The importance of commitment, communication, culture and learning for the implementation of the Zero Accident Vision in 27 companies in Europe

TLDR

Zero Accident Vision (ZAV) is the ambition that all accidents are preventable, and this study examines how companies implement it through commitment, communication, culture, and learning. The study presents findings from a multinational survey of 27 companies that have adopted a Zero Accident Vision. The authors surveyed 8,819 managers and workers, conducted company interviews, and held national workshops across seven European countries. The results show that high commitment from managers and workers—often embedded in business strategy—is the main driver of long‑term safety improvements, and that effective safety communication, a strong safety culture, continuous learning from incidents and good practice, top‑management support, an open atmosphere, and a focus on positive outcomes collectively enable successful implementation of the Zero Accident Vision.

Abstract

Abstract In this paper the findings are presented of a multinational study involving 27 companies that have adopted a ‘Zero Accident Vision’ (ZAV). ZAV is the ambition that all accidents are preventable, and this paper focuses on how companies implement ZAV through ZAV commitment, safety communication, safety culture and safety learning. Managers and workers took part in a survey (8,819 respondents), company interviews and national workshops in seven European countries. A common characteristic of all the companies was the high ZAV commitment of their managers and workers, which often were embedded in the companies’ business strategies. It is very likely that this commitment is the main driver for long-term safety improvements. This research supports the importance of safety communication for ZAV implementation, especially of: specific ZAV or safety promotion programmes, constant and updated communication on functional tools, and effective supervisor communication. Successful communication must ensure ‘relevant’ information to respective organisational levels (not a one-size fits-all strategy), and allow for ‘decentralised’ initiatives. This research also highlights the importance of safety culture for ZAV implementation, with ZAV companies having high survey scores on management safety priority, safety empowerment and safety justice. The results also support the importance of safety learning (incidents and good-practice) for ZAV implementation. Additional success factors were top management support and an ‘open atmosphere’, systematic communication and dialogue on incidents, and a focus on things that go right. We conclude that ZAV is the basis for inspiring and innovative approaches to improve safety, as an integrated part of doing business.