SAFETY CULTURE

Respectful Work 

Environment 

TRAIT TALK

Trait Talk was developed to provide you 

with a better understanding of the nine 

safety culture traits found in the U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) 

Safety Culture Policy Statement (SCPS) 

and how they apply to you—whether 

you are an NRC licensee, a vendor or 

contractor employee, an organization 

interested in the safe and secure use of 

nuclear materials, or others involved in 

nuclear safety regulation. Please see 

page 4 of Safety Culture Trait Talk for 

more information on the SCPS.

Experience has shown that certain 

personal and organizational traits are 

present in a positive safety culture. 

A trait, in this case, is a pattern of 

thinking, feeling, and behaving that 

emphasizes safety, particularly in goal 

conflict situations, for example, in 

situations where production, schedule, 

or just the cost of effort may conflict 

with doing the job safely. The NRC 

identified nine traits of a positive safety 

culture in the SCPS, although the agency 

recognizes that additional traits may also 

be important. In addition, please note 

that the traits were not developed to be 

used for inspection purposes.

Each Trait Talk includes a fictional 

scenario based on a different 

licensee or community. The scenario 

used in this Trait Talk is based on the 

gauge user community. 

As you read through Trait Talk, consider 

the following questions: 

1. How does this trait apply to my 

organization? 

2. Are there other attributes and 

examples that better fit my 

organization? 

3. What impact does this trait have on 

the safety culture in my organization? 

4. How does this increase my 

understanding of the safety culture 

in my organization? 

5. How could I improve the performance 

of this trait in my organization?

What Is The Definition Of Respectful Work 

Environment? 

The NRC’s SCPS defines Respectful Work Environment as when trust and respect permeates 

the organization.

Why Is This Trait Important?

Trust and respect are among the most frequently discussed concepts in studies of 

organizational and safety culture. Trust and respect are fundamental to positive 

interpersonal relationships and central components of effective working relationships. 

The nature and level of trust and respect between workers and their managers and 

supervisors affect all aspects of their relationship and influence their attitudes and 

behaviors. Studies of organizations have found that trust in management is positively 

related to employee job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and engagement 

in safety behaviors. Distrust of management tends to lower levels of engagement and 

reduce feelings of personal responsibility for safety.

At an individual level, trust involves the willingness of one person to depend on another 

person, with a relative sense of security. The perception that an individual is competent, 

has integrity, and is predictable increases the likelihood that he is trusted and respected. 

Trust and respect affect the persuasive power of an individual. Efforts to influence others 

are more likely to succeed when those attempting to influence are trusted and respected. 

In addition, successful work groups, teamwork, and collaboration require respect for 

others’ opinions and differing views. When differences are respected, they can be a source 

of motivation and innovation for an organization; lack of respect can destroy trust and 

weaken safety culture. 

At an organizational level, trust and respect instill confidence that the organization is 

just and fair, which promotes open communication and accurate reporting, enhances 

organizational learning, and promotes the development of shared perceptions and norms. 

In studies of safety culture, higher levels of trust and respect are associated with positive 

safety attitudes, reduced risky behavior, and increased personal responsibility for safety. 

Open communication, fairness, and management accountability are the most frequently 

identified mechanisms that build trust and respect in an organization. Leaders earn trust 

and respect when employees can see that they are fair, deal directly with problems and 

issues, and encourage and value all ideas and opinions. A strong safety culture requires 

mutually respectful, trusting relationships between and within workgroups and between 

all levels in the organization.

Issue 7 January, 2015

One of the traits of a positive safety culture as described in the U.S. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Safety Culture Policy Statement.
SAFETY CULTURE TRAIT TALK

WHAT DOES THIS TRAIT LOOK LIKE?

Respect is Evident: Everyone is treated with dignity 

and respect. 

The organization regards individuals and their professional 

capabilities and experiences as its most valuable asset. 

Individuals at all levels of the organization, within and 

between workgroups, treat each other with dignity and 

respect. They do not demonstrate or tolerate bullying or 

humiliating behaviors. Leaders monitor for behaviors that 

can have a negative impact on the work environment and 

address them promptly. They ensure policies and expectations 

are enforced fairly and consistently for individuals at all 

levels of the organization. Individuals treat decision-makers 

with respect, even when they disagree with a decision. 

Leaders ensure facilities are conducive to a productive work 

environment and housekeeping is maintained. 

