Evaluating the effectiveness of workplace interventions in improving safety culture: a systematic review

Purpose: Recent studies have called for the translation of theoretical research in safety culture into intervention efforts that can guide organisations in improving their workplace safety culture. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of workplace interventions in improving safety culture. The current study further aims to identify intervention types and target levels, and evaluate their influence on the success of the intervention. Methods: Six online databases were searched for workplace intervention studies that evaluated pre- and post- measurements of safety culture. Data were then extracted from the identified studies, and a methodological quality assessment was undertaken to determine the strength of evidence. Results: 23 peer-reviewed studies were included in this review. Overall, the majority of the studies had a positive impact on safety culture. The most successful types of interventions were those related to the importance of safety, leadership style and behavioural monitoring. No significant differences in safety culture outcomes were observed between interventions targeted at the individual, work-group or organisational levels. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the overall weak methodological quality of the included studies. Conclusions: The results of this review are inconclusive due to the susceptible designs employed by a majority of the studies. Further high-quality experimental research is needed to determine the effectiveness of workplace interventions in improving safety culture.