A safety culture fails when it only works under supervision. It succeeds when people make good decisions on their own. That difference matters more than any policy or checklist. Real safety shows up in quiet moments, during routine work, and when no one feels observed.
Frank Elsner has spent decades working in environments where poor decisions carried real consequences. His experience spans frontline operations, intelligence work, executive leadership, and organisational safety. Today, he oversees safety and security for a large Canadian company. His perspective is grounded in practice, not theory. He has seen what happens when systems work only on paper, and what happens when habits guide behaviour.
“Most incidents don’t start with bad intent,” he has said. “They start with small shortcuts that slowly feel normal.”
That insight explains why safety culture is less about rules and more about behaviour.
Why Safety Culture Breaks Down
Many organisations believe safety improves by adding more rules. They add policies, procedures, and training sessions. The intention is good. The results are often mixed.
Data helps explain why. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 80 percent of workplace incidents are linked to human behaviour rather than equipment failure. Most of these incidents happen during routine tasks. They do not happen during emergencies or rare events.
People usually know the rules. They ignore them when the rules feel inconvenient or unrealistic. Speed, comfort, and habit often win.
“People follow what feels normal in the moment,” Elsner has explained. “They do not reach for a manual when they are busy.”
A safety culture breaks down when safe behaviour feels optional or impractical.
What Safety Looks Like When It Works
A strong safety culture is quiet. It does not rely on constant reminders. It shows up in small actions.
Someone pauses work because something feels wrong.
Someone speaks up even when it feels uncomfortable.
Someone fixes a problem instead of stepping around it.
These actions come from habit, not instruction. They develop over time through repetition and reinforcement.
Start With Everyday Behaviour
Safety does not begin with major incidents. It begins with everyday behaviour. Most unsafe actions are small. They feel harmless at first.
People skip steps to save time.
They assume someone else has checked.
They trust familiarity over caution.
Over time, these choices stack up. To change them, safety must live inside daily work, not outside it.
Make the Right Choice the Easy Choice
People are more likely to act safely when safe behaviour feels easy. When unsafe behaviour feels faster or simpler, safety loses.
This problem often appears in system design.
Tools are stored too far away.
Processes take too long.
Forms feel unnecessary.
Improving safety often means removing friction. Move tools closer. Simplify steps. Remove tasks that add no value.
“When systems fight people, people win every time,” Elsner has said. “Good systems work with how humans behave.”
Measure What People Do, Not What They Say
Many organisations rely on surveys to measure safety culture. Surveys measure opinions. Behaviour shows belief.
Research supports this. The National Safety Council reports that organisations tracking near misses can reduce serious incidents by as much as 50 percent. Near misses reveal real decisions made during normal work.
They show where systems fail quietly.
Reward Reporting, Not Outcomes
People hide mistakes when they fear blame. That silence increases risk.
Reporting should feel routine and safe. Leaders should respond quickly, fix issues, and thank the person who raised the concern.
Elsner once described a team where near-miss reports tripled in six months. Leaders worried at first. They thought safety was declining. In reality, trust had improved.
“That’s when we knew the culture was shifting,” he said. “People felt safe enough to speak up.”
Teach Thinking, Not Just Compliance
Rules matter. Judgment matters more.
Training often focuses on what to do. It rarely focuses on how to think. Real work does not always match training scenarios.
People need tools to assess risk when conditions change. Simple questions help.
What could go wrong here?
What is different today?
What feels off?
These questions build awareness and decision-making.
Use Short Debriefs
One effective habit comes from high-risk teams. Short debriefs turn experience into learning.
After a task, ask three questions.
What worked?
What did not?
What should change next time?
This takes minutes. It builds clarity.
“Debriefs turn experience into improvement,” Elsner has said. “Without them, people repeat mistakes.”
Debriefs work best when used after routine work, not only after failures.
Leadership Sets the Ceiling
Safety culture never rises above leadership behaviour.
If leaders rush, teams rush.
If leaders ignore rules, teams notice.
If leaders listen, teams speak up.
Leadership influence does not come from speeches. It comes from consistency.
Leaders should follow the same rules as everyone else. They should ask safety questions early. They should pause work when something feels wrong.
People copy behaviour faster than they follow instructions.
Silence Is a Tool
Many leaders talk too much. Silence creates space for thinking.
Silence allows people to reflect.
Silence invites others to speak.
Silence reveals problems.
Pausing after a question often leads to better answers. Discomfort can be useful.
“Silence makes room for the truth,” Elsner has observed. “Noise often hides it.”
Build Habits That Last
Culture is habit at scale. Posters fade. Habits remain.
Research from Duke University shows that over 40 percent of daily actions are driven by habit. That means safety depends on what people do automatically.
Focus on a few behaviours. Practice them often.
Pause before starting work.
Speak up when unsure.
Fix small issues early.
Repeat these behaviours until they feel normal.
What Organisations Can Do This Week
Improving safety does not require a major programme. Small actions matter.
Walk the worksite and ask what slows safe work. Fix one issue.
Review near misses in regular meetings.
End meetings with one safety question.
Remove one rule that adds no value.
Small actions build trust and credibility.
When No One Is Watching
The real test of safety culture happens during routine work. It happens on late shifts and familiar tasks.
That is where habits decide outcomes.
“Safety is what people do when there’s no audience,” Elsner has said. “If it works there, it works everywhere.”
A strong safety culture does not rely on fear or control. It relies on trust, clarity, and habit.
Build systems that respect human behaviour. Design work that supports safe choices. Lead by example. Listen more than you speak.
When no one is watching, culture will speak for itself.
Pallavi Singal is the Vice President of Content at ztudium, where she leads innovative content strategies and oversees the development of high-impact editorial initiatives. With a strong background in digital media and a passion for storytelling, Pallavi plays a pivotal role in scaling the content operations for ztudium’s platforms, including Businessabc, Citiesabc, and IntelligentHQ, Wisdomia.ai, MStores, and many others. Her expertise spans content creation, SEO, and digital marketing, driving engagement and growth across multiple channels. Pallavi’s work is characterised by a keen insight into emerging trends in business, technologies like AI, blockchain, metaverse and others, and society, making her a trusted voice in the industry.