Opinions are Valued: Individuals are encouraged to 

voice concerns, provide suggestions, and raise questions. 

Differing opinions are respected.

The organization encourages individuals to offer ideas, 

concerns, suggestions, differing opinions, and questions 

to help identify and solve problems. Leaders are receptive 

to ideas, concerns, suggestions, differing opinions, and 

questions. The organization promotes robust discussions, 

recognizing that differing opinions are a natural result of 

differences in expertise and experience. Individuals value 

the insights and perspectives provided by quality assurance, 

the employee concerns program, and independent oversight 

organization personnel. 

High Level of Trust: Trust is fostered among 

individuals and work groups throughout the organization. 

Leaders promote collaboration among work groups. Leaders 

respond to questions and concerns in an open and honest 

manner. Leaders, sensitive to the negative impact of a lack 

of information, share important information in an open, 

honest, and timely manner such that trust is maintained. 

They ensure that status and important work milestones 

are communicated throughout the organization. Leaders 

acknowledge positive performance and address negative 

performance promptly and directly with the individual 

involved. Confidentiality is maintained as appropriate. 

Leaders welcome performance feedback from throughout the 

organization and modify their behavior when appropriate. 

Conflict Resolution: Fair and objective methods are 

used to resolve conflicts. 

The organization implements processes to ensure fair and 

objective resolution of conflicts and differing views. Leaders 

ensure conflicts are resolved in a balanced, equitable, and 

consistent manner, even when outside of defined processes. 

Individuals have confidence that conflicts will be resolved 

respectfully and professionally. 

2 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
SAFETY CULTURE TRAIT TALK

WHAT IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH 

THIS TRAIT COULD PLAY A ROLE?

An authorized gauge user was conducting on-the-job 

training for a new employee on the licensee’s practice of 

placing the portable density gauge inside the extended cab 

of a pickup truck when staying overnight at a hotel, as is 

often required when working at temporary job sites. During 

this on-the-job instruction, the new employee stated that 

simply placing the gauge case inside the extended cab of a 

pickup truck would only provide one barrier, the locked 

vehicle door. The new employee suggested the gauge case 

also be secured to the inside of the pickup truck. Since the 

authorized gauge user conducting the on-the-job training 

had many years of experience, he discounted the new 

employee’s comment as inconsequential. 

Several weeks later, one of the licensee’s gauges was stolen 

from the cab of a pickup truck parked overnight at a hotel. 

The new employee, now an authorized gauge user, stated 

that he placed the gauge case inside the extended cab of 

the pickup truck, as previously instructed, and locked the 

vehicle’s doors using the key fob as he walked inside the 

hotel. The side window of the pickup truck had been left 

in a partially raised position. Since there were no signs of 

forced entry, it was concluded that the theft was a crime of 

opportunity and that the thief may have simply unlocked 

the door by reaching inside the vehicle through the window. 

Once the thief was inside the vehicle, the unsecured gauge 

case did not delay or deter the thief’s removal of the gauge. 

The new employee notified management of the theft and 

informed them that he had raised a concern involving the 

failure to secure the gauge case to the authorized gauge 

user who had provided his on-the-job training. Because 

the on-the-job trainer discounted the new employee’s 

recommendation to secure the gauge case to the inside of 

the pickup truck, the new employee explained that he did 

not feel it would be appropriate to go around the trainer 

to raise the concern directly to the radiation safety officer 

or management.

As a result of this incident, the licensee conducted an analysis 

and determined that the root cause of the violation was the 

licensee’s failure to fully understand how to implement the 

requirement of securing the gauge. The licensee’s practice 

was focused on the visibility of the gauge case as opposed to 

properly securing the gauge case. A contributing cause of 

the incident was the licensee’s employee leaving the passenger 

side window in a partially open position. The new employee 

again stated he did not feel that it would be respectful to 

the trainer if he continued to question the practice since the 

trainer was senior to him, and he did not feel he could trust 

the radiation safety officer or management not to provide 

negative feedback to the trainer. 

Thinking about the scenario discussed above, consider the 

following questions:

1. How does this scenario apply to the safety 

culture trait Respectful Work Environment?

2. What kinds of communications would have 

reinforced safety as the overriding priority?

3. How could this situation have been handled 

differently, and what might have been the 

outcome?

WHO CAN I CONTACT WITH A 

QUESTION OR SUGGESTION?

