Occupational Safety Culture: the Model of E. Schein in Conditions of the Russian Mentality


For citation.
Usikova О.V. Occupational Safety Culture: the Model of E. Schein in Conditions of the Russian Mentality. Bezopasnost Truda v Promyshlennosti = Occupational Safety in Industry. — 2025. — № 9. — рр. 88-94. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.24000/0409-2961-2025-9-88-94


Annotation:

The study provides an analysis of the organizational culture model of E. Schein in the context of occupational safety culture establishment at Russian enterprises. The author considers a three-level structure of the model (artifacts, declared values, basic assumptions) adapted by 
F. Guldenmund for the occupational safety sphere. Based on the analysis, examples that characterize artifacts (visible state of occupational safety through visual indices of its processes), declared values (the existing local regulatory framework in the sphere of occupational safety and occupational safety culture, toolkit for occupational safety process management), basic assumptions (deeply ingrained beliefs of employees and managers in respect to compliance with occupational safety requirements, their reasonability, adequacy, and importance) have been clearly formulated. Specific attention has been paid to contradictions between declared norms and real practices caused by the mental attitudes of employees and managers. 
The empirical basis of the study is the interviews conducted among occupational safety experts of 20 large-scale Russian companies. This helped to formulate typical positive and negative “test attitudes” of managers of different levels and employees that form the core of the model and affect the development of the occupational safety culture in a company, which is illustrated by practical examples. A case of unsuccessful implementation of occupational safety culture due to the neglect of basic assumptions has been critically analyzed. The main conclusion of the study emphasizes that a sustainable safety culture cannot be established by administrative methods. Its establishment requires consistent efforts to involve the entire team in occupational safety management processes, taking into account the existing cultural features, and the gradual transformation of basic assumptions through personal examples of the managers and transparent motivation systems. 

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DOI: 10.24000/0409-2961-2025-9-88-94
Year: 2025
Issue num: September
Keywords : occupational safety occupational safety culture model of E. Schein basic assumptions organizational culture test attitudes artifacts values
Authors:
  • Usikova О.V.
    Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Assoc. Prof. of the Department Siberian State University of Geosystems and Technologies, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation, Leading Methodologist LLC "Klin Institute of Labor Protection and Conditions", Klin, Russian Federation, o.v.usikova@yandex.ru