The Role of Safety Culture in Preventing Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes (2007)

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S U M M A R Y Approach. While improvement of “safety culture” is sought by organizations that face safety risks, the specifics of the term itself and the methods by which safety culture is fostered are rela- tively ambiguous. A key reason for this is the general lack of standardization of the highly qual- itative term “safety culture,” even within the trucking and motorcoach industries. Understanding this ambiguity, the CTBSSP 14 research team synthesized the current avail- able research and literature pertaining to safety culture, finding specific ties between the avail- able body of knowledge and the motor carrier industries. The effort also included a data collection component, consisting of convenience sample surveys and interviews of motor car- rier safety managers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, as well as case study data col- lect onsite, directly from motor carriers. This report contains an outline of suggested steps for increasing safety culture through a series of best practices. The report concludes with a discus- sion of findings and final research needs. Literature Review. The research team’s approach includes an extensive review of the liter- ature on organizational culture, safety, and the concept of “safety culture.” This review includes, but is not limited to, research conducted in the field of transportation, with a specific focus on the transport of goods and people in the following sectors: trucking, motorcoach, aviation, and maritime. Safety culture-related research of the high risk chemical and energy production indus- tries and similar types of operations were also included. The literature review identified the following key concepts: • Culture and safety have a clear connection. • Safety culture is best defined and indexed by an organization’s norms, attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding safety. • Effective top to bottom safety communication and interactions enhance safety culture. • Terms such as “accident” and “mishap” are often replaced with the terms “crash,” “wreck,” and other more appropriate, straightforward terms in many safe cultures. • In many instances, organizations, organizational subgroups, and professions may each have identifiable safety culture. • Recognition and certain rewards systems for safe behavior are an effective component of safety culture. • Driver experience enhances a safety culture, especially if that experience is with one carrier. Driver retention problems, however, have the potential for degrading a safety culture. • Many levels of communicating safety culture are necessary in “remote workforce” industries such as truck and bus operations. • Policies, procedures, employee safety responsibilities, and safety messages must be clear and simple. The Role of Safety Culture in Preventing Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes 1

2• Hiring practices, safety training and education, company orientation, and safety management are all key components of a safety culture. • Measuring safety performance of drivers and the organization as a whole are key components of a safety culture. Safety Culture Survey, Interview, and Case Study Results. Through the safety manager survey and interview process, it was found that safety managers look positively on top to bottom communications, as well as internal cooperation within an organization, effective and simple communications, safety training and education, full organizational participation in safety programs (not just safety departments and drivers), and a good balance between positive and negative motivations. Safety managers indicated that a culture of fear is not positive or effective, nor are generic, indirect safety program methods. Drivers indicated that the independence found in the profession is a positive aspect, which in many ways contradicts the basic foundations of an organizational culture and a safety culture, even if a personal “safety ethic” exists. All drivers indicated that safety was a priority profession- ally and was also a priority for their employer. All drivers realized that the heaviest level of safety responsibility rested with them. Eighty percent of those interviewed indicated that their company had a rewards/recognition program for safe behavior, and there was an indication that drivers tend to communicate with peers within their own organization more often than those outside of their organization. Finally, three trucking companies participated in onsite safety culture discussions that acted as comprehensive case studies, detailing the company safety culture examples, and methods for producing and maintaining a safety culture. Safety Culture Relationship Framework. The safety culture relationship framework sec- tion suggests a list of practices that will aid in the development of a positive culture of safety within a motor carrier. Such actions include the following: • Develop or redevelop internal definitions of culture and safety • Conduct “Swiss cheese” analyses • Identify and dispel myths • Conduct institutional safety knowledge development • Define or redefine employee safety roles from top to bottom • Assess the effectiveness of safety communication and reengineer systems of safety communication • Create or enhance a system of safety record data collection and analysis • Develop or redevelop motivational tools • Improve driver retention The safety culture itself, as has been shown through the literature and data collection, requires a multilevel, comprehensive series of safety program steps and procedures that act as a baseline for safety management efforts. When such programs are implemented, there is a ten- dency to seek to mitigate bad behavior by isolating such behavior and their relationships to future crashes. This leads to greater levels of safety, thus linking safety culture and safety performance. Best Practices Guidelines. The best practices guidelines chapter takes key findings from the literature review, data collection efforts, and discussion of the safety culture to develop practical questions and actions for motor carrier safety managers to use when developing their organization’s safety culture. It is organized in four stages:

3Stage 1: Assess Safety Culture Stage 2: Identify Safety Culture Improvement Areas Stage 3: Develop Solutions to Improve Safety Culture Stage 4: Implement Safety Culture Improvement Plan and Reassess Findings and Summary of Major R&D Needs. Based on this analysis, it is recommended that future research be conducted on (1) the connection between driver retention and safety, (2) the influence of driver peers on safety, and (3) the safety culture limitations faced by smaller carriers. Additionally, a test of the effectiveness of the Best Practices Guidelines on increasing motor carrier safety culture should be conducted in an effort to formalize the process of increas- ing safety culture. Final conclusions and findings are also offered in this section.