Take your time on the Safety Culture Ladder and really make a difference!

By endorsing the Safety Governance Code, the Delfland Water Board took a powerful step towards a safer and healthier working environment. 'We deployed the Safety Culture Ladder (SCL) to bring our ambition to life. In the beginning this was quite a challenge, but through positive reinforcement and the constant repetition of the message, we achieved a real culture change!'

Pieter Janssen, general manager of Delfland Water Board, explains: 'As a water board, we not only ensure dry feet, clean and sufficient water and treated wastewater, but also a safe working environment for everyone. Together with other water boards, we have been working for some time on raising the priority of healthy and safe working. Especially since we work a lot with contractors, the desire arose to have a joint instrument with which we can show not only that we work safely, but also how we do so. As a client, we have a responsibility to set an example in this respect. Therefore, together with all 21 water boards, we endorsed the Governance Code Safety (GCV) in January 2025. This is a powerful and standardised tool that both the government and the market work with. By joining this, we can exchange valuable knowledge and strengthen our policies.'

Take your time, be open, and go for it - safe and healthy work starts with a strong culture!

From paper to practice

The SCL is an important basis, but it is the Safety Culture Ladder that really anchors safe and healthy working in daily practice. 'That is exactly where the SCL makes a difference,' Janssen says enthusiastically. 'It helps to get safe working deeply embedded in the organisation and to make it something practical and tangible.' Safety & Health Manager César Franken adds: 'We consciously chose the SCL because, in the beginning, we didn't know exactly where we stood. Thanks to the zero measurement we got that clear. We are now on step three and continue to roll out our health and safety ambition.'

Smart tools for a safe work culture

Using the SCL as a guide, Hoogheemraadschap Delfland has launched several initiatives to promote safe and healthy working. 'For instance, the willingness to report has increased enormously and the responsibility for health and safety is much more widely accepted within the organisation. Every team leader and manager now knows exactly what is expected of him or her,' says Janssen. A major gamechanger is the introduction of a reporting app. 'Employees can easily make a report, and it is really followed up. We are closing the circle! Moreover, after a while I call the reporters myself to thank them,' says Janssen. The combination of clear rules and agreements, together with a strong focus on culture and communication, has resulted in a huge change. 'We continuously repeat the message and back it up with positive feedback. Not by assigning blame, but by learning and improving together. That makes all the difference.'

Safety first - and we dare to show it

Does this also lead to more reports? Absolutely: 'The number of reports has gone up considerably,' Franken says. But perhaps even more important: the conversation about safety has become much more accessible. People realise that they can and may stop work if it is not done safely. Just the other day, we stopped work by a contractor because it was not carried out according to our safety standards. That sense of responsibility was unthinkable just a few years ago!'

A real turnaround

The fact that the organisation now has such a strong focus on safety was not always obvious. 'When I just started here, many people thought: things are going well anyway, why all this extra attention?' recalls Janssen. 'But by constantly stressing the importance of safety and sharing impressive stories - for example, about colleagues who lost their lives in accidents - that mindset has completely changed. Employees started thinking more consciously about their own role and how they can contribute to a safe working environment.'

Step four? Not an end in itself, but a dot on the horizon

Delfland has now reached level three and is looking ahead. 'At this level, it is mainly about being proactive about health and safety, so that it is really in our people's genes,' says Franken. 'Step four is not a goal in itself. What matters to us is that we do what is best and demonstrably fulfil our own ambition with it. The SCL is a means, not an end point. We continue to work on areas for improvement, such as behavioural audits and targeted risk management. The reporting app plays a key role in this.' But no reports without a safe social environment, Janssen stresses. 'Daring to report and address each other remains crucial. That is why we start with this immediately with new employees and offer training to reinforce this culture'.

Tips for organisations wanting to get started with the SCL

What can other organisations learn from Delfland? Janssen: 'Take your time and allow yourself to be vulnerable. Show that you make mistakes yourself. And pay a lot of attention to reporting and evaluating incidents. Do that in a positive way, so people feel empowered to really deal with it.' Franken adds: 'Management plays a key role. If they do not actively support the SCL and radiate this, the message will not reach the rest of the organisation.'