Safety Culture Assessments Show Areas of Strength, Opportunities

A Safety Culture Assessment is conducted on-site by a team of SLSI professionals and combines an online employee survey, on-site employee interviews, safety documents reviews, and field observations. At its conclusion, railroad management receive an in-depth evaluation of performance on their railroad, reviewed using the Ten Core Elements of a Strong Safety Culture, as adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safety Council, plus resources and tools. According to SLSI, a Safety Culture Assessment is voluntary, non-punitive, confidential, and free of charge to short line, passenger, tourist, and commuter railroads.

The FRA conducts an evaluation of Safety Culture Assessments annually and from it the SLSI develops programs and resources to assist short line railroads. Past annual evaluations have resulted in programs such as Hazardous Materials Training for railroaders and area emergency responders, the TERP program, and the Leading Forward Class.

The latest research results paper (download below) analyzed 20 Safety Culture Assessments.

A frequency analysis found the following areas of strength, listed in prevalence order:

1. “Provision of PPE: Railroads provide PPE to employees as needed and it is readily available.
2. “Approaching Management with Safety Concerns: Employees feel comfortable communicating safety related issues/concerns.
3. “Helping Coworkers: Employees are willing to assist each other in understanding and performing safety-related work tasks.
4. “Safety Communication Quality/Quantity: Bulletins and alerts are used as a learning opportunity on how to prevent safety incidents.
5. “Leadership/Management Field Presence: There is an adequate presence of management members in the field.”

Opportunities for improvement included:

1. “System for Reporting Safety Concerns/Resolutions: Some railroads could improve their systems for reporting and tracking employee concerns and resolutions to these concerns.
2. “Recognition of Safe Work Practices: Some employees express a desire for more recognition (beyond awards) and reinforcement in the field for engaging in safe work practices.
3. “Safe Work Practices: There is a perception at some railroads that work practices may allow unsafe behaviors in order to get the job done faster.
4. “Orderly Workplace: The organization or maintenance of the property at some railroads could be improved.
5. “Safety Action Plan: Some railroads could create a safety action plan that is well communicated.”

“Our process for measuring safety culture is the most comprehensive and robust in the railroad industry,” SLSI Director of Safety Culture Programs Sam Cotton said. “On an annual basis, we review our body of work—more than 150 SCAs to date—and document industry trends. We celebrate the safety culture strengths that are noted across the industry, and develop programs and resources to address emerging opportunities for improvement.”

“Just as short line railroads seek to continuously improve their Safety Culture, the SLSI seeks to continuously improve our service to the industry,” added Tom Murta, Executive Director of SLSI. “Opportunities for improvement across the industry identified during the annual review process have led to the development of successful programs such as our Leading Forward class, a robust library of Safety Tips and Videos for use in safety briefings, Hazardous Materials Training for railroads and first responders, and a new program we are piloting that will assist railroads in solving problems with a structured approach. This year’s review will lead to several actions, including reviewing best practices for recognizing safe work practices in the field as part of our Leading Forward class, and printed resources that we can provide during the closeout meeting such as templates for Safety Action Plans, and a tracker for reporting and resolving safety concerns.”

Further Reading:

• Implementing SLSI Recommendations Boosts Safety Culture, Study Finds
• Safety: How You Function When No One is Watching
• Small-Road Briefs: CORP/Cathcart; OmniTRAX/SLSI; R.J. Corman
• OmniTRAX Teams With SLSI for Emergency Response Training
• ‘The Most Robust Model for Safety Culture Assessment’
• SLSI: 100 Safety Culture Assessments