.png)
The foundation to make Health & Safety initiatives work, are always the people!
If the people within your company don´t see Health and Safety as a priority, than even the newest equipment, data based safety improvements and a ton of investment will not create a safe workplace - leading to incidents, near misses and absent workers.
"Safety is more than just tickboxes" - What a common statement! But what actually is behind the phrase?
We all want to go home safe at the end of the day but that doesn’t just happen by chance. Safety is built on what we do, what we say and what we believe is right. This blog is about how our everyday choices, big or small, can shape the safety culture on site.
A positive safety culture is about working together and looking out for each other as a TEAM. It is the foundation for your safety initiatives to work.
The way your team works (if safe or not) is shaped by what’s going on underneath. Our values, experiences and beliefs shape our actions - that’s the safety culture:
So, what exactly can the beliefs, values or experience shape the success of our Health & Safety strategy? Below we have created an overview with examples which makes it easier to understand:
Now we know what a Health and Safety Culture is... But how can you develop the safety culture at your workplace? Here are our best five tips:
Assessing the current Health and Safety Culture
Before you can improve your culture, you need to understand the current state within your company. Start by observing how people behave, talk about and engage with safety.
Conduct anonymous surveys and interviews with frontline teams.
Use audits, safety walks or heatmaps to pinpoint cultural hotspots.
Introduce a short reflective questionnaire after incidents or near misses.
Use the Bradley Curve to help visualise where your company sits, from reactive to interdependent.
➡ Are people just following rules, or are they genuinely looking out for one another?
Creating Awareness
Awareness goes beyond rules, it’s about understanding risks and why safe behaviours matter.
Run regular toolbox talks that focus on real-life incidents and lessons learned.
Use visual storytelling like posters, screen savers, short videos to keep key messages fresh.
Embed safety messages into shift briefings, onboarding sessions and even team huddles.
Encourage reflection with simple, open questions like: “What could go wrong?” or “What would safe look like here?”
➡ Safety shouldn’t just be something you remember, it should be something you notice, daily.
Involving the Workforce
Engagement grows when people are included in decisions that affect them.
Co-create risk assessments or control measures with those doing the job.
Invite workers to help design posters, training materials, or reporting processes.
Set up small “safety circles” where teams discuss one improvement idea per week.
Gather feedback anonymously via QR codes or suggestion boxes.
➡ When workers feel heard, they’re far more likely to act – and speak up when it counts.
Management Commitment
Safety must be seen as a leadership priority, not just in words, but in behaviour.
Managers should be present at safety briefings, not just review the notes.
Lead by example: wear correct PPE, stop unsafe work and admit when you don’t know.
Make safety a regular item in team meetings, not just after incidents.
Allocate visible resources to safety improvements, from lighting upgrades to new training kits.
➡ People follow what leaders do, not what they say. If safety matters to you, it will matter to them.
Reinforcement and proactive behaviour
Habits form through reinforcement. If you want people to take initiative, speak up and act safely, you need to recognise and reward that behaviour.
Use “Safety Shoutouts” or “Good Catch of the Week” notices in team areas.
Start meetings by sharing a positive safety moment.
Provide real-time feedback when someone takes a proactive step, even something small.
Create peer-nomination systems or mini-challenges tied to safety behaviours.
➡ Celebrating safe actions makes them more likely to happen again – and spreads the culture.
Bradley Curve
The Bradley Curve is a model developed by DuPont in 1995 to illustrate the relationship between an organization's safety culture and its safety performance. It outlines four stages of safety culture maturity, each reflecting a different level of employee engagement and responsibility towards safety.
1. Reactive Stage - In this initial stage, safety measures are minimal, and responses to incidents are primarily reactive. Employees often view accidents as inevitable, and there is little to no accountability for safety practices. Management may see safety as a cost rather than an investment, leading to high incident rates.
2. Dependent Stage - Here, safety is driven by rules and procedures established by management. Employees follow safety protocols because they are required to, often out of fear of disciplinary action. While this stage sees a reduction in accidents, the motivation for safe behavior is external rather than internal.
3. Independent Stage - At this level, individuals take personal responsibility for their safety. Employees understand the importance of safety measures and adhere to them out of personal commitment. This intrinsic motivation leads to further reductions in incidents and fosters a proactive safety culture.
4. Interdependent Stage - The pinnacle of safety culture maturity, the interdependent stage, is characterized by a collective commitment to safety. Employees not only take responsibility for their own safety but also look out for the safety of their colleagues. There is a strong sense of teamwork, mutual trust, and shared values, leading to sustained safety performance and continuous improvement.
LEAD Model
The LEAD model, developed by WorkSafe Queensland in collaboration with Curtin University and the University of Queensland, offers a practical framework for enhancing safety leadership across various workplace situations. It integrates multiple safety leadership theories into a cohesive approach that can be tailored to your organization's needs.
What is the LEAD Model?
L – Leverage: Focuses on achieving tasks by providing clarity and fairness in work processes.
E – Energise: Involves pursuing opportunities by inspiring and empowering team members.
A – Adapt: Emphasizes learning from mistakes to drive continuous improvement.
D – Defend: Centers on managing risks by being vigilant and implementing protective measures.
Each component corresponds to specific work situations, guiding leaders to adopt the most effective approach:
Leverage: Used when the goal is to get things done efficiently.
Energise: Applied when pursuing new opportunities or innovations.
Adapt: Relevant when learning from past mistakes or failures.
Defend: Essential when managing high-risk tasks to prevent incidents.
Applying the LEAD Model in Your Organisation
To effectively implement the LEAD model, consider the following steps:
Assess Current Leadership Practices: Evaluate how your organisation’s leaders currently approach safety and identify areas for improvement.
Train Leaders on LEAD Principles: Provide training sessions to familiarise leaders with the LEAD components and how to apply them in various scenarios.
Integrate LEAD into Safety Programs: Incorporate the LEAD model into existing safety protocols and initiatives to reinforce its principles.
Monitor and Evaluate: Regularly assess the impact of LEAD-based strategies on safety outcomes and make adjustments as needed.
By adopting the LEAD model, organisations can foster a proactive safety culture, enhance leadership effectiveness and ultimately reduce the occurrence of serious injuries and fatalities.
How can we help to improve your safety culture?
We support organisations in developing and sustaining a strong safety culture through a structured, ongoing process tailored to their people and work environment.
It starts with understanding where your organisation stands today. Through surveys, team discussions and observations, we uncover how safety is really perceived and practiced. These insights form the base for everything that follows.
From there, we co-create a practical strategy. Together, we define goals, identify focus areas and map out a clear path forward, using visual tools to make it relatable for everyone, not just leadership.
Along the way, we support your teams with behavioural safety training: Real conversations, toolbox talks and interactive workshops that bring safety into daily routines.
And as things evolve, so does our approach. We check in, adapt the strategy and keep building.
Thank you for reading!
