Memoire Online - Evaluation of the level of safety culture

We are greatly indebted to all whose assistance helped in the elaboration of the present memoire. Our acknowledgement goes to the following:

The head of Chemistry Department in the Faculty of Sciences, Pr Luc MBAZE MEVA'A who has always encouraged continual improvement in this department.

The Coordinator of the Professional QSE Masters program, Dr Achille B. NOUGA for his appreciable and continuous coordinative spirit.

We want to seize this opportunity to thank very much Pr. Guy Anatole Blaise AZEBAZE, lecturer in the Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, for his marvelous supervision of the present work despite the numerous projects being handled by him.

The General Manager of LES LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA S.A, Mr Francis DJOMOU NANA, for his devotedness, understanding and comprehensive spirit as well as the moral and financial support concerning the realisation of this job within his firm.

Pr Ousmanou MOTAPON and Mr Franck MENGUE for their various forms of supports (numerous documentations and advices).

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to our colleagues of Biopharma, friends, QSE network of the Faculty of Sciences, family members as well as neighbours whose direct or indirect assistance have been of great help to us for the achievement of this goal.

To my wife, Melanie Djomou Ngongang with all my children: Rosine, Roland, Romain, Rogenia, Doris and Franck. We acknowledge all the multiple forms of support from them as regards the tedious working and studying times.

Special thanks go to all those who contributed in one way or the other for the successful completion of this thesis but whose names could not be listed.

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Main entrance of Biopharma....................................................... 12

Figure 2: GPS collecting datae in Biopharma............................................... 12

Figure 3: Map for the localization of Biopharma S.A. ................................. ...13

Figure 4: Organigram of Biopharma 2012....................................................15

Figure 5: Key Elements of successful Health and Safety Management.................. 26

Figure 6: Graph of Age repartition.............................................................39

Figure 7: Graph of sex repartition..............................................................39

Figure 8: Graph of socio-professional status..................................................39

Figure 9: Current working experience.........................................................40

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Presentation and activities of Biopharma................................................. 13

Table 2: Sample High-Value Questions..............................................................35

Table 3: Age groups.................................................................................... 39

Table 4: Sex repartition................................................................................ 39

Table 5: Socio-professional status of workers interviewed...................................... 39

Table 6: Experience at current post.................................................................. 40

Table 7: Major topics related to the three parts of our questionnaires.......................... 41

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS

The most important and commonly used abbreviations or short forms are shown as follows:

ABSTRACT

We carried out our research in Douala for a period of six months, from 02^nd July to 31^st December 2012 within LES LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA S.A situated in the MAGZI industrial zone of BASSA. Our topic is titled «EVALUATION OF THE LEVEL OF SAFETY TO IMPROVE THE CULTURE WITHIN BIOPHARMA». What motivated us to choose the above topic was the fact that our company is financially growing very fast but safety standards are not visibly following the same trend to allow for a sustainable development of the firm.

To go about doing our job, we used inquiries and questionnaires to analyze the initial situation of the company as regards safety culture by striking on the commitment of the top management, the personnel and the various means possessed by Biopharma. Literature reviews helped us to carry out the research based on respect of laws and regulations be it national or international.

The immediate results obtained are the creation, followed by the installation of a health / safety committee, the establishment of a health / safety policy already being applied although its approval by managing director is still pending.

Progressively, the elaboration of a datae base for owners of vehicles and Moto bikes is going on, the amelioration of the working conditions (ventilation) in the packaging service is under studies and the systematic registration of accidents and near misses has started, with its big register being controlled by the human resource service.

From all our findings, we can say that Biopharma via Order No 039/MTPS/IMT of 26 November 1984 is improving and will achieve much if each and every one communicates sufficiently and efficiently.

Key words: safety, culture, quality, behaviour, accident, incident, communication, commitment.

RESUME

Nous avons effectué nos travaux de recherche à Douala pour une période de six mois, du 02 Juillet au 31 Décembre 2012 au sein des LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA SA situé à la zone industrielle MAGZI de Bassa. Notre sujet est intitulé "ÉVALUATION DU NIVEAU DE LA SÉCURITÉ AFIN D'AMELIORER SA CULTURE AU SEIN DE BIOPHARMA". Nous avons été motivé à choisir le sujet ci-dessus à cause du fait que notre société est financièrement en croissance très rapide, mais les normes de sécurité apparemment ne se suivent pas avec la même tendance afin de garantie son développement d'une manière durable.

Pour réaliser notre travail, nous avons utilisé des enquêtes et des questionnaires pour analyser la situation initiale de la société en ce qui est de la culture de la sécurité à travers l'engagement de la direction, le personnel et les différents moyens possédés par Biopharma. La revue de la littérature nous a permis de mener à bien la recherche, fondés sur le respect des lois et règlements qu'ils soient national ou international.

Les résultats obtenus immédiatement sont : la création suivie de l'installation d'un comité d'hygiène, de santé et sécurité au travail (CHSST-BIOPHARMA), l'élaboration d'une politique de santé / sécurité déjà appliquées, bien que son approbation par le directeur général est toujours en suspens.

Progressivement, l'élaboration d'une base des données pour les propriétaires des motocycles est en cours, l'amélioration des conditions de travail (ventilation) dans la salle de conditionnement est en études et l'enregistrement systématique dans un registre des accidents ainsi que des incidents a commencé. Ledit registre est tenu par le service des ressources humaines.

A partir de nos résultats, nous pouvons dire que Biopharma a un niveau de culture sécurité appréciable au vu de l'arrêté No 039/MTPS/IMT du 26 Novembre 1984, portant sur les mesures d'hygiènes et de sécurité sur les lieux de travail. Néanmoins ce niveau peut s'améliorer considérablement si chacun communique suffisamment et efficacement.

Mots clés : Culture, sécurité, qualité, comportement, accidents, incident, communications, engagement.

INTRODUCTION

As recommended for our professional master's degree program, we carried out studies in organizations which are aimed at solving specific problems. It is for this reason that we carried out our research in Douala for a period of six months starting from 02^nd July to 31^st December 2012 within LES LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA S.A. I.Z MAGZI BASSA P.O BOX 1674 DOUALA. Our topic is titled «EVALUATION OF THE LEVEL OF SAFETY TO IMPROVE ITS THE CULTURE WITHIN BIOPHARMA». What motivated us to choose the above topic was the fact that our company is growing very fast but safety standards are not visibly following the same trend. The hypothesis «encouraging a safety culture by putting in place a health and safety committee - HSE within Biopharma followed by specialized trainings, could help us to ameliorate productivity.

What is the current situation of safety culture; in other words, we verify whether our top management is committed (inquiry) as well as the personnel (questionnaire), existence of a health and safety committee and the available means of the firm.

To provide answers, we shall first of all give some briefs on safety culture; assess the present situation in the company followed by some examples of companies practicing this culture. Finally we shall propose a health and safety policy for the company to its General Manager for approval.

The true `health' of the safety of any organisation is primarily defined by the frequency of key day-to-day behaviours (frontline and management) and the extent to which these are encouraged and supported by an effective and flexible safety management system. The shared belief in the importance of safety, the extent to which an organisation actively strives to ensure health and safety is done properly and always given a high priority, is what defines a positive safety culture. Safety is for everybody, thus visitors, clients, customers, contractors, friends and family at any workplace have work health and safety (WHS) responsibilities and must comply with any reasonable work health and safety instructions at the workplace and take reasonable care not to put themselves or others at risk directly or indirectly. There is a need for leaders to know how to manage safety on a day to day basis throughout their areas of responsibility.

Today, it has generally become accepted that a high proportion of accidents, incidents and near misses in companies are due to unsafe acts (behaviours) by people. For example, improper equipment use, not following procedures, positions / reactions of people, housekeeping. But, rather than being the instigators, it is typically the case that unsafe (organisational) conditions, that have been long developing and that have been inherited by people, represent the root cause(s) of accidents and incidents. Examples of systemic organisational weaknesses include lack of supervision, ill-defined roles and responsibilities, inadequate training / assessment / procedures / instructions, poor leadership and safety communications, competing job demands, ineffective planning and safe systems of work. Such examples obviously correspond to symptoms of a poor or negative safety culture.

