Step by step: achieving the Safety Culture Ladder

Achieving the Safety Culture Ladder (Veiligheidsladder, SCL) starts with a baseline measurement and ends with a certificate or statement from an accredited certification body. In between is culture work: changing behaviour, setting up systems and bringing people along. The time you need depends on your starting position, the improvements and the capacity you have available. The certification route you choose also affects the pace.

This page walks through the full process, from your first SAQ baseline measurement to the annual review in years 2 and 3. The audit and the requirements per level are explained on separate pages. Official framework: safetycultureladder.com .

The ViA change of 1 July 2026 has now passed. Check the current ViA guidance and your tender documents to confirm which maturity level and evidence apply to your contract. Record the required date and the accepted certification route before you plan your preparation.

Start your preparation with a gap analysis for the Safety Culture Ladder: compare behaviour and evidence with the chosen product and the target level, and make the improvement actions concrete.

The SAQ covers all 5 themes of the Safety Culture Ladder: policy and leadership, knowledge and skills, primary and secondary processes, cooperation with external parties, and learning and improving. Since 1 January 2024, SCL 2.0 applies. It replaced the old structure of 6 business aspects with these 5 themes. Each theme gives you a score and shows where the biggest gaps are.

Always start here. Without a baseline measurement, you do not know where you stand, and you cannot make a realistic plan.

2. Set the target level

Before you invest, determine what evidence your client requires. The current ViA guidance uses maturity levels. In addition, record which SCL level and which product deliver that evidence. Read the gap analysis to understand the difference, and always check the specific tender conditions.

A useful question to ask yourself: for which contracts do I want to qualify in two years? That determines your target level, and your target level determines which certification route suits you.

3. Choose a certification route

Three certification routes count towards ViA tenders: SCL Original, SCL and SCL Light. The choice depends on your company size and target level. You will find a detailed comparison on the certification routes page.

Check which product conditions fit your size, desired level and contract. SCL Light provides a statement with a level indication. SCL and SCL Original provide a certificate. Choose the product based on the evidence requested and the current conditions of the scheme holder.

4. Gap analysis

After the baseline measurement, compare your current score with the requirements for your target level. This gives you a list of improvement points per theme. Which behaviour is missing? Which systems exist on paper but not in practice?

This is the moment to be honest. A common mistake: companies think they are close to level 3 because their procedures are in order. But level 3 also requires people on the shop floor to know, understand and follow those procedures. Paper is not enough.

5. Improve

This is the core of the process. For each improvement action, plan who is responsible, when the way of working can be introduced and how you will check whether the behaviour changes lastingly. The lead time differs per organisation. A fixed average duration is not a reliable guarantee for your planning.

Concrete improvements at level 3 include: a working reporting system for near misses that people actually use, managers who make safety easy to discuss, regular workplace inspections and a speak-up culture that goes beyond a sign on the wall.

For more on what changes in content per level, read the page on behaviour and culture.

6. Internal preparation

Before the external audit takes place, prepare your organisation. This does not mean giving your people a script. Auditors spot that immediately. It means everyone knows what the Safety Culture Ladder is, what their own role in it is, and that they can talk honestly about how things really are.

Practise internal conversations: what does a fitter on the shop floor say when asked whether he would report an unsafe situation? Does his answer match what management thinks? Consistency between levels is what an auditor looks for.

7. Audit by a certification body

The external audit is carried out by a certification body (CI) accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council (Raad voor Accreditatie, rva.nl ). Well-known CIs are Kiwa, DNV, DEKRA and TÜV. The audit consists of a document review, interviews at all levels (from the board to the shop floor) and workplace observations.

For SCL Original and SCL, two auditors carry out the audit together (four-eyes principle). For SCL Light, one auditor can suffice in years 2 and 3. A full overview of the audit process is on the page the audit process.

8. Certificate and annual review

After a successful audit, you receive a certificate (SCL Original or SCL) or a statement (SCL Light). It is valid for 3 years, but it does not run without upkeep. In years 2 and 3, the CI returns for a follow-up review. If you stop improving, your level can also drop.

After 3 years, recertification follows. The process then starts again, but with an established system and experienced people. Many companies find the second cycle considerably less demanding than the first.

Being honest about lead time

You do not change culture in a month. Most companies that want to certify quickly underestimate the difference between paper and practice. Writing a procedure takes an afternoon. Making sure everyone on the shop floor follows that procedure, and understands why, takes months.

Plan the process with some room to spare. Build in interim measurements. And expect the first baseline measurement to disappoint: that is normal, and that is the point.

Step by step: achieving the Safety Culture Ladder

On this page

1. Baseline measurement with the SAQ