(40n) Process Safety Culture 2.0: Upgrading Learning and Knowledge Management

Sound safety culture is a pillar of the processing industry, linking the transformation of workplace safety into competency. Yet, safety culture is often underrepresented as a one-dimensional pyramid focused on group values, attitudes, beliefs, and norms. Using a case study approach, this paper explores how learning management systems (LMS) foster dynamic organizational learning environments to cultivate healthy process safety culture. Embedding opportunities to learn – and learn from each other – is indicative of continuous learning at all organizational levels, where the flow of information and experiences becomes a two-way dialogue.

Much like organizational learning, organizational culture is a collaborative, collective process that evolves over time through knowledge acquisition. In our digitalized world, learning opportunities and knowledge sharing across organizations become more accessible and scalable to enrich safety culture. As individual and team learning unfolds, so too should improved performance. However, the success of this process is contingent upon three key characteristics: meaning, management, and measurement. Learning must be relevant to be absorbed and retained, and knowledge needs to be managed to be preserved and maximized. Lastly, narratives and learnings need to be translated into actionable data to measure their impact. This paper will focus on the robustness of the LMS and its ability to integrate these “M” concepts and how together they enrich leadership to promote and elevate a strong, proactive culture.