Repeated assessment of process safety culture in major hazard industries in the Rotterdam region (Netherlands)

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In 2018, safety culture assessments were carried out in the Rotterdam region in nineteen major hazard companies. Four industrial sectors were involved: refineries, (petro) chemical industry, bulk storage, and chemical warehousing and logistics. Fourteen companies had participated in a similar evaluation in 2012. The assessment methodology developed in 2012 was both pragmatic (with a focus on fourteen dimensions) and normative (using a scale of 1–5 for safety culture maturity). A score of 3.0 was regarded as the minimum acceptable score for major hazards companies. The safety culture maturity scores compiled in this study allowed benchmarking of the safety cultures among the companies and sectors. The refineries had the highest ratings. In two chemical warehousing and logistics companies the safety culture maturity was below acceptable. Strengths and weaknesses of safety culture were identified at company and sector levels, and each company recognized and acknowledged the outcomes. The consistency in safety culture levels was shown to be an important factor, inconsistency blurring the borders between predefined levels of safety culture.The study is the first to present results of repeated safety culture maturity assessments. Comparing the 2012 and 2018 results in fourteen companies showed that consistently good or excellent scores in 2012 were a good predictor for an adequate safety culture six years later. The results showed that it is possible to improve the safety culture in six years from below acceptable (2.5) to good (4.0). However, no evidence was found for the ‘maturing process’ suggested in the theory. The interventions that were likely to have contributed to improvements in safety culture were education and training, launching a safety culture improvement program, realizing concrete safety improvements, and strengthening the involvement of the personnel.