In an organisation, the benefit in consulting, sharing information and giving workers reasonable opportunity to express their views and contribute towards decision making on health and safety matters is that it can assist the employer in meeting its health and safety obligations, thus more profit resulting from preventive measures of related risks.

Through the research it has been revealed that questionnaires have a wide area of application. It can be used within an organisation for diagnosing the organisation's safety culture level, and bringing into focus how the organisation handles safety cultural issues. It can be used as a personal assessment tool which can create motivation and awareness for safety culture among organisational members (Camilla, 2003).

This research work is made up of four chapters. Chapter I gives some brief presentation and activities of LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA S.A. Chapter II places our study in the context of the literatures concerning OHSAS 18001:2007 with much emphasis on safety cultures and the Cameroonian law on health and safety at workplace (Order No 039/MTPS/IMT of 26 November 1984). Chapter III outlines and spells out the materials and methodology used, with explanations of why and how it was used to yield our results, their interpretation, discussions and the recommendations expressed in chapter IV. Finally the general conclusion will close up our research.

CHAPTER I: PRESENTATION OF COMPANY

In the paragraph below, we shall write briefly on the presentation, activities and administrative structure of BIOPHARMA S.A

«LES LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA S.A» whose short form is BIOPHARMA in our memoire, was created on the 04^th of July 2001. It is a private company with a current capital of 700,000,000 FCFA headed by a General Manager named Mr DJOMOU NANA Francis. Biopharma employs over 180 permanent workers within its two production units. The first is the plastic unit which produces most of our plastic bottles, caps and nylon films meanwhile the second unit is meant for the manufacturing of cosmetic products. The main activity of Biopharma is the production and distribution of cosmetic products. More details are shown in table 1 and Figure 1 below.

LES LABORATOIRES BIOPHARMA S.A (Figure 1) found in Cameroon is located in the Littoral region, Wouri division, Douala 3 subdivision at the Magzi industrial zone Bassa. With the GPS (Figure 2), datae were collected and used to indicate the precise position of our company as shown in the map below (Figure 3).

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

II.1- Scope of the literature review

Our review has considered the literature surrounding safety culture published since 1986. The focus is on discerning the characteristics of positive and negative safety cultures which will help to evaluate the level of safety culture of Biopharma. Documents for review were sourced from academic and applied literature, and we also exploited standards and laws.

II.2- Definitions regarding safety culture:

Safety can be defined as relative freedom from danger, risk, or threat of harm, injury,
or loss to personnel and/or property, whether caused deliberately or by accident.

Culture not only influences its members' decisions and practices in the here and now; it impacts individual habits and the decisions and practices of future members as well. It could be defined truly as "the way we do things around here" and "what we do when no one is watching." These common practices can be maintained through generations with little outside management necessary. However, without an overall safety strategy that is well understood by the culture and without process metrics to help the culture continuously measure and improve, most safety cultures fail to reach, much less sustain, excellent safety performance.

Many approaches to improving safety culture also focus on the characteristics of the culture rather than the capabilities. Excellent safety cultures are "can-do" cultures with the vision and tools to continuously improve. They have a strategy and metrics to keep them on track. They develop the characteristics of success as a by-product rather than a precursor of their performance

If your organization desires to achieve safety excellence, you must first develop a deep understanding of what excellence is. Deming called such an understanding "profound knowledge". It not only is a performance goal, but a definition of what excellence is and a process to achieve the goal. It also must have process metrics that facilitate understanding of how excellence is achieved. Excellence cannot be defined simply in terms of short-term results. The definition of excellence cannot inadvertently include results produced by luck and normal variation. Truly excellent safety organizations don't just get to zero; they know exactly how to duplicate and improve their success.

Terry L. Mathis, founder and CEO of ProAct Safety, an international expert and safety culture practitioner, has worked with hundreds of organizations, customizing innovative approaches to achieve and sustain safety culture excellence. He considered a near miss as the result of a Poor and/or a Bad attitude toward developing an excellent safety culture and Safety Management System, due to lack of caring, concern, control monitoring and training.
With a great Safety Culture and Safety Management System, Near misses would not or should not really occur. This is achieved by culture, training, management planning, monitoring, identification, attitude changes, commitment and enthusiasm. Thus a Near Miss is/or was merely an accident looking for a place to happen. Hence we can differentiate between near miss and accident as follows:

II.2.3 A Near Miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage, but had the potential to do so. Hence we can say a miss that was nonetheless very near.

II.2.4 An accident is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, which did occur, often with lack of intention or necessity. It usually implies a generally negative outcome (Injury, Illness, Fatality, Damages, Unwarranted loss of income, expenditure, production or profits...) which might have been avoided or prevented if the circumstances leading up to it had been recognized, identified and acted upon, before its occurrence.
Consequently, safety activities should be proactive and not reactive whenever profit is envisaged in an organisation. Thus loses should be monitored.

With a proper safety culture and SMS, safety is drilled into employees in an acceptable and presentable manner similar to the way soldiers are drilled and trained in the military with the necessary discipline concern and care for themselves and their colleagues.

No employee would work at height without ensuring that the risk assessment (JSA) has been completed and is suitably acceptable and that the required safety measures are in place. Fall prevention equipment is used and where not suitable, fall arrest systems are used.

· Workers shall no more climb ladders without either inspecting them or without support or being tied off. They would not over extend or lean sideways on the ladder.
Remember the «With the Aaargh! It won't happen to me» attitude. info@proactsafety.com (2012).

The term `safety culture' first made its appearance in the International Atomic Energy Agency's initial report following the Chernobyl disaster (IAEA, 1986). Since then, inquiries into major accidents such as the King's Cross fire (Fennell, 1988), Piper Alpha (Cullen, 1990) and the Herald of Free Enterprise (Justice Sheen, 1987) have found faults in the organisational structures and safety management systems, throwing the importance of safety culture into the spotlight. Safety culture has been defined in a variety of ways but none is standard as will be read below.

The safety culture of an organisation is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies and pattern of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of an organisation's health and safety management (Phil. Hughes et al, 2007). (Pidgeon, 1998) considers it as a constructed system of meaning through which the hazards of the world are understood. Whereas the Confederation of British Industry [(CBI), 1990)] defines safety culture as `The way we do things around here. Meanwhile (Turner, 1989) thinks that it is a set of attitudes, beliefs or norms. According to (Wert, 1986), it is equivalent to safety ethic. Finally, in the layperson's terms, safety culture defines what people do when no one is watching them. ( http://www2.dupont.com).

Meanwhile the UK Health and Safety Executive defines safety culture as « . . . the product of the individual and group values, attitudes, competencies and patterns of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization's health and safety programs.» (Ref: HSL/2002/25, 2002). A more succinct definition has been suggested: «Safety culture is how the organization behaves when no one is watching».

Every organization has a safety culture, operating at one level or another. The challenges to the leadership of an organization are to: a) determine the level at which their safety culture is currently functioning; b) decide where they wish to take the culture; and c) chart and navigate a path from here to there.

Followings these proposed definitions of the term `safety culture' we shall proceed with some of its benefits as well as its characterization.

II.3- Reasons for assessing level of safety culture:

A safety culture assessment allows an organisation to better understand how its people perceive safety and the company's approach to health & safety management. It allows the organisation to identify both strengths and weaknesses that then enable it to continuously monitor and improve its approach to health and safety. The most important reason for understanding a company's safety culture is because it has a direct impact on the safety of its employees, contractors and the public. Several high profile accidents in the rail and other industries have highlighted the consequences of poor safety cultures. The benefits of an improved safety culture, in other words, a positive safety culture; are improved safety performance and reduced accidents. Still from this source, the improved management processes and attitudes to work involved in developing a good safety culture will also have other benefits which are external to safety namely improved reliability and performance, as well as reduced costs due to the reduction of errors. Erreur ! Référence de lien hypertexte non valide. (Oct 212).

According to the referential OHSAS 18001:2007, a safe and healthy workplace through the provision of tools that allow the organisation to consistently identify and control its health and safety risks, minimizing the potential for accidents. As such this enhances safety culture.

It is said that the British Standards Institute developed the Occupational Health and Assessment Series version 2007, to provide guidance to organizations desiring to improve their health and safety performance prior to their certification. This document is then utilized as a risk assessment model to determine the level of risk an organization has as regards its health and safety hazards and risks, and to implement methods to continually improve the health and safety performance of the given organization.

