Strengthening Process Safety Culture

In the high-risk industries of oil, gas, and chemicals, effective Process Safety Management (PSM) is critical to preventing catastrophic incidents. Regulatory compliance and traditional management systems that focus on technical aspects and work processes alone are not enough. Success requires the incorporation of a strong process safety culture based on learnings from past incidents. Organizations must engage both hearts and minds to create an environment where safety is embedded at every level. This blog post is the first in a two-part series exploring process safety culture. Here, we examine the foundational aspects, including leadership’s role, past industry lessons, and the evolution of safety culture models. In the next post, we will delve into Improving Process Safety Culture through Behavioral-Based Process Safety.

The Role of Process Safety Culture

Process safety culture is the collective mindset and behaviors within an organization that drive safe operations. A strong culture ensures that employees consistently make the right safety choices, even when no one is watching. The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) defines process safety culture as the pattern of shared written and unwritten attitudes and behavior norms that positively influence how a facility or company collectively supports the successful execution and improvement of its process safety management systems, resulting in preventing process safety incidents.

Learning from Past Incidents

History has shown that weaknesses in process safety culture can contribute to major accidents. The Longford Gas Plant Explosion in Australia is a key example, where audits conducted prior to the incident found no deficiencies in the management system, giving management a false sense of confidence in their process safety performance and culture. Similarly, the Texas City Refinery Explosion was analyzed by the Baker Panel investigation, which revealed systemic issues in process safety culture, management oversight, and leadership commitment. These cases underscore that compliance alone is insufficient, organizations must actively cultivate a strong safety culture to prevent such disasters.

Evolving Safety Culture Models

Over the decades, various models have been developed to understand and improve safety culture, including:
• Henrich’s Safety Triangle (1930s) – The foundational theory linking minor incidents to major accidents.
• Sociotechnical Systems (1950s) – Recognizing the interaction between people, processes, and technology.
• Behavior-Based Safety (1980s) – Focusing on individual behaviors as a key to improving safety.
• Bradley’s Curve (1995) – Showing the progression from reactive to proactive safety cultures.

While these models have been refined and have improved occupational safety, process safety culture has not fully matured and remains an evolving field with room for growth.

The Evolution of CCPS Core Principles for Process Safety Culture

Over the past two decades, even CCPS has expanded its core process safety principles to place a greater emphasis on safety culture. In 2004, the principles focused on fundamental cultural aspects such as:

• Maintaining a Sense of Vulnerability – Having a healthy level of respect for the hazards and risks in the facility and company.
• Combating Normalization of Deviation – Ensuring that small safety compromises and deviance from approved rules and standards are not accepted.
• Establishing an Imperative for Safety – Making safety a non-negotiable priority as production is not possible without process safety.
• Performing Valid/Timely Hazard/Risk Assessments – Ensuring risks are continually evaluated.
• Ensuring Open and Frank Communication – Encouraging employees to report concerns without fear.
• Learning & Advocating the Culture – Embedding safety as a core organizational value, with lessons learned sought internally and externally.

The list was updated in 2018 to reflect the growing understanding of leadership’s role in shaping culture, adding principles such as:

• Providing Strong Leadership – Demonstrating a visible and active commitment to safety.
• Empowering Individuals to Successfully Fulfill their Safety Responsibilities – Ensuring employees have the resources and authority to act safely.
• Deferring to Expertise – Recognizing and leveraging the technical knowledge of those closest to the work.
• Fostering Mutual Trust – Building an environment where safety concerns are openly discussed and addressed.

Challenges to Sustaining Safety Culture

Organizations face several challenges in maintaining a strong safety culture. An aging workforce presents difficulties in knowledge transfer, making it crucial to retain expertise and facilitate mentorship. Cost and speed pressures often lead to compromises in safety as organizations prioritize faster operations and cost-cutting measures. Additionally, rapid technological disruptions, such as artificial intelligence and digital tools, are changing how knowledge is shared and decisions are made. This requires companies to adapt while maintaining strong safety principles.

Strong Leadership in Process Safety

Effective leadership is essential to fostering a strong process safety culture. Senior management and line organizations play a crucial role in shaping process safety culture through their actions and priorities. Leaders must not only set safety missions, goals, and provide necessary resources but also demonstrate visible and felt leadership. Earning respect and inspiring people through meaningful engagement ensures that safety is not just a set of rules but an ingrained value. True leadership in process safety goes beyond being physically present, it requires active participation in safety activities, influencing behaviors, and fostering a culture where employees feel empowered and committed to safety.

The Journey Toward a Stronger Culture

Process safety culture is not a one-time initiative — it is an ongoing journey that requires continuous leadership commitment, employee engagement, and regular assessment. Organizations that invest in building a strong safety culture not only prevent incidents but also create more resilient and efficient operations.

AcuTech has extensive experience conducting process safety culture assessments across industries. These assessments involve:

• Benchmarking and Maturity Assessments – Evaluating the organization’s current culture and setting goals for improvement.
• Employee Surveys and Audits – Gathering direct feedback to measure engagement and identify cultural gaps.
• Actionable Improvement Plans – Developing targeted strategies to strengthen safety culture at all levels.

At AcuTech, we specialize in helping organizations assess, strengthen, and sustain their process safety culture. As a proud member of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), AcuTech consultants have authored CCPS guidelines and publications such as Essential Practices for Creating, Strengthening, and Sustaining Process Safety Culture. This book presents a much-needed guide for understanding an organization’s working culture. It contains information on why a good culture is essential for safe, cost-effective, and high-quality operations. Contact us to learn how we can support your journey toward a safer future.

 

This concludes part one of our series on process safety culture. In our next post, we will explore Improving Process Safety Culture through Behavioral-Based Process Safety. We will dive into strategies for enhancing individual and organizational behaviors to drive safer operations.