Safety Culture Ladder level 4: proactive
Level 4 on the Safety Culture Ladder is the proactive level: everyone in the organisation is alert to safety, employees see working safely as a shared responsibility, and incidents are used to learn. NEN summarises it as “company-wide awareness of safety”. It is the fourth of the five levels of the Safety Culture Ladder.
Where level 3 is about systems, level 4 is about attitude and behaviour. ProRail requires level 4 from a number of high-risk sectors and rewards level 4 in tenders. This page explains what level 4 looks like, what the auditor looks for and how to make the step. The official text is in the description of the levels from NEN.
Characteristics of Safety Culture Ladder level 4
| Characteristic (NEN) | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Focus on attitude and behaviour, safety awareness and unexpected events | Not only following rules, but also thinking when something goes differently from planned |
| Everyone is alert and works daily to prevent unsafe situations | Including the new fitter and the subcontractor |
| Employees see working safely as a shared responsibility | ”My safety is your concern too” |
| Everyone helps each other remember the agreements, internally and externally | Speaking up is normal, including towards the client |
| Management facilitates and encourages active involvement | Time and resources for improvement, and employees may help make decisions |
| Incidents are used to learn and prevent repetition | Learning instead of punishing |
The big difference from level 3: at level 3, a fitter follows a procedure because he is checked. At level 4, he follows it because he understands why, and he speaks up when a colleague does not.
What does a level 4 company sound like?
| Who | Statement | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Director | ”I would rather hear ten reports too many than one too few.” | Reporting is valued |
| Site manager | ”I ask the crew every week what could be better, and we do something with it.” | Management actively asks for feedback |
| Fitter | ”When I saw the crane was too close to the power line, I stopped the work. Nobody thought that was strange.” | Stopping is normal |
| Fitter at a subcontractor | ”Here you get spoken to if you are not wearing your glasses, even by their own people.” | Culture also applies to partners |
| Project manager | ”We went through that near collision with the whole crew. The idea for the new walking route came from an apprentice.” | Learning together, ideas from the shop floor |
What does the auditor look for at level 4?
At level 4, auditors look for evidence that behaviour has changed, from the board to the shop floor. That evidence lies mainly in conversations and observations, not in documents. Read more about the audit process.
| What the auditor examines | Level 4 signal |
|---|---|
| Interview with employees | Can give examples of their own improvement ideas that have been carried out |
| Interview with employees | Know what happened to their report, and report small things too |
| Workplace observation | Employees speak to each other, even without a line manager nearby |
| Interview with line managers | Explain how they gather feedback and what they did with it |
| Cooperation with partners | Subcontractors are involved in agreements and evaluations, not only checked |
| Incident analysis | Focused on causes in the organisation, with outcomes shared with everyone |
For the differences between levels 2, 3 and 4 per SCL theme, see the page on requirements per level. The theme “learning and improving” is often decisive.
You cannot reach level 4 “on paper”. A new policy document or an extra procedure does not help. If employees do not confirm in interviews what management says, the outcome stays at level 3.
Which clients require Safety Culture Ladder level 4?
Level 4 is less often a hard requirement than level 3, but it does occur in the rail sector. ProRail lists these situations on its supplier page :
| Who | Requirement from ProRail |
|---|---|
| Workplace security companies and workforce suppliers | At least level 4, with an SCL Original certificate |
| Cable contractors and drilling companies | At least level 4, with an SCL Original certificate |
| Recognised rail contractors | At least level 3; levels 4 and 5 as an ambition level with an advantage in tenders |
| Engineering firms | At least level 3; level 4 and higher as an ambition level |
Outside ProRail, level 4 is mainly a way to set yourself apart. If a client requires level 3 and you have level 4, you comfortably meet the requirement. Read more about the requirements per client on the Safety Culture Ladder for construction and infrastructure.
Which SCL product do you need for level 4?
You can reach level 4 with SCL or SCL Original. SCL Light only goes up to level 3. If your client requires an SCL Original certificate, as ProRail does for the sectors above, you must carry out a full audit every year. See certification routes for the differences.
From level 3 to level 4: how to make the step
The step from level 3 to level 4 usually takes the most time. You do not change a system, but habits. This approach works in practice:
| Step | What you do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leadership first | Train line managers to ask questions and listen, not only to check | Every site manager holds a monthly conversation: “What makes your work difficult or unsafe?“ |
| 2. Reward reporting | Quick, personal feedback on every report | A response within 5 working days, with what has been done |
| 3. Let employees co-write | Make working agreements and TRAs together with the crew | The crew makes the task risk analysis itself, and the site manager checks it |
| 4. Learn from incidents with the crew | Discuss incidents without assigning blame | A short learning session after every serious near miss |
| 5. Involve partners | Include subcontractors in start-up meetings and evaluations | A subcontractor presents its own risks at the kick-off |
| 6. Measure behaviour | Track behaviour indicators alongside IF | Number of reports, number of improvement ideas carried out, moments of speaking up |
Use the SCL web tool and a gap analysis to see which themes lag behind. Read more about why behaviour makes the difference on behaviour and culture.
Common mistakes on the way to level 4
| Mistake | Why it goes wrong | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a behaviour programme and rolling it out | Behaviour does not change through a campaign from above | Let crews choose their own improvement points |
| Treating the number of reports as the goal | People report to improve the figure, not to learn | Look at what happens to reports, not only at the number |
| Speaking up without leading by example | If management does not follow the rules, nobody speaks up | Let line managers be the first to be spoken to |
| Forgetting subcontractors | The auditor also looks at cooperation with external parties | Include partners in start-up meetings and evaluations |
From level 4 to level 5
At level 5, safety is no longer a separate topic but part of every decision, from planning and design to procurement. NEN notes the difference: at level 5 there is “no distinction between line managers and employees” when it comes to safety. You can only reach level 5 with SCL Original. Read on at Safety Culture Ladder level 5.
Frequently asked questions about Safety Culture Ladder level 4
Is level 4 the highest level you can certify?
No. With the SCL product, certification goes up to and including level 4, but with SCL Original you can also reach level 5, according to NEN.
How long does it take to move from level 3 to level 4?
There is no fixed timeframe. Changing behaviour takes time, and the auditor wants to see that the new behaviour is lasting. Expect a longer process than from level 2 to level 3.
Do I need VCA or ISO 45001 for level 4?
No, the Safety Culture Ladder stands apart from VCA and ISO 45001. A well-functioning system does help. Read Safety Culture Ladder vs. VCA.
More about the Safety Culture Ladder
- The 5 levels: overview of all levels
- Safety Culture Ladder level 3: the ViA minimum requirement
- Safety Culture Ladder level 5: the highest level
- SCL Original (NEN) : the product for the highest levels