One will often hear the following statement from companies or organisations «we have never had a serious employee injury, why do we need OHSAS 18001:2007?»

In fact, OHSAS 18001:2007 is a proactive management system designed to assist an organization in the developing of programs which will actually improve their employee health and safety performance. The simple fact of having not experienced a serious accident does not mean the organizations are the best stewards of the health and safety of their workforce. It also assists the organization in developing a holistic approach as to how it manages its' activities which can have a serious risk to the health and safety of its employees.

OHSAS 18001 demonstrates Legal and Regulatory Compliance and commitment to improving the health and safety performance of the organization; instills a culture of prevention through the systematic evaluation of the health and safety risks of the organization. A real time analysis is performed and controls implemented thus reducing the risk of an accident. Also by establishing and certifying the organization's health and safety management system to the above standard, it joins a unique group of companies who have committed their organizations to health and safety excellence. A continuous state of readiness is established. On the other hand, by implementing and maintaining an OHSAS 18001:2007 based management system; the organization will improve its profitability. As the organization reduces the safety risks, many of the more expensive costs such as workers compensation claims in terms of down time due to accidents, ill health and insurance premiums will be reduced significantly. The nature of the management review, defined roles and responsibilities and internal assessments will make the organization more transparent, accountable and sustainable. Furthermore, through the management review process, top management becomes more readily aware of resource requirements.

In our research, notions on safety culture, Safety culture assessment criteria and indicators as well as Safety culture measurement tools, shall be provided.

II.4- Characteristics of identifiable good safety culture in an organism:

In recent years, companies have begun to recognize the important contribution that an effective safety culture can make to the control of their ongoing operational costs and efficiency of their ongoing operations. Many organizations have realized that this provides the perfect opportunity for them to streamline their operational processes and optimize the associated management and control systems. Hence, more than ever before, all levels of line management need to possess a much greater knowledge of how to develop and implement high quality safety management systems. There is also a need to know how to manage safety on a day to day basis throughout their areas of responsibility.

The safety practitioner's role is now that of a high-level internal consultant who offers independent advice to senior management on development of the organization's safety policies and their short, medium and long term strategic objectives for creating and maintaining a positive safety culture. Modern safety practitioners must be as familiar with all aspects of managements as those practitioners from other disciplines (such as human resources, production, finance, commercial, etc.) that comprise the senior management team.

Some characteristics of identifiable good safety culture in an organism can be understood according to Cooper, (2001) in the following headings: immediate, intermediate and ultimate.

The first pointer to look for is the quality of safety leadership demonstrated by the organisation's chief Executive officer (CEO) and senior management team. The regular active monitoring and review of line management's implementation of these strategic plans by the senior management team demonstrates the most important aspect of good safety leadership. The findings of these reviews should be communicated to every person in the organization on regular basis. Hence informations about the ongoing progress being made readily available to all employees.

The status accorded to the safety practitioner by the CEO of an organisation indicates the level of safety culture. Thus, if the safety practitioner has direct, independent and unimpeded access to the CEO, it can be said that the organisation actively recognizes the important contribution that the safety function offers to all aspects of its business.

The presence and quality of the organisation's risk control systems also indicates its level of safety culture. If risk assessment have been conducted and recorded, on all the organisation's activities and the appropriate control measures fully implemented, it is probably that safety is being actively controlled at the operational level.

The presence and quality of the organisation's safety management information system is the next visible characteristic of a positive safety culture. It provides the means by which the organisation can evaluate its ongoing safety activities as well as providing the knowledge required to facilitate error correction, problem-solving, decision-making and forward planning.

Regular planning and conduction of safety management audits throughout the whole organisation is another indicator of a positive safety culture within an organisation.

It is concerned with the wining of people's heart and minds to the organisation's safety principles through:

ü empowering them to become actively involved with safety issues on a daily basis.

In fact, the extent to which an organisation actually changes its systems and management practices to support the safety training provided will also provide a useful indicator of a positive safety culture.

We can say that the most important indicator of a positive safety culture is the extent to which employees are actively involved in safety on a daily basis. Thus where safety issues are identified and acted upon by all the employees as part of their normal working day, the organisation can be said to have won over people's hearts and minds to the safety cause and therefore, has a living, breathing, proactive and safety culture.

According to Phil. Hughes et al, (2007) some other important indicators of a health and safety culture could be obtained by exploring the numbers of accidents, near misses, the perception of a blame culture, frequency of high staff turnover, cases of insufficient resources and the lack of compliance with relevant health and safety law and the safety rules and procedures of the organization, poor selection procedures and management of contractors, poor level of communication, cooperation and control, absence or presence of a weak health and safety management structure (SAFETY COMMITTEE), poor levels of health and safety competence, high insurance premiums and occupational ill-health cases occurring within the organisation.

Thus an organisation with a high accident incidence rate is likely to have a negative or poor health and safety culture.

Furthermore, Reason (1997) has also identified four characteristics that go to make up such a safety culture.

· a reporting culture in which people are willing to report errors and near misses.

· a just culture; culture of `no blame' where an atmosphere of trust is present and people are encouraged or even rewarded for providing essential safety-related information - but also where it is a clear line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

· a flexible culture which can take different forms but is characterized as shifting from the conventional hierarchical mode to a flatter professional structure

· a learning culture, the willingness and the competence to draw the right conclusions from its safety information system, and the will to implement major reforms when the need is indicated.

A good safety culture, however, is believed to positively impact upon an organisation's quality, reliability, competiveness and profitability. In fact, reliability has been reported to improve by a factor of three, and sometimes by as much as a factor of ten, when quality improvements are initiated. These improvements are related to the use of better monitoring and feedback systems. Safety culture may affect people's way of thinking and lead to the development of safety features. It positively impacts on employees' commitment and loyalty to the organisation, resulting in greater job satisfaction, productivity and reduced absenteeism. Profitability is achieved by minimizing loss and adding the capital value.

Research has highlighted some confusion and inconsistency in the literature over the use of the terms `safety climate' and `safety culture'. The review has provided a useful framework for approaching these terms, based upon the work done by Cooper (2000). The term safety culture can be used to refer to the behavioral aspects (i.e. `what people do'), and the situational aspects of the company (i.e. `what the organisation has'). The term safety climate should be used to refer to psychological characteristics of employees (i.e. `how people feel'), corresponding to the values, attitudes, and perceptions of employees with regard to safety within an organism. There have been some evolutions in the concept of safety culture.

II.5- Evolution of the concept of safety culture

Traditionally, attempts to identify the most effective methods for preventing accidents have typically addressed two fundamental issues: whether or not employees should be provided with the maximum possible protection and whether or not employees should be trained to recognize potentially hazardous situations and take the most appropriate actions.

The first approach is based on the fundamental belief that protecting an individual from the potential for harm, either by statutory means or via physical barriers, is the best way to proceed. The second approach is predicated on the fundamental belief that, if the individual possesses the relevant knowledge and skills, accidents will be avoided.

The central idea was that the Health and Safety Commission would promote proactive self-regulatory safety management practices by influencing attitudes and creating an optimal framework for the organisation of health and safety. It is clear that legislation can only be effective if it is adequately resourced and policed. As a result of recent European directive, the legislative focus has now firmly shifted to proactive management of safety rather than an inspection of sites/premises approach. Thus employers are now required to take steps to identify and manage hazards by undertaking formal assessments of risk say Cooper, (2001 ).

One of the issues highlighted in the literature is the lack of a universal consensus regarding the terms culture and climate. In many cases the terms safety culture and safety climate are often used interchangeably. A good framework based on some work, views safety culture as a product of three interrelated aspects as stated below, according to Cooper , (2000).

· Psychological Aspects or `safety climate' (individual and group attitudes, perceptions and values).

· Situational Aspects (policies, procedures, organisational structures and management systems).

Organizations with a positive safety culture are characterized by communications founded on mutual trust, by shared perceptions of the importance of safety and by confidence in efficacy of preventive measures. There must be a joint commitment in terms of attitudes and values. The workforce must believe that safety measures put in place will be effective and followed even when financial and performance targets may be affected.

