Through their regulatory activities, whether linked with certification, supervision or awareness, National Safety Authorities (NSA) play a major role on the development of a safety culture within their stakeholders’ organisation.

Three complementary kinds of strategy to influence safety culture may be distinguished.

A first one gathers initiatives to promote information sharing and to raise awareness (Promotion-based); A second explores the links between the CSM on SMS requirements and safety culture (Regulation-based) and a more ambitious third type, Picture-building, which aims at developing an accurate understanding of the stakeholder’s organisational culture over the time. A picture-building strategy relies on a safety culture oversight process, through which inspectors and NSA staff continuously identify relevant information (safety culture markers) during any regulatory activity or any interaction with the stakeholder, and regularly analyse the data collected, progressively building and updating the resulting “picture”. Based on this picture, discussions with stakeholders should then lead to safety improvements.

The Agency has developed a 2-day classroom training targeting NSA staff including managers, auditors, inspectors, and analysts, to get acquainted with the three kinds of regulatory strategies to influence stakeholders’ safety culture. Training sessions are interactive and shaped by the participants’ experience and interest. After the course, NSA professionals are able to design appropriate strategies to influence stakeholders’ approach to safety culture.