EHS Insight's
Safety Maturity Model

Level 1 safety culture is characterized by a purely reactive approach, marked by minimal training, underreported incidents, and disregard for safety norms like using personal protective equipment, reflecting a broad neglect for proactive safety measures. To elevate this culture, comprehensive assessments of leadership, stakeholder influence, and existing safety practices are recommended, alongside tools such as OSHA's self-evaluation, to identify gaps and align policies with stringent safety standards for continuous improvement.

Level 2 safety culture is reactive with a blame culture and minimal proactive measures, relying heavily on personal protective equipment and only meeting minimum legal compliance; it features sporadic incident investigations focusing on blame and limited preventive actions. To progress, efforts should focus on improving incident reporting and investigations, enhancing training programs, and integrating skills management using tools like OSHA's requirements and EHS Insight's modules to support a shift towards a more proactive safety culture.

Level 3 safety culture is responsive and compliance-focused, characterized by in-depth incident analysis, broad employee participation, robust training, and proactive measures like industrial hygiene monitoring and daily safety talks. Efforts to improve this culture include enhancing safety meetings and introducing behavior-based activities and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) methodologies to engage employees and prevent incidents, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing hazards and risks in daily operations.

Level 4 safety culture is proactive and ownership-driven, emphasizing engineering solutions over personal protective equipment and conducting preemptive risk assessments to exceed legal requirements, with all organizational levels engaged in continuous safety improvement. This culture integrates tools like Job Safety Analysis and Standard Operating Procedures to manage risks systematically, supports a rigorous audit program, and uses predictive analysis to enhance safety standards continuously.

A Level 5 safety culture represents the zenith of proactive safety, where safety practices are not only workplace norms but are deeply internalized values integral to daily operations and embraced by all workforce levels, ensuring risks are managed before they manifest. This culture fosters continuous improvement through self-regulation, robust auditing, and integration of EHS into all departments, with a strong emphasis on managing organizational transitions and promoting safety through both reward and incentive programs.