With time-tested methodologies in employee, contractor and process safety, DuPont Sustainable Solutions experts help companies to reduce lost-time incidents, build skills, and minimize risks, while improving your efficiency, productivity and safety culture (http://www2.dupont.com).

According to the Royal Aeronautics Society (2004, slide 6) the best way to measure safety culture is to observe individuals when they are working. This allows the inspector to witness:

o Working relationships, communication styles and application of revised processes.

The approach consists of a self-assessment questionnaire, designed to help companies identify the strengths and weaknesses within their HS&E systems, and identify opportunities for improvement. The assessment covers health, safety and environment, product stewardship; internal communications and community liaison; and distribution, and provides a selection of indicators to measure performance and emergency responses (Chemical Industries Association, 19982b, page 1)

Still continuing with the evolution of safety culture, the HSE's model for successful health and safety management, namely POPMAR is shown in Figure 3 below. This encourages organisations to manage health and safety with the same degree of expertise and to the same standard as other core business activities, in order to control risks effectively and prevent harm to people (HSE, 2002b).

An explanation of what each stage of POPMAR requires for the determining of the state of the health and safety management system has been provided below:

ï Policy -Are there effective policies in place that set a clear direction for the organisation to follow?

ï Organising -Is there an effective management structure and are arrangements in place for delivering the policy?

ï Planning and Implementing - Is there a planned and systematic approach for implementing the policy through an effective health and safety management system?

ï Measuring Performance - Is performance measured against agreed standards to reveal when and where improvement is needed?

ï Auditing and Reviewing - Does the organisation learn from all relevant experience and apply those lessons?

According to the HSE, the five steps will help to retain staff within an organisation and help to reduce the cost of injuries, illness, and property and equipment damage. It is likely that this would also encourage fewer stoppages, higher output, and better quality. To be a `quality' organization, sound management principles to health and safety should be applied (HSE 1998a).

After briefing on the evolution of the issue of safety culture, we shall look at some indicators which have an influence on it.

II.6- Indicators that are known to influence safety culture

The five indicators are as follows: Leadership, Two-way communication, Employee involvement, Learning culture and Attitude towards blame. In the following paragraph, we shall see how these indicators influences positively or negatively safety culture in organisations.

The literature has highlighted key criteria of successful leadership, which are likely to promote a positive safety culture. These criteria are: Performance versus Safety Priority, High Visibility of Management's Commitment to Safety and Safety Management Systems.

From Performance versus Safety Priority, senior management should give safety a high status within the organisation's business objectives and safety should be prioritized in all situations by providing:

ï Health and safety budget, Opportunities for safety communication, Health and safety training, Support to personnel and Manpower (including health and safety specialists).

Leadership can be measured by looking at how visible management is to the workforce. Not only is visibility important, but so also is the extent to which management provide the opportunity for two-way communication.

Examples of a positive and negative evidence point for the indicator «Leadership» includes:

· Positive- There should be clear evidence that action lists or action plans are developed, signed and tracked by management.

· Negative- Safety issues identified by management are not dealt with but are just «filed». No action is taken which could help to learn a lesson.

Concerning High Visibility of Management's Commitment to Safety, Senior managers should visibly and repeatedly demonstrate their commitment to safety throughout all areas of the organisation. This will create a shared vision of the importance of safety. This can be achieved by the use of verbal communication (e.g. scheduled safety tours and meetings) and written safety communication (e.g. statements, newsletters). See paragraph below for distribution.

Meanwhile for the Safety Management Systems, organisations should have effective systems put in place for the management and co-ordination of safety. This should be led by a strategic safety management team.

II.6.2- Two-Way Communication: (notice board on safety issues, intra-net/outlook, internet, telephone and verbal)

A positive safety culture requires effective channels for top-down, bottom-up and horizontal communication on safety matters. The main learning points from this review are listed below:

ü Top-down Communication: Effective communication from management to staff is the key to providing successful health and safety leadership. This can be achieved through a visible safety policy statement, and newsletters describing safety news, safety issues, and major accident risks.

ü Safety Reporting: Communicating a problem or concern is only one step on the route towards a good safety culture. Feedback mechanisms should be put in place to respond to the reporter (if required) concerning any actions taken.

ü Horizontal Communication: The organisation should provide a system for the effective transfer of information between individuals, departments and teams. In practice, appropriate safety information should be available when required.

The literature has identified best practice approaches in relation to the involvement and participation of staff or employee. The consensus is that, active employee participation is a positive step towards preventing and controlling hazards. The main points identified have been summarised below:

· Ownership for safety can be increased by providing effective training, and providing opportunities for employees to be responsible personally for areas of safety.

· It should be easy for staff at all levels to report concerns about decisions that are likely to affect them, particularly during an organizational change.

· Feedback mechanisms should be put in place to inform staff about any decisions that are likely to affect them be it direct or indirect.

It is widely recognized that a learning culture is vital to the success of the safety culture within an organisation. The main findings from the research revealed that:

· The existence of a learning culture enables Organisations to identify, learn and change unsafe conditions. A system should be put place that will allow all employees to proactively contribute ideas for improvement.

· In-depth analysis of incidents, and good communications with provisions for feedback and sharing of information enable a learning culture to develop.

· All levels of the workforce should be included in safety climate surveys. This helps to increase employees' involvement in the company and it provides the opportunity for issues or concern to be raised. Feedback regarding the outcomes of the survey, and any actions taken should be disseminated throughout the company.

Learning culture can be measured by the extent to which safety culture surveys are conducted. Thus, a positive evidence point for a successful safety culture review is the involvement of all employees within the survey.

Companies or Organisations with a blame culture have been described by Whittingham (2004) as those which: `over-emphasise individual blame for the human error, at the expense of correcting defective systems'. Blame allocates fault and responsibility to the individual making the error, rather than to the system, organisation or management process. Below are summarised the main findings.

ü Organisations should move from a blame culture to a just culture or one of accountability.

ü Those investigating incidents/accidents should have a good understanding of the mechanism of human error and a system should be put in place that enables the degree of culpability to be well assessed.

ü Employees should feel that they are able to report issues or concerns without fear that they will be blamed or disciplined personally.

ü Confidentiality should be maintained throughout the course of the investigation.

II.7- Some key attributes of a sound safety culture:

From the findings of Fleming (2001) in the Offshore Technology Report conducted by Robert Gorden University on behalf of the HSE, this author states that four factors appeared to have a positive effect on the safety perceptions: valuing subordinates, visiting the worksite frequently, work group participation in decision-making and effective safety communication. Reason (1997) also emphasized that an organisation needed a just culture to be able to have a good safety culture. This author says a just culture is recognized by the organisation's ability to create an atmosphere of trust and where people are encouraged and rewarded for providing essential safety-related informations.

Furthermore assuming an incident occurred because a control room operator, leaving at the end of the shift, failed to alert the oncoming operator of a serious, off-standard condition in the process. This problem might be diagnosed generally as a communications problem, with a specific root cause defined as «Communications between shifts less than adequate.» In this circumstance, another root cause related to supervisory practices, «Improper performance not corrected,» might be identified. The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture (Schein et al 2004). The leadership of an organization has the primary responsibility for identifying the need for safety, fostering cultural change and for sustaining a sound safety culture once it is established. If the organization feels strongly about a particular behavior, there will be little tolerance for deviation, and there will be strong societal pressures for conformance (Weick et al, 2001). Each individual in the organization has a role in reinforcing the behavioral norms.

The values of the group (e.g., corporation, plant, shift team) help shape the beliefs and attitudes of the individual, which in turn, play a significant role in determining individual behaviors. A weak safety culture likely will be evidenced by the actions and inactions of personnel at all levels of the organization. For example, the failure of a critical part in one of our machines might have been caused by the technician who failed to do preventive maintenance of the instrument and falsified the maintenance records. Alternatively, it might have been caused by the plant manager who denied the fundings requested to address staffing shortages in the instrument department.

In a sound safety culture, an individual would be expected to intercede if they saw a coworker about to commit an unsafe act. Also under same situation, leadership would be expected to monitor the heath of the safety culture and reinforce and nurture it when required. Finally, individuals and groups would be expected to speak out if they perceived management acting in a fashion inconsistent with the organization's safety values.

