Safety culture on board six Swedish passenger ships

This paper presents the results of a Swedish study on maritime safety culture. The study aims to increase knowledge about the characteristics of safety culture in the maritime setting and the relationship between safety culture and organizational climate. This knowledge can be vital in the process of developing and improving a safety culture. The paper reports the results of safety culture assessments on board six Swedish passenger ships in international traffic using observations, questionnaires, and interviews and focuses on 508 employees who completed the questionnaires. The results of the assessments revealed a generally good existing safety culture. Differences in individuals’ safety culture perceptions were found between ships, vessel type (high speed craft versus Ropax), and hierarchical working position. Important relationships between organizational climate and safety culture were also found. A comparison with other transport sectors where the same safety culture assessment has been applied, yielded that passenger shipping had an average safety culture score level in between air traffic control and airport ramp organizations. The method of assessment, which can be used by shipping companies and vessel crews, identified specific areas of concern in the safety culture that could support continuous improvements of safety and safety culture