Introduction to Fire Safety Management

4.6
External infl uences on safety culture
No organisation operates in isolation. Despite all the 
good intents and actions of management, the safety cul-
ture of organisations is infl uenced signifi cantly by exter-
nal forces which are, in the main, outside the control of 
management.
It is true to say that safety culture cannot be 
separated from the wider culture of an effectively 
managed business or operation, and that a reliable view 
of it should not focus on safety alone but rather on the 
delivery of the business objectives as a whole, including 
those for quality and service delivery.
Key among the external infl uences impacting on the 
safety culture are:
➤
Legal
➤
Economical
➤
Stakeholder 
expectations
➤
Technical.
4.6.1 Legal
The legal framework within which organisations manage 
safety issues should have a signifi cant positive impact 
Figure 4.9
External infl uences on safety culture
Safety culture
Legal
Stakeholder
expectations
Economical
Technical

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Safety culture
73
on the culture of an organisation. For example, the law 
relating to how employers consult with their employ-
ees should if complied with result in early and effective 
engagement of the workforce in discussions relating to 
any matter that may affect their safety.
The mere act of employers consulting effectively 
with their employees as a result of complying with the 
law will result in improved working relationships and 
more effective risk management systems.
It is not only the law in terms of the acts and regula-
tions that shape an organisation’s culture, but also 
enforcement action taken by the Health and Safety 
Executive and other enforcement bodies. For example, 
if the Health and Safety Executive were to issue an 
improvement notice on, for instance, a local outlet 
of a national retail organisation, the impact of that 
local improvement notice will be felt across the entire 
organisation.