Knowledge Management – a Neglected Dimension in Discourse on Safety Management and Safety Culture – Evidence from Estonia

Abstract

Abstract. The current study proposes a model for a positive safety culture with a knowledge management dimension and tests this on a sample of 1757 employees from Estonian SMEs in different branches of industry, using the factor analysis. Despite conceptual and empirical justification, researchers have not consistently included concepts of knowledge management in safety culture studies. This paper explores the possibility of using Knowledge Management in the Occupational Health and Safety Management System. The paper reports on an empirical examination of the relationship between safety climate and safety culture through a knowledge management dimension with a special focus on the management of safety knowledge. The results of this study indicate that a safety climate has impact on the three dimensions of safety culture, namely psychological, behavioral and organizational aspects of safety culture. This paper supplements Cooper's Reciprocal Model of Safety Culture with Knowledge Management System Dimensions. Several specific features of knowledge management, such as communication, personal competence and responsibility, were found to influence the relationship between a safety climate and a safety culture. Thus, an effective assessment tool for the evaluation of knowledge management dimensions of safety culture could be proposed based on the results of this study.

Managers’ Perceptions of Organizational Safety: Implication for the Development of Safety Culture

“…Despite these limitations, this study has revealed findings that have both theoretical and practical significance. The implications that these findings have for both safety culture and organizational science research are of particular importance [24]. From a more practical standpoint, it is likely that senior managers can benefit from a balanced approach to safety that includes traditional safety management activities (i.e., management of physical or tangible resources/ assets, such as safer technology, regular audits, hazard identification, proper risk assessment; use of less hazardous chemicals and the elaboration of safe procedures, safety policies and guidelines etc.…”

“…This article examines relationships between a safety climate and a safety culture, tests an innovative conceptual safety culture model proposed in previous research [24], based on employers' responses. Focus is given on organizational safety culture and the structure or architecture of employees' and employers' attitudes to safety as part of that culture, as well as the ability to learn, which also should mean changes in employees' behavior in order to enhance safety culture.…”

“…The authors emphasize that the potency of the reciprocal model [24]; [25] for analyzing safety culture may be different in any given situation and might be influenced by potentially important internal and external organizational factors like environment, context, governance, relevant regulations, design etc. The reciprocal interactions among psychological, behavioral and organizational variables, which have been recognized and reflected in the major safety culture models, as well as the added knowledge variable indicate that the four dimensions to measure the overall safety culture of an organization are psychological, behavioral, organizational and knowledge aspects of safety culture.…”

“…The current survey comprises a sample of 463 employers and 1757 employees who filled out the questionnaires and participated in the study. The employees' questionnaire was analyzed in our previous study [24].…”

“…According to the results from employees' [24] and employers' perception survey, there are common factors which have a positive impact on the behavioral aspects of safety culture, but employees emphasized that the positive safety climate enhances not only employees' personal responsibility, but also contributes to co-workers' peer support to safety.…”