At the 2003 American Society of Safety Engineers' Professional Development Conference in Denver, Eckenfelder compared culture to the operating system of a computer. Without a culture based on the belief that employees are valuable and should work in a safe environment, safety programs, like application programs on a computer, will fail.
Eckenfelder said companies with effective safety programs share these 14 attributes;
1. Each employee takes responsibility for safety.
2. Safety is integrated into the management process.
3. The presence of the full-time safety professional is limited.
4. There is an off-the-job safety effort.
5. Safety and other training are seamlessly integrated.
6. Compliance comes naturally.
7. Programs and technical processes have history and occur naturally.
8. There is a bias against gimmicks.
9. Leadership always sets the example; safety is never taken lightly.
10. There is a recognizable safety culture.
11. The focus is more on process than statistics.
12. Negative findings are treated expeditiously.
13. The few safety professionals have stature.
14. Safety is seen as a competitive edge, not overhead.