The Basic Nestlé Management and Leadership Principles' document describes the management style and the corporate values, specifically in the area of interpersonal relations. We gathered the following major elements: a prerequisite for dealing with people is respect and trust, transparency and honesty in dealing with people are a sine qua non for efficient communication complemented by open dialogue with the purpose of sharing competencies and boosting creativity. To communicate is not only to inform; it is also to listen and to engage in dialogue. The willingness to cooperate, to help others and to learn is a required basis for advancement and promotion within Nestlé. This is firmly stated in their human resources policy, a totally new policy that encompasses the guidelines that constitute a sound basis for efficient and effective human resource management. ( http://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/Library/Documents/People/People-Development-Review-EN.pdf retrieved 12^th Dec 2012).

For an organization to be conformed to the OHSAS 18001:2007 requirements, it must:

1) determine the activities of the organization and how they impact the health and safety,

4) establish objectives, measurable targets and programs for the reduction of these,

9) perform periodic assessments as to how well the organization conforms to its' health and safety requirements,

II.8- Benefits of safety culture within organisations

Organisations will surely benefit the following situations below if a positive safety culture is existing within it.

ï Reduction of the direct and indirect costs of accidents. Fines, repair costs, damage claims, and increased insurance premiums are a few of the potential economic consequences.

ï Improved employee morale and productivity. Promoting communication between management and the rest of the organization prevents disenfranchisement and lifts morale.

ï Establishing a marketable safety record. A record of consistently safe operations can be used to attract new business and investment.

ï Logical prioritization of safety needs. SMS emphasizes risk mitigation actions that provide the biggest impact on both safety and the bottom line.

ï More ef?cient maintenance scheduling and resource utilization. Effective hazard reporting in SMS allows proactive scheduling of maintenance tasks when resources are available; increasing the likelihood that maintenance is performed on time and more efficiently.

ï Avoiding incident investigation costs and operational disruptions. Improved communication and risk mitigation will prevent many accidents from ever occurring.

II.9- Health and safety policy:

The Health and Safety at work act (1974) requires all companies employing five or more people to prepare a safety policy. According to the ACSNI Study Group on Human Factors (HSC, 1993), a written corporate statement on the safety policy and organisation should be a crucial element in the promotion and maintenance of a positive safety culture within the firm. Its objective should be to establish the corporate attitude to safety and the organisational framework through which the safety objectives can be assured.

Thus we can say that a Safety Policy is a written document developed by the top management of an organisation or proposed by its representative, that is communicated to all employees as well as the other affiliated entities with a stake in organizational safety. The content of such a document should have vital topics like commitment to implementation of the SMS, assurance that executives are monitoring safety performance just as keenly as ?nancial performance, encouragement for all employees to report potential safety issues without fear of reprisal, establishment of clear standards for acceptable behavior related to safety, commitment to providing the necessary resources and finally indication of possibilities to review the policy statement so as to assure continual improvement. (see health and safety policy proposed in annex).

Duane et al (2007) states that having a safety culture means that all employees are responsible for safety. Such a culture is led by example expressed by top management, especially in the manner with which they deal with day-to-day activities. Employees must fully trust that they will have management support for decisions made in the interest of safety, while also recognizing that intentional breaches of safety will not be tolerated. The result is a non-punitive environment that encourages the identi?cation, reporting and correction of safety issues.

One of the primary workplace problems near miss incident reporting attempts to solve directly or indirectly is to try to create an open culture whereby everyone shares and contributes in a responsible manner. Near-Miss reporting has been shown to increase employee relationships and encourage teamwork in creating a safer work environment. http://www.clmi-training.com/safetyblog/near-miss-incident-reporting-its-about-trust/

II.10 Safety-culture-assessment / evaluation

From our research, we got some literature on the methodology of evaluating or assessing safety culture. It starts by indicating that the measurement of such a culture seems to be the equivalent of the «holy grail» for the safety world which has been made more difficult due to the lack of an agreed definition and scope, ( http://www.safetyculturetoolkit.rssb.co.uk/safety-culture-information/safety-culture-assessment.aspx).
However, the assessment of safety culture is a vital process for measuring key elements of safety culture and identifying an organisation's current level of development in order to improve.
There are a variety of different assessment methods provided by the famous RSSB of the UK. Some of these methods are safety attitude surveys (using questionnaires to elicit workforce attitudes) and Safety management audits (using an audit process and trained auditor to examine the presence and effectiveness of safety management systems).

From the research conducted by another author, Weigman et al (2002), safety culture assessments should be conducted using a variety of methods, including both qualitative techniques (e.g. observations, focus groups discussions and historical information reviews) and quantitative methods such as interviews, surveys and questionnaires. The use of a combination of methods is commonly referred to as triangulation. Table 2 below contains samples of high-value questions that were assembled from referenced sources based on generally accepted interviewing principles. In the interview guide, the questions were organized into seven important areas for safety culture.

CHAPTER III: SCIENTIFIC APPROACH

III.1- MATERIALS

We used the workers of Biopharma, company's documentations related to HSE, Camera, Telephone and Computer (Internet, Printer, Word and Excel) as well as stationaries (pens, papers).

III.2- METHODOLOGY

From the literature on the various methodologies of evaluating safety culture, we chosed one from the famous RSSB of the UK - safety attitude surveys (using questionnaires to elicit workforce attitudes) including the qualitative techniques (e.g. observations, focus groups discussions and historical information reviews) stated by Weigman et al (2002). This method is commonly referred to as triangulation.

III.2.1- In situ observation

Given that we have been working in Biopharma since its creation, we noticed that in addition to the General Manager who actively encourages safety at a certain level, the other employees try to do the same. Never-the-less, somethimes what is done concerning HSE is not written correctly and what is written is not correctly done.

III.2.2- Interviews and questionnaires:

Not all the employees were selected for our preliminary test, the criteria was based either on the worker's age, gender, working experience, socio-professional category or proneness to HSE issues. Hence we discussed with the following managers (Managing Director, human resource, finance, purchase/logistics...), accountants, lines supervisors, quality controllers, personnel representatives, day/night watchers, gardeners, store keepers as well as some housekeepers. We started by performing a pre-test through an overall interviews of this group of workers on health and safety issues. Their responses guided the setting of the questionnaire. Given that more than 90% of the workforce of Biopharma speak and understand principally the French language our questionnaire was written in French (see appendix A page 49).

We then went onwards, sharing these questionnaires to the various leaders of our newly formed and installed HSE-committee, who in their turn distributed them to the workers. This method was chosen so as to minimize as much as possible the loosing of copies.

For workers out of Douala, we forwarded PDF files to them and their responses returned to us through the same internet system.

Out of the 150 copies distributed, we received only 120 and proceeded by coding them, analyzing and interpreting the results.

To facilitate the search of solutions, we enumerated some temporal hypothesis which was to be verified from the results of the analysis of the questionnaires composed of three parts with the last part subdivided into five sections. (Appendix-A).

1. Part one is concerned with informations related to the employee's profile and socio-professional status.

3. Part three is intended to demonstrate how the front and bottom line in Biopharma manages risk and the questions are grouped in the following sections:

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS, INTERPRETATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

IV.1- RESULTS AND INTERPRETATIONS

IV.1.1- Immediate

a) Health and safety policy statement with copy in page 55 in annex, has been established and proposed to the managing board but not yet approved though it is already being executed since September 2012,

b) Creation and installation of a well-structured health and safety committee of which Mr Fandio Moise is the coordinator, appendix C page 57,

c) Training of members in the management of a safety committee (see photos page 59 appendix D),

d) Trainings received by some members in the domain of field of fire-fighting, (see photos page 59 appendix D),

IV.1.2- Progressive

· The elaboration of a datae base for owners of vehicles and Moto bikes is going on.

· Amelioration of the working conditions (ventilation) in the packaging service is under studies.

· The systematic registration of accidents and near misses has started, with a register at the human resource service.

Proceeding with further verifications based on the datae of 120 workers using the spread sheet and analyzing, we observed the following:

In part one concerning informations related to the employee's profile and socio-professional status, 54% of those who responded were born between 1975 - 1985 with 74% being men while 15% are women and 11% did not chosed their sex. See tables 3 and 4 as well as figures 6 and 7 below.

