Safety Culture Initiative
The University of Arkansas is committed to creating a work environment where safety is supported, valued and part of everyday decisions. In support of the U of A’s 150 Forward Strategic Plan, the Provost’s Office has tasked the Health and Occupational Safety Committee (HOSC) to assess and advance campus safety culture. Safety culture underpins all aspects of the campus experience, including the university’s three main goals to advance student success, elevate research excellence, and increase recognition as an employer of choice.
This project will assess institutional safety climate, employee involvement in workplace safety, supporting safety activities, and leadership engagement and safety commitment. A survey will be launched in September to gather feedback from faculty, staff and students on their perceptions and experiences around workplace safety at the university.
The goals of this initiative are to strengthen workplace safety culture, improve safety communication and collaboration, increase recognition of workplace hazards, and reduce preventable injuries on campus.
At the end of this project, the HOSC will provide recommendations to campus leadership for consideration.
For more information on the study, contact Danielle Best, campus safety officer, at dbest@uark.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
This project examines current perceptions of safety culture across campus, assesses opportunities for improvement, and recommends reasonable action to executive leadership. As part of the initiative, the the Health and Occupational Safety Committee (HOSC) is developing a workplace safety culture survey intended to gauge perceptions and experiences related to workplace safety, which includes safety climate, employee involvement in workplace safety, supporting safety activities, and leadership engagement and safety commitment. The HOSC will assess survey responses and compare the results to best practices and recognized elements of a strong safety culture. After the initial assessment, a continuous cycle of assessment, action, and review will strengthen safety culture.
In support of our goal to enhance our status as an employer of choice, we recognize that people are our greatest asset, and a safe campus environment is a right of employment for all employees. The university seeks to provide a campus environment that supports the health and safety practices of its community (faculty, staff, students and visitors) and empowers the community to be responsible for the safety of others.
The university seeks to promote safety as a critical component of scholarly excellence and responsible research practices. Safety training and safety education are essential elements of research and education. They instill a culture of safety in the next generation of employees, researchers, and faculty, and are vitally important for our students’ career development and employability.
This project will evaluate workplace safety across campus, which includes safety climate, employee involvement in workplace safety, supporting safety activities, and leadership engagement and safety commitment. A survey will be launched in September to gather feedback from faculty, staff and students on their perceptions and experiences around workplace safety at the university.
This goals of this project are to:
- Elevate awareness of campus safety culture and increase collaboration regarding workplace
safety. - Evaluate perceptions of university workplace safety culture across campus.
- Identify areas of campus workplace safety culture strengths and vulnerabilities.
- Recommend compelling, reasonable, and actionable steps for safety culture improvement
to
campus leadership.
The purpose of this project is to elevate awareness of workplace safety culture and engage employees at all levels in strengthening workplace safety to secure the university’s status as an employer of choice.
A survey will evaluate the university’s overall safety culture perceptions. The university will use the results of the survey to improve safety culture and protocols across the university.
Direct changes to an individual employee’s job safety duties or responsibilities are not an objective of this project. If recommended, leadership may determine to adjust certain job duties to create more consistency regarding campus safety and more clearly represent the role’s expected responsibilities.