The Safety Climate of a Department of Energy Nuclear Facility: A Sociotechnical Analysis

Government- and public-sponsored groups are demanding greater accountability by the Department of Energy's weapons complex. Many demands have focused on the development of a positive safety climate, one that not only protects workers onsite, but also the surrounding populace and environment as well. These demands are in part a response to findings which demonstrate a close linkage between actual organizational safety performance and the organization's safety climate, i.e., the collective attitudes employees hold concerning the level of safety in their organization. This paper describes the approach taken in systematically assessing the safety climate at EG&G Rocky Flats Plant (RFP).