A framework for understanding the development of organisational safety culture

A framework for the development and maturation of organisational safety culture was formulated. The content of the framework was informed by 26 semi-structured interviews with oil and gas company executives, each very experienced in the industry. The form of the framework was based on Westrum's [Westrum, R., 1996. Human factors experts beginning to focus on organizational factors in safety. ICAO Journal] typology of organisational cultures, which was adapted and extended as proposed by Reason [Reason, J., 1997. Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents. Ashgate, Aldershot]. The product was a set of short descriptions of each of a number of aspects of organisational safety at each of five levels of safety culture advancement. The framework was assessed for face validity. Theoretical implications and possible applications of the framework are discussed.