What is the scope of safety culture?

A safety culture is a broad concept, encompassing a wide range of subjects, fields, and scopes. In other words, the development of a safety culture is a matter for the entire society, reflecting the concept of \"comprehensive safety\". However, what enterprises focus on most in terms of safe production is the development of a safety culture within the company. The corporate safety culture is the most important component of the safety culture. The corporate safety culture and society’s public safety culture are not only interconnected but also interact with one another; therefore, we need to understand safety culture within a broader context. The scope of safety culture can be categorized from the following three perspectives: 1. The structural framework of safety culture. In terms of its structural form, safety culture includes safety concept culture, safety behavior culture, safety management culture, and safety physical culture. The safety concept culture constitutes the spiritual layer of safety culture, the safety behavior culture and safety management culture form the institutional layer, while the safety material culture represents the physical layer of safety culture. Safety culture: It mainly refers to the safety awareness, safety concepts, and safety value standards commonly accepted by policymakers and the general public. The safety concept culture is the core and soul of safety culture, and it serves as the foundation and reason for the formation and improvement of safety behavior culture, institutional culture, and physical culture. In contemporary times, the safety culture we need to establish includes a prevention-first mindset, the view that safety is also a form of productivity, the principle that safety comes first, the understanding that safety translates into benefits, the notion that safety contributes to quality of life, a focus on risk minimization, the pursuit of optimal safety levels, a proactive approach to safety, and a scientific approach to safety management. Additionally, there is a need for awareness of self-protection, the importance of insurance as a preventive measure, and the necessity of taking precautions to avoid problems before they arise. ? Safety behavior culture: refers to the norms of safe behavior, ways of thinking, and patterns of action that people exhibit in their daily lives and work processes, under the guidance of a safety-oriented cultural mindset. Behavioral culture is both a reflection of conceptual culture and, at the same time, influences and changes it. In modern industrialized societies, the safety behavior culture that needs to be developed includes: adopting scientific safety thinking, strengthening high-quality safety knowledge*, implementing strict safety standards, providing scientific safety leadership and supervision, mastering necessary emergency self-rescue skills, and carrying out proper safety procedures, among others. ? Safety management (system) culture: The safety management culture is an important part of a company’s behavioral culture, and therefore is discussed in a dedicated section. Management culture refers to the normative and restrictive influence it has on the behavior of social organizations (or enterprises) and their employees; it reflects the requirements imposed by conceptual culture and material culture on leaders and staff. The development of a safety management culture involves everything from establishing a legal mindset, strengthening awareness of the law, and adopting a proper attitude toward it, to scientifically formulating laws, standards, and regulations, implementing strict enforcement procedures, and engaging in conscientious law-enforcement practices. At the same time, the construction of a safety management culture also includes the improvement and rationalization of administrative measures, as well as the establishment and strengthening of economic measures, among others. ? Safety material culture: Safety material culture is the superficial aspect of safety culture; it serves as the foundation for the development of conceptual culture and behavioral culture. The safety material culture often reflects the safety awareness and attitudes of an organization’s or company’s leadership, embodies the concepts and philosophy behind the company’s safety management, and demonstrates the effectiveness of the safety behavior culture. Therefore, matter is the manifestation of culture and also the foundation for its development. The safety culture in the production process of enterprises is reflected in two aspects: first, the inherent safety of human technology and lifestyle as well as production processes; second, the safety conditions and reliability of artificial elements such as technologies and tools used in production and daily life, as well as safety devices, instruments, and tools that are adapted to nature. 2. The object system of safety culture: Culture is directed at specific individuals and is measured in relation to a particular object. In addition to the issue of ensuring that the general public, citizens, students, employees, and others possess a safety culture awareness, there are generally five groups involved in the development of a corporate safety culture: the legal representative or corporate decision-makers, managers at all levels of production within the company (department heads, workshop supervisors, team leaders, etc.), dedicated safety personnel within the company, company employees, and the family members of these employees. Obviously, the required aspects, levels, and degrees of a safety culture vary depending on the different entities. For example, the safety culture of corporate entities emphasizes safety concepts, attitudes, safety regulations, and management knowledge; it does not focus on skills related to safety or knowledge of safe operations. For instance, a corporate decision-maker should foster a safety-oriented culture that includes a philosophy of putting safety first, an emotional commitment to respecting human life and health, an economic perspective that views safety as a source of benefits, and a scientific approach that prioritizes prevention. Different entities require different aspects of a safety culture, and their specific knowledge systems need to be established through safety education and training. 3. The domain system of safety culture: From the perspective of the spatial aspect of safety culture development, there is the issue of its domain system, that is, the differences and distinct characteristics in the essence and features of safety culture across industries, regions, and enterprises, which are caused by factors such as production methods, operational characteristics, staff qualifications, and regional environments. Therefore, based on the needs of building a safety culture within enterprises, the areas covered by such a culture are divided into the safety culture in the external social environment of the enterprise, including aspects such as safety culture in families, communities, and places for leisure and entertainment ； The safety culture within an enterprise, that is, the safety culture in areas such as the factory premises, workshops, and workstations. For example, the development of a traffic safety culture involves issues related to safety culture building within industries such as civil aviation and railways, as well as in public areas such as airports and roads. Having a clear overall understanding of the scope of safety culture plays an important role in guiding its development. A safety culture is a broad concept, encompassing a wide range of subjects, fields, and scopes. In other words, the development of a safety culture is a matter for the entire society, reflecting the concept of \"comprehensive safety\". However, what enterprises focus on most in terms of safe production is the development of a safety culture within the company. The corporate safety culture is the most important component of the safety culture. The corporate safety culture and society’s public safety culture are not only interconnected but also interact with one another; therefore, we need to understand safety culture within a broader context.

In terms of cultural forms, the scope of safety culture includes safety concept culture, safety behavior culture, safety management culture, and safety physical culture. The safety concept culture constitutes the spiritual layer of safety culture, the safety behavior culture and safety management culture form the institutional layer, while the safety material culture represents the physical layer of safety culture.