Which method is commonly used to assess organizational safety culture?

Safety climate surveys are commonly used to assess organizational safety culture because they provide a structured way to gauge employees' perceptions of safety within their organization. These surveys typically include questions that address the attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions regarding safety practices, communication, and management's commitment to safety. By collecting this data from a wide range of employees, organizations can identify strengths and weaknesses in their safety culture and make informed decisions to foster improvements.

Accident reports, while useful for understanding past incidents and their causes, do not provide insight into the prevailing attitudes and perceptions that define the safety culture. Annual budget reviews focus on financial planning and are not directly related to the assessment of safety practices. Similarly, employee performance evaluations are aimed at assessing individual job performance and do not capture the broader organizational attitudes toward safety. Thus, safety climate surveys are specifically designed to focus on the cultural aspects of safety, making them the preferred method for assessing an organization's safety culture.