As regards the organisational issues in Biopharma, it is noticed that 61% of the work force is found at the bottom line and 29% being supervisors. See table 5 as well as figure 8. Amongst these workers, 82% as deduced in table 6 and figure 9 have an appreciable experience of one to five years, within a company of only 11 years old.

Table 5: Socio-professional status of workers interviewed

Senior managers

Managers

leaders/supervisors

bottom line

Figure 8: Graph of socio-professional status

Table 6: Experience at current post

YEARS

NUMBER OF WORKERS

[0 - 1 [ANS

[1 - 5[ans

[5-10[ans

[10 - 11]ANS

Furthermore, we have presented in table 7 below a summary of the major topics of our questionnaires which was exploited in parts A (training and supervision or learning culture), B (safe work procedures), C (reporting safety), D (management commitment) and E (injury management) which are in accordance with the various authors quoted in our literature review. Thus:

Ø The issue of safety culture is supported by the General Manager and the other leaders as indicated by 71% employees, with 69% mastering the essence of a health/safety policy although only 68% confirmed that safety procedures, rules and regulations are respected. This idea goes in line with Duane et al (2007).

Ø Just like Fleming (2001), 89% of the workers interviewed agree that hazard and their associated risks will be detected faster when frequent inspections of the various sites are made and reported. For 82% of the employees, safety is primordial for each and every one in such a way that lessons are learned for past experiences in this domain as supported by 78%. Thus 68% agree that sensitization is helpful to enhance safety culture. This same point is highlighted by Weick et al (2001), the Royal Aeronautics society (2004) as well as Phil. Hughes and Ed Ferrett (2007).

Ø Cleanliness is well considered by 81% whereas 84% are aware that collaboration is necessary for the implementation of safety culture hence considers the various attitudes within the company. Safety management, thus safety culture is enhanced as earlier sated in HSE, 2002b.

Ø As regards injury management, 75% confirms that it is appreciable and risky situations according to 66% of the employees will be minimized if they are proactive.

Ø For 64% of those interviewed, leaders look for solutions to eventual safety tempers reported such that workers are not blamed when an accident occurs; instead the managers look for its origin and justice made. This could also be justified by 65% workers who declare that the discuss safety issues freely during work with everybody and take part in several decision making regarding the above mentioned domain. By so doing, a just culture as also stated by the following authors: Reason (1997), Whittingham, R.B (2004) and Schein et al (2004) exists.

CODES	YES=1/3	NO=2/4	% YES
Q23	81	39	68	Nous qui travaillons à Biopharma aidons chacun à travailler en sécurité par des multiples sensibilisations: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q28	79	41	66	Si nous sommes proactives, les risques sont minimisés: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q29	107	13	89	En multipliant les rondes sur un site, nous détectons rapidement les dangers majeurs et les risques liés aux dits dangers : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q30	81	39	68	Les directeurs encouragent le personnel de Biopharma à travailler conformément aux exigences de la règlementation en vigueur portant sur l'hygiène, la sécurité et la santé, même lorsque le programme est très surchargé : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q42	94	26	78	Nous qui travaillons ici tirons des leçons à partir de nos expériences dans la prévention des accidents : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q45	101	19	84	Notre attitude par rapport à la sécurité peut influencer le comportement des autres membres de l'équipe : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q48	71	49	59	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs s'assurent que les problèmes de sécurité sont toujours pris en compte et résolus rapidement lorsque ceux-ci sont signales : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q50	77	43	64	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs encouragent les employés à participer activement dans la prise de décision portant sur la santé et la sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q53	97	23	81	Pour nous qui travaillons ici, nous prenons une double responsabilité pour s'assurer que le lieu de service demeure toujours propre: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q55	72	48	60	Nous qui travaillons ici nous nous sentons en sécurité pour un travail d'ensemble : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q57	98	22	82	Nous qui travaillons ici savons que la sécurité est l'affaire de tous et de chacun: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q59	78	42	65	Nous qui travaillons ici parlons toujours librement et ouvertement des choses concernant notre sécurité au lieu de travail : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q66	83	37	69	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs connaissent parfaitement l'importance d'une politique sécurité au sein de Biopharma: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q73	85	35	71	Dans notre entreprise, la locomotive de la sécurité est le Directeur Général: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q76	90	30	75	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs prêtent grande attention à tous ceux qui sont victimes d'accidents: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q77	69	51	58	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs recherchent les causes et non les coupables lorsqu'un accident se produit: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q82	77	43	64	Nous qui travaillons ici essayons de trouver la solution quand quelqu'un identifie une menace de la sécurité dans le lieu de travail : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q83	70	50	58	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs s'assurent que les problèmes de sécurité détectés pendant l'évaluation de la sécurité de l'entreprise soient traités immédiatement : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord

IV.2- RECOMMENDATIONS

In general, from what we have observed in Biopharma, there are some basic steps that one should consider to address the safety culture issues for a rapid amelioration. Below are the recommendations which we proposed.

§ Create Awareness: Corporate and/or site leadership need an awareness of the importance of safety culture to safety performance through exercises, seminars or workshops related to safety issues.

§ Identify a Champion: While every member of the organization should be a supporter of a sound safety culture, Biopharma may require a Champion/leader. Whoever fulfils this role must understand the dynamics of safety cultures and the process for, and obstacles to, implementing cultural change.

§ Perform a gap analysis: Learn/evaluate how the culture is performing. Identify where the gaps are and prioritize a risk-based response to closing this gaps. It should not only simply be stated but must be implemented. Elders say «a melon cannot get rotten in one day» it is a gradual process. We wish to develop a health and safety policy followed by the implementation of 100% of its content before December 2013.

§ Steward cultural change: Acceptable behaviors must be modeled at all levels of the organization through leadership by example. Values must be communicated and reinforced frequently. By consistently reinforcing positive behaviors, linking them to the benefits they bring, and relating these benefits to our beliefs of why they are important, we should be able to gradually shift the values of the organization in a positive direction.

§ Keep the organization focused: Many organizations have already established sound safety cultures. Not uncommonly, these cultures have been developed in response to, and are reinforced by frequent reference to, significant loss events in the company's past. Those organizations who are fortunate enough not to have experienced such a similar event may find it helpful to draw the experience of others in their industries.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that our company, Les Laboratoires Biopharma S.A from what is observed within the two production units complies to the local laws related to safety. The assessment also indicates that Biopharma's top management and its personnel are committed to a certain degree above average this can be seen an appreciable level of safety culture.

In very near future things will be finalized with the approval of the proposed health and safety policy which we established during our research period. The company's management is gradually putting resources at the disposal of the newly created health and safety committee to help implement the health and safety policy indicated above and to attain the goal which is that of achieving the OHSAS 18001 distinction by 2014. The various datae bases being put in place will enhance the above certification.

Given that no human act can be perfect and also considering the short time allocated for this research, we shall appreciate that more studies in this same domain be done with emphases on the behaviours and perceptions of the workers outside Biopharma so as to evaluate well that safety matters are considered by them not because of the fear to loose their job but that of minimizing direct or indirect damages.

We should also have this saying in our minds: «If you think safety is expensive then try an accident»

REFERENCES

To carry out our research, we have gone through so many books which deal with the issue of safety culture. We also supervised a student engineer from ENSAI - NGAOUNDERE:

1. Arrête n° 039/MTPS/IMT du 26 novembre 1984, fixant les mesures générales d'hygiènes et de sécurité sur les lieux de travail.

2. Bergersen, C.,: Endring av sikkerhetskultur i fragmenterte organisasjoner - utfordringer og erfaringer [Changing safety culture in fragmented organisations - challenges and experiences]. In-depth study spring. Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, NTNU, Norway; (2003).

3. BS 8800 (1996) Guide des systèmes de management de la santé et de la sécurité au travail - Norme britannique très complète - 90 pages (version 2004).

4. BS OHSAS 18001:2007 Systèmes de management de la santé et de la sécurité au travail - Norme britannique très inspirée de l'ISO 14001 - 13 pages - Cette nouvelle version s'est sensiblement rapprochée du référentiel international l'ILO-OSH 2001.

5. Camilla Elén Bjørneide Bergersen: Diploma Thesis in Safety, Health and Environment Autumn. Tools to be used to survey and improve safety culture in the European railway industry, (2003).

