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In order to be allowed to perform work for compliant parties, companies must have implemented the Safety Culture Ladder (formerly the NEN Safety Ladder) throughout their organization as of January 1, 2022. Aboma Advies assists companies in such processes and Aboma Certificering can provide certification of the Safety Culture Ladder.
"The Safety Culture Ladder is about behavior on the construction site and in organizations in general," begins Harry Spies of Aboma. "Safety has always been an item. Often it is about the technical safety of machines, for example. In that, companies have already made many strides. The same applies to organizational safety, which is guaranteed by VCA, ISO 45001 and other management systems, among others. But when it comes to safe behavior, there is still room for improvement. That is what the Safety Culture Ladder is based on. It touches the entire organization. Not only on the shop floor, but also in top and middle management."
From Jan. 1, 2022, in order to be allowed to participate at all in tenders issued by ProRail or the Department of Public Works, for example, or to perform work for affiliated infrastructure contractors, companies must at least certify themselves for level 3 on the Safety Culture Ladder. "This doesn't happen automatically, of course; an extensive implementation and certification process precedes it," Spies knows. "At each stage, we can support companies based on a customized approach. That usually starts with a baseline measurement to assess where you stand as an organization. Based on the ambition, we draw up a plan of action to achieve the intended step. We guide them in actions they will take themselves, can provide training for employees to increase safety awareness, conduct observations on the construction site and support (top) management."
"Companies where safety is naturally embedded in the organization can achieve Level 3 without much extra effort," Spies states. "However, the majority have quite a challenge and we recommend going for level 2 first and then to level 3. It can be done in one go, but that requires a longer preparation time. After all, it takes time to adjust people's behavior. If they are forced by their clients to be able to demonstrate a Level 3 certificate from January 2022, time is starting to run out."
