How Can We Verify Whether Safety Procedures Work in Practice?

Safety procedures do not end with written regulations and documentation. Their true value becomes visible only when it is possible to verify whether they are understood, practical to implement and effective in everyday operations. Maciej Skuza, Head of the Railway Safety and Quality Control Department at Koleje Dolnośląskie, discusses the practical dimension of safety culture.

As Maciej Skuza points out, safety culture is a concept that is difficult to explain in simple terms. Official definitions are often extensive and include psychological aspects, making a more practical and accessible perspective necessary.

“I once came across an explanation that safety culture is a measure of how an employee performs their duties when nobody is watching,” says Maciej Skuza.

In his view, an important indicator is the difference between how a procedure was designed and how it is actually applied in practice. Comparing these two aspects helps determine whether a procedure is overly complex, whether it is understandable to employees, and what factors may prevent it from functioning as intended.

Maciej Skuza emphasises that when an employee skips certain steps, simplifies a process or performs a task differently from what is described in the procedure, it does not necessarily mean the fault lies solely with the employee. It may be a sign that the procedure itself requires clarification, simplification or better communication. For this reason, assessing how procedures function in real-world conditions has become an important tool in evaluating safety culture.

The expert also notes that inspections have certain limitations, as they are primarily focused on identifying irregularities. Audits, on the other hand, allow for a deeper understanding of how tasks are performed in practice and provide an opportunity to discuss with employees how they actually carry out specific activities.

He emphasises that this approach enables a more effective evaluation of procedures and their effectiveness. It also provides a broader perspective on safety, helping determine whether procedures are understood, accepted and feasible to apply under real working conditions.