The NRC looks forward to continuing to provide you with 

information about the traits of a positive safety culture. If you 

have a question or would like to make a suggestion, please 

contact the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of 

Enforcement, Safety Culture Team, at external_safety_culture.

resource@nrc.gov.

Issue 7, January 2015 3

Sources of Information:

1 “Why is this trait important?” was derived, in part, 

from a literature review (Agencywide Documents Access 

and Management System (ADAMS) Accession 

No. ML13023A054) prepared by Pacific Northwest 

National Laboratories for the NRC Office of Nuclear 

Regulatory Research. 

2 “What does this trait look like?” was derived from 

the Safety Culture Common Language effort (ADAMS 

Accession No. ML13031A343), under the direction of 

the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. Panelists 

from the NRC, nuclear power industry, and the public 

created attributes of a positive nuclear safety culture, 

and examples of each attribute that a nuclear power 

organization should demonstrate in maintaining a 

positive safety culture. Although these attributes 

and examples were created specifically for the reactor 

community, they may also be applicable to various 

other communities and organizations. For purposes 

of Trait Talk, the examples were partially rewritten to 

increase applicability to nuclear as well as non-nuclear 

communities. 

3 “What is a scenario in which this trait played a role?” 

was developed specifically for Safety Culture Trait Talk 

for educational purposes only. The scenario is fictional 

and any resemblance to actual events, people, or 

organizations is purely coincidental.
SAFETY CULTURE TRAIT TALK

4 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The NRC’s SCPS provides the NRC’s expectation that 

individuals and organizations performing regulated 

activities establish and maintain a positive safety culture 

commensurate with the safety and security significance 

of their activities and the nature and complexity of 

their organizations and functions. Because safety and 

security are the primary pillars of the NRC’s regulatory 

mission, consideration of both safety and security issues, 

commensurate with their significance, is an underlying 

principle of the SCPS.

The NRC’s SCPS applies to all licensees, certificate holders, 

permit holders, authorization holders, holders of quality 

assurance program approvals, vendors and suppliers of 

safety-related components, and applicants for a license, 

certificate permit, authorization, or quality assurance 

program approval subject to NRC authority. In addition, 

the Commission encourages the Agreement States (States 

that assume regulatory authority over their own use 

of certain nuclear materials), their licensees, and other 

organizations interested in nuclear safety to support the 

development and maintenance of a positive safety culture 

within their regulated communities. The SCPS is not a 

regulation; therefore, it is the organization’s responsibility, 

as part of its safety culture program, to consider how to 

apply the SCPS to its regulated activities.

The NRC’s SCPS, which includes the definition of nuclear 

safety culture and the nine traits of a positive safety culture, 

can be found on the NRC’s Safety Culture Web site. The 

Web site includes additional safety culture information, as 

well as the NRC safety culture case studies, which describe 

how the presence or absence of safety culture traits affects 

the outcome of the events.

WHAT IS THE NRC’S SAFETY CULTURE POLICY STATEMENT?

There are many definitions of safety culture. Most of these definitions focus on the idea that in a positive safety culture 

individuals and organizations emphasize safety over competing goals, such as production or costs, ensuring a safety-first focus. 

The NRC’s SCPS defines nuclear safety culture as the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment 

by leaders and individuals to emphasize safety over competing goals to ensure protection of people and the environment.

Experience has shown that certain personal and organizational traits are present in a positive safety culture. The following traits 

were included in the NRC’s SCPS, although additional traits may also be important in a positive safety culture:

Leadership Safety Values

and Actions

Problem Identification 

and Resolution Personal Accountability

Leaders demonstrate a 

commitment to safety in 

their decisions and behaviors.

Issues potentially impacting 

safety are promptly identified, 

fully evaluated, and promptly 

addressed and corrected 

commensurate with 

their significance.

All individuals take personal

responsibility for safety.

Work Processes Continuous Learning Environment for 

Raising Concerns

The process of planning and 

controlling work activities is 

implemented so that safety 

is maintained. 

Opportunities to learn about ways 

to ensure safety are sought out 

and implemented.

A safety conscious work 

environment is maintained 

where personnel feel free to 

raise safety concerns without 

fear of retaliation, intimidation, 

harassment or discrimination.

Effective Safety 

Communications Respectful Work Environment Questioning Attitude

Communications maintain 

a focus on safety.

Trust and respect permeate 

the organization.

Individuals avoid complacency 

and continually challenge existing 

conditions and activities in 

order to identify discrepancies 

that might result in error or 

inappropriate action.