A toxic safety culture not only arises from inadequate processes and procedures, but when workers are cynical and "game-playing" surrounds the reporting of injuries, according to risk expert Robert Long.

Cynicism is one of several characteristics of a poor workplace safety culture, the Human Dymensions executive director told OHS Alert.

"There's nothing wrong with having a little bit of doubt in an organisation, but systematic cynicism is really dangerous," Long says.

Workers can be made distrustful and cynical by managerial "double speak" - a disconnect between what managers say and what they do when managing risk and safety, he says.

"The continual double speak and the continual systematic cynicism just totally erodes the culture, and all the workers really learn is not to trust senior staff."

Long outlined other negative safety culture traits in a recent blog post, including:

• scepticism, which should "not to be confused with a healthy sense of doubt". "Scepticism is mostly associated with knowing nothing, as compared to cynicism, which knows everything. "Scepticism infects a culture with so much doubt that the uncertainties of risk and human fallibility become a block to activity"; and
• pessimism, which is "fuelled by scepticism and cynicism, and this leads to a very unhappy workplace". "Pessimism extracts meaning and purpose out of the workplace and soon the meaningless of work affects risk-taking and safety. "When a culture is infected with pessimism and negativity, everything tends to just spiral down."

Long says a lot of game-playing - another negative trait - occurs when it comes to reporting injuries and incidents, and is linked to psychological bullying.

In an organisation with a mantra of zero harm, workers are reluctant to report incidents because reporting is "actually a shaming thing", he says.

"No one says 'please under-report'... It's not written in stone. It's in the ether of the culture. It's unspoken and everybody knows it."

The more game-playing in an organisation, the more unsafe the organisation is, Long notes.

Safety professionals must have people skills

Employers should talk to their workers to determine whether they have a toxic safety culture, Long says.

If workers are cynical or don't trust managers, then it's likely they do.

To tackle a negative safety culture, employers must shift their safety focus from being solely about regulation and engineering, to factors such as sociology, psychology and human relationships, Long says.

Employers must also ensure their safety professionals can effectively engage with workers at all levels; have good communication, consultation and collaboration skills; and listen to workers' concerns and suggestions, he says.

A connection between leaders and the front line is vital in creating a positive safety culture.

However, safety professionals can't connect if they don't have people skills, Long says.

The "worst thing" an employer can do is have an authoritarian safety professional, he says, because "it's just a crusade for them".

"They think that passion justifies tyranny," he says.

"People don't do stuff because you tell them, they have to believe it, and the creation of that belief and trust is relational.

"Just because someone can fill out some safety form or write some safety template doesn't mean they're the right safety person."