6. Chemical Industries Association, 1998b. Responsible Care Management Systems Self-Assessment.

7. Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Report, 1990. Developing a Safety Culture-Business for Safety.

8. Cooper, M.D, Towards a Model of Safety Culture. Safety Science, 36, 111-136. (2000).

9. Cullen, Lord. The Public Inquiry into the Piper Alpha Disaster, HMSO. London, (1990)

10. Dominic Cooper: Improving safety Culture: A Practical Guide, pages 3-5. ISBN 1 901128 02 4, (2001).

11. Duane A. et al, (2007). Safety Management Systems for Airports; Volume 1: Overview; 26 pages. ISBN: 978-0-309-09896-0

12. Fennell, D., (1988). Investigation into the King's Cross Underground Fire, Department of Transport, HMSO. London

13. Fleming, M. Effective Supervisory Safety Leadership Behaviors in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry. Offshore Technology Report 1999/065. ISBN 0 7176 1974 5 (2001).

14. Hartshorn, D. The safety interview. Occupational Hazards, Vol.61 No 10. Page 107-110 (1999).

15. Health and Safety Commission (HSC). ACSNI Study Group on Human Factors. 3rd Report: Organizing for Safety, London: HMSO, (1993).

16. Health and Safety Commission (HSC). Successful Health and Safety Management. HS (G) 65. HSE Books. ISBN 0 7176 1276 7, (1997).

17. Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 1998a. Managing Health and Safety: Five steps to Success. IND (G) 275. HSE Books Free leaflet.

18. Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2002b. Framework for Assessing Human Factors Capability. Offshore Technology Report. 2002/016. Prepared by Nickleby HFE Ltd.

21. http://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/Library/ Documents/People/People-Development-Review-EN.pdf retrieved 12th Dec 2012

24. IAEA. (International Atomic Energy Agency. Summary Report on the Post-Accident Review Meeting on the Chernobyl Accident. International Safety Advisory Group, Safety Series 75-INSAG-1-Vienna: IAEA, (1986).

26. International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG), Key Practical Issues in Strengthening Safety Culture. INSAG-15. Vienna (2002).

28. McKinnon, Ron C. Safety Management: Near Miss Identification, Recognition, and Investigation.

31. Paul, M. Moving from Blame to Accountability. The Systems Thinker Newsletter, Pegasus Communications, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, (1997).

32. Phil. Hughes and Ed Ferrett. Published by Elsevier Limited, pages 49 - 64, NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), Third edition. ISBN 978-0-7506-8503-0, (2007).

33. Pidgeon, N.F, Safety Culture and Risk Management in Organisations. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 22, 129-140., (1991).

35. Reason, J: Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents. Ashgate, Kent (1997).

37. Schein, E.H., Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd Ed., San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, (2004).

38. Schein, Edgar H., (1992): Organisational Culture and Leadership, 2^nd Edition, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

39. TCHAKOUNTE Bob Patersson, in his report entitled: «Initiation à la gestion des risques au sein de Biopharma (Cosmetique)» (2012).

40. The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), Health and Safety Briefing, Blame Free Reporting, No 37 (2003).

41. Turner, B.A., Pidgeon, N.F., Blockley, D.I., Toft, B., Safety Culture: its Position in Future Risk Management. Paper presented at the Second World Back Workshop on Safety Control and Risk Management, Karlstad, Sweden (1989).

42. UK Health and Safety Executive, Safety Culture: A Review of the Literature, HSL/2002/25, (2002).

43. Weick, Karl E. and Sutcliffe, Kathleen M., Managing the Unexpected, Jossey-Bass, (2001).

44. Wert, J., (1986) `Safety Culture at Nuclear Plants'. An Unpublished Essay, as cited in O'Hara, P. (2003). `Nuclear Safety Culture: An Organisational Development Model'. http://www.ucelarsafetyculture.freeyellow.com

45. Whittingham, R.B., The Blame Machine. Why Human Error Causes accidents. Elsevier (2004).

APPENDICES:

Appendix A - Codage questionnaire d'évaluation niveau sécurité au sein des Laboratoires BIOPHARMA S.A ayant pour objet d'améliorer la culture sécurité.

