Organisational occupational health and safety culture and behaviour in the electricity distribution / retail industry in New South Wales

Abstract

While good progress has been made in the reduction of fatalities and serious incidents leading to injury in the electricity distribution industry in New South Wales, a further reduction seems difficult to achieve. This thesis investigates the influence that the organisational culture, and in particular the safety culture, has had on efforts to further reduce safety incidents in the electricity distribution industry in New South Wales. This industry is concerned with providing electricity throughout New South Wales through a network of wires carried on poles and also underground cables. Frontline workers construct and maintain the distribution system, operating from various field centres throughout the state in a diverse environment with risks including communication difficulties due to remote locations and adverse weather conditions. In addition to the safety risks associated with manual handling and operating plant and machinery experienced by many people in workplaces, this industry has hazards associated with working with, or physically close to electricity. Historically a number of fatalities and serious injuries have occurred to frontline workers coming into contact with energised conductors and equipment, and falling from heights. The frontline workers have a raft of safety legislation, guidelines and procedures to enable them to work safely in the industry and a strict training and qualification regime. In spite of this there have occurred over the study period a number of serious incidents resulting in injury and fatalities to front line workers. Transcripts of prosecutions in the industry from 1993 to 2007 reveal that the safety incidents were avoidable. The analysis of the transcripts indicate that a number of failures in the management of safety have occurred leading to the injury, or death, of front line workers. The missing factor in the management of safety is revealed as the lack in most cases of a positive safety culture. This is illustrated by the recognition by one of the three distributors (Country Energy) of the importance of organisational safety culture and the efforts by them to improve their safety performance. A study of the research that has been conducted by various authors including Hopkins (2005) and Reason (1997) in the discipline of organisational safety culture indicates that improvement can be made to the safety of front line workers by organisations creating a positive safety culture. The creation of a safety culture will require a greater focus upon total commitment and active involvement at all levels of the organisations concerned, from the Board of Directors to the frontline workers. This would entail a genuine consultation process in the design and implementation of the cultural change program. Attitude changes in management from the 'blame the victim' approach evident in the transcripts of prosecutions to that of seeking to identify all causal factors in safety incidents and rectifying hazards identified. In this way further reduction in safety incidents can be achieved in the industry.

Date of Award	2010
Original language	English