care of the patients they serve, supported by systems and structures that reinforce the focus on patient safety.

Why is it important to your hospital or clinic?

What does Safety Culture mean? Why should we be concerned about Safety Culture? How can an organization be sure that a positive Safety Culture exists and is being maintained? What can we do to make improvements to our Safety Culture? Are there specific traits that should be present in a healthy Safety Culture ? Is Safety Culture a Regulatory Requirement?

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Why should we be concerned about Safety Culture?

Safety Culture or the lack of Safety Culture can and will have a tangible effect on the safety of the patients and your employees. Maintaining a positive Safety Culture is the best defense against errors and serious events or accidents that can be experienced in any organization. Maintaining a positive Safety Culture is an essential component of improving overall health care quality.

What can we do to make improvements to our Safety Culture?

If improvements need to be made to your Safety Culture, the first step is a meaningful and visible commitment from management and employees. Once that commitment is in place, training and understanding need to follow.

Are there specific traits that should be present in a healthy Safety Culture ?
The NRC lists the following nine traits to be considered in developing a positive Safety Culture. 1. Leadership Safety Values and Actions 2. Problem Identification and Resolution 3. Personal Accountability 4. Work Processes 5. Continuous Learning

How can my hospital or clinic have confidence that a positive Safety Culture exists and is being maintained?
The most important thing we can do is have a thorough understanding of what it means to have a good safety culture. This can be accomplished through training, surveys, and assessing the current status of your organizations Safety Culture. It is important to understand that a healthy Safety Culture must be maintained and continuous improvements made as an organization learns through both internal and external operating experience and employee involvement and feedback.

Is Safety Culture a Regulatory Requirement?

Recently, the NRC has issued a Statement of Policy regarding their expectation that individuals and organizations establish and maintain a positive Safety Culture. Agreement States have also issued statements regarding this policy. Even though this Policy is currently not a regulation, the NRC and many States are looking at these policies as an important personality of an organization and encouraging regulated entities to seriously examine and establish a good safety culture as a critical philosophy for preventing errors and serious events that could have impacts on workers and the patients.

6. Environment for Raising Concerns 7. Effective Safety Communication 8. Respectful Work Environment 9. Questioning Attitude