N°	Questions	CHOIX (Chiffre)
	I-PROFIL DE L'ENQUETE (WORKER)
Q1	AGE : 1- [1955-1965[ 2- [1965-1975[ 3- [1975-1985[ 4- [1985-1995[ 5-Omission
Q2	Sexe : 1-M 2-F 3- omission
Q3	Votre rang dans Les Laboratoires BIOPHARMA S.A. :1- Cadre supérieur, 2-Cadre, 3- Agent de maitrise, 4-Ouvrier, 5- Autres
Q4	Vous travaillez principalement dans quelle section : 1- Cosmétiques, 2- Plastiques, 3- Administration, 4- Commercial, 5- Autres
	II- EXPERIENCES PROFESSIONNEL / Working experience
Q5	Avez-vous déjà travaillé ailleurs avant d'arrivée à Biopharma? 1-oui 2- non
Q6	Votre poste dans l'entreprise : 1- USINE (Cosmétiques- Plastiques), 2- Administration, 3- Commercial, 4- LABORATOIRE 6- AUTRES
Q7	Qui est votre chef HIERARCHIQUE DIRECT : 1-DG, 2-CE 3- DAF 4-DEX 5-DMC 6-CDM 7-CDC 8- CDP 9-CASO 10- CASE 11- AT INJ 12-ATFAB MECA 13-CQ 14- CAT COND 15- CAG 16- MP/AC 17- PF 18- AHAT 19- COMPTA 20- RH 21- VENTE 22- CGESTION 23- GARDIEN 24- CHEF EQUIP 25- AUTRES
Q8	Travaillez-vous en service de quart : 1- OUI 2- Non
Q9	Votre ancienneté dans Biopharma S.A: 1- [0 - 1 [ANS 2- [1 - 5[ans 3- [5-10[ans 4- [10 - 11] ANS
Q10	Votre ancienneté à votre poste actuel: 1- [0 - 1 [ANS 2- [1 - 5[ans 3- [5-10[ans 4- [10 - 11] ANS
	III-GESTION DES RISQUES PAR LA HIERARCHIE / RISK MANAGEMENT BY THE HIERARCHY OF BIOPHARMA
	A - FORMATION et SURVI / TRAINING and SUPERVISION (Learning culture)
Q11	Connaissez-vous la différence entre Equipement pour la Protection Collective (EPC) et Equipement pour la Protection Individuelle (EPI) ? 1-oui 2-non
Q12	Citez 2 exemples des EPC : 1-deux justes 2-un juste 3-zero
Q13	Citez 2 exemples des EPI : 1-deux justes 2-un juste 3-zero
Q14	Connaissez-vous tous les membres de notre comité d'hygiène, sécurité et santé - CHSST? 1-oui 2-non
Q15	Connaissez-vous la différence entre actes dangereux et conditions dangereuses ? 1-oui 2- non
Q16	Citez deux (2) exemples des conditions dangereuses : 1-deux justes 2-un juste 3-zero
Q17	Donnez trois exemples des actes dangereux : 1-Trois justes 2-deux justes 3-un juste 4-zero
Q18	Avez-vous déjà entendu parler de » culture sécurité» ? 1 - oui 2-non
Q19	Avez-vous une idée sur la notion »culture sécurité» dans une entreprise? 1- oui 2- non
Q20	Si OUI, exprimez-en brièvement:
Q21	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs à travers des formations s'assurent que tout un chacun influence positivement sur la santé et sécurité pendant l'exercice de leur fonction : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q22	Nous qui travaillons ici constatons que chaque personnel nouvellement arrivée reçoit la formation en sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q23	Nous qui travaillons à Biopharma aidons chacun à travailler en sécurité par des multiples sensibilisations: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q24	Nous qui travaillons ici savons que les dangers sont présent partout et estimons que le risque est inévitable: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q25	Nous qui travaillons ici estimons que seule une catégorie du personnel est expose aux dangers: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q26	Nous qui travaillons ici avons confiance entre nous en ce qui concerne la maitrise de la sécurité au travail : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q27	Faire la ronde du site régulièrement n'a pas d'effet sur la sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q28	Si nous sommes proactives, les risques sont minimisés: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q29	En multipliant les rondes sur un site, nous détectons rapidement les dangers majeurs et les risques liés aux dits dangers : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
	B - RESPECT DES PROCEDURE EN SECURITE / SAFE WORK PROCEDURES
Q30	Les directeurs encouragent le personnel de Biopharma à travailler conformément aux exigences de la règlementation en vigueur portant sur l'hygiène, la sécurité et la santé, même lorsque le programme est très surchargé : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q31	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs se rassurent que chacun reçoit les informations nécessaire concernant la sécurité : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q32	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs s'assurent que tous nos sous-traitants travaillent selon les règles de la sécurité : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q33	Nous qui travaillons ici ne faisons plus d'effort en sécurité parce que nous sommes tous assures: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q34	Nous qui travaillons ici ne prenons aucune responsabilité pour la sécurité de chacun: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q35	Tant qu'un accident ne se produit pas, nous qui travaillons ici ne s'intéressons pas aux comportements dangereux : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q36	Nous qui travaillons ici ne respectons pas les mesures de sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q37	Nous qui travaillons ici pensons que nos fournisseurs et visiteurs ne doivent pas s'intéresser à la sécurité au sein de la société: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q38	Nous qui travaillons ici acceptons de nous exposer à tout genre de danger surtout quand le volume du travail est grand: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q39	Nous de Biopharma pensons que seuls les employés doivent avoir les informations concernant la sécurité au travail: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q40	Nous qui travaillons ici n'acceptons jamais de prendre des risques surtout quand le volume du travail est grand: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q41	Nous qui travaillons ici parlons de la sécurité constamment durant l'exercice d'une tache surtout quand il n'y a pas eu accident: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q42	Nous qui travaillons ici tirons des leçons à partir de nos expériences dans la prévention des accidents : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q43	L'achat et le port des équipements de protection individuel est nécessaire et suffisant pour être à l' abri des accidents : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q44	Nous savons que conduire les engins dans les périmètres de l'usine par n'importe qui est mieux (moins risquant) que sur la voie publique: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q45	Notre attitude par rapport à la sécurité peut influencer le comportement des autres membres de l'équipe : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q46	Lors que nous n'avons pas assez de temps pour faire un travail, il est préférable de ne pas analyser les risques éventuels lies à ce boulot : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q47	Dans notre entreprise, il y a très peu des couloirs pour circuler parce que les magasiniers occupent pratiquement toutes les espaces disponibles: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
	C - CONSULTATIONS - COMMUNICATION / REPORTING SAFETY
Q48	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs s'assurent que les problèmes de sécurité sont toujours pris en compte et résolus rapidement lorsque ceux-ci sont signales : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q49	Lorsque le personnel détecte un risque et le soumet à la hiérarchie, les directeurs et/ou les chefs l'ignorent et ne mènent aucune action : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q50	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs encouragent les employés à participer activement dans la prise de décision portant sur la santé et la sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q51	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs ne demandent jamais l'opinion du personnel avant de prendre des décisions concernant la sécurité : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q52	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs ne prennent jamais en compte les suggestions du personnel portant sur la santé et sécurité lors des achats des nouvelles machines:1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q53	Pour nous qui travaillons ici, nous prenons une double responsabilité pour s'assurer que le lieu de service demeure toujours propre: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q54	Nous qui travaillons ici évitons d'analyser les risques que nous détectons pendant l'exercice de notre travail: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q55	Nous qui travaillons ici nous nous sentons en sécurité pour un travail d'ensemble : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q56	La sécurité doit être assurée uniquement par le patron de l'entreprise: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q57	Nous qui travaillons ici savons que la sécurité est l'affaire de tous et de chacun: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q58	Nous qui travaillons ici prenons très au sérieux les opinions et suggestions de chacun lors des débats portant sur la sécurité : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q59	Nous qui travaillons ici parlons toujours librement et ouvertement des choses concernant notre sécurité au lieu de travail : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q60	Grace au grand nombre d'Ordinateurs avec accès à l'internet plus les BlackBerry au sein de notre entreprise tous le personnel est rapidement informe des problèmes de sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q61	La peur des sanctions à infliger par les directeurs et/ou les chefs empêchent le personnel de Biopharma de déclarer les incidences ou presque-accident : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q62	Nous qui travaillons ici pensons que la formation en sécurité au travail réduit les bénéfices de notre société : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q63	Nous qui travaillons ici pensons que la sensibilisation et la formation en sécurité au travail aident très peu dans la prévention des accidents dans notre société : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
	D - ENGAGAEMENT DE L'ENCADREMANT / MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT
Q64	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs sont laxistes lorsqu'un employé ignore les notions de sécurité lors de l'exercice d'un travail : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q65	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs donnent plus de considération à la sécurité plus que la production: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q66	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs connaissent parfaitement l'importance d'une politique sécurité au sein de Biopharma: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q67	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs acceptent que les employés de Biopharma prennent des risques quand le travail est intense : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q68	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs n'ont pas la volonté pour gérer la sécurité au sein de Biopharma:1-T rès d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q69	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs apprécient le coût de la sécurité seulement après un accident:1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q70	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs déploient tous les moyens aux personnels pour que chacun puisse acquérir suffisamment de notion et de pratique en matière de la sécurité : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q71	Nous qui travaillons ici pensons que la production a plus de valeur que la sécurité: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q72	Nous qui travaillons ici refusons de respecter les mesures de sécurité surtout quand il faut terminer le travail à temps: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q73	Dans notre entreprise, la locomotive de la sécurité est le Directeur Général: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q74	Nous qui travaillons ici estimons que l'augmentation de bénéfice dans notre entreprise signifie que la sécurité sur nos lieux de travail augment : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
	E - GESTION DES ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS / INJURY MANAGEMENT
Q75	Connaissez-vous tous les membres de notre comité d'hygiène, sécurité et santé - CHSST? 1-oui 2-non
Q76	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs prêtent grande attention à tous ceux qui sont victimes d'accidents: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q77	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs recherchent les causes et non les coupables lorsqu'un accident se produit: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q78	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs font toujours des reprochent à tous ceux qui sont victimes d'un accident: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q79	Nous qui travaillons ici enregistrons systématiquement dans un registre tous les incidents majeurs et accidents: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q80	Nous qui travaillons ici considérons les accidents mineurs comme un évènement normal dans l'exercice de notre travail quotidien: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q81	Il faut absolument punir les coupables lorsqu'un accident se produit dans notre entreprise afin que cela ne se répète plus: 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q82	Nous qui travaillons ici essayons de trouver la solution quand quelqu'un identifie une menace de la sécurité dans le lieu de travail : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord
Q83	Les directeurs et/ou les chefs s'assurent que les problèmes de sécurité détectés pendant l'évaluation de la sécurité de l'entreprise soient traités immédiatement : 1-Très d'accord, 2-Pas d'accord, 3-Je suis d'accord, 4-Pas du tout d'accord

Appendix B - Project of a Health and Safety Policy statement

Les Laboratoires Biopharma S.A is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for all staff, and to providing the information, training and supervision needed to achieve this aim.

2. Identification of dangers within Biopharma I and store the informations inside a register.

4. A person trained in each of our units who will crosscheck the whole sections and make sure the level of risk minimized (with respect to the dangers identified).

5. Ameliorate the working conditions in the packaging service of Biopharma I by increasing ventilation and reducing noise.

Les Laboratoires Biopharma S.A will take responsibility for health and safety procedures, however, employees need to be aware of their responsibilities and comply with the business' health and safety policy.

Each employee is encouraged to play a vital and responsible role in maintaining a safe and healthy workplace through:

§ Reporting any painful situation or discomfort in the working environment as soon as possible.

§ Helping new employees, trainees, contractors and visitors to the workplace understand the right safety procedures and why they exist.

This health and safety policy will only be effective and efficient if all of us follow it.

We shall review our health and safety policy once each year and/or whenever there is need.

Thanks for your participation within our company to enhance the achievement of our goal, the safety culture.

Appendix C - Installation of the health and safety committee - BIOPHARMA

COMPARE THE TWO IMAGES AND APPRECIATE THE NOTION OF CONTINUOUS AMELIORATION AUGUST / OCTOBER 2012

Evaluation of the level of safety culture

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS