Who do you work for as a QHSE manager?
For the auditor or for the people in your organization? Of course, we hope for the latter, but we also know examples of the former.
In work environments where it matters, the idea has arisen that safety should be a culture. That is why ProRail developed the Safety Ladder in 2012. It was managed by NEN in 2016 and further developed into the current Safety Culture Ladder (SCL). It is an integrated approach to safety at work. The SCL focuses on a proactive approach instead of a reactive attitude.
In construction, clients who have signed the Governance Code for Safety in Construction (GCVB) include safety awareness in tenders and contracts. This is called Safety in Procurement (ViA). From 1 June 2026, step 3 of the NEN Safety Culture Ladder will be used as an obligation. There are various forms of certification for various levels of opportunity and impact: from approved self assessment to a full-fledged SCL certificate.
In addition to the existing RI&E and VCA, from then on, the construction world will therefore have an additional approach to stimulate safe working. Why is this necessary and what exactly does this new approach add?
The safety culture ladder certification
When certified on the Safety Culture Ladder, actual safety behavior is audited. This is completely different from a conventional system audit such as a VCA. You can only achieve higher certification if you pay more attention to safety. It is not an investment in a certificate, but an investment in employee safety.
Companies will have to look differently at the existing rules, analyses, evaluations, checklists and toolboxes. In the philosophy of the Safety Culture Ladder, it is particularly important that you consciously analyze and communicate where you can achieve your most important improvements. So that's not the same as checking off the same ten toolboxes on autopilot every year.
Cultural change
Companies - including in the construction industry - are constantly dealing with change. Working conditions and safety will also change all the time. That's why it's a good idea to stay focused on the toolboxes you use at all times. And also on the content of those toolboxes and how they are created. Perhaps your company is increasingly employing young people through BBL processes. Then, for example, it's a good idea to create new toolboxes to help those youngsters work safely. In particular, actively involve those young people themselves in putting together the toolboxes that concern them directly. That, too, is cultural change.
The Safety Culture Ladder is ultimately about actual behavior. So the question isn't just whether you're using the right set of toolboxes. Or that those toolboxes have been gone through and practiced with everyone involved. Above all, the question is what you, as the person responsible, did to apply those toolboxes as effectively as possible. And what you did to proactively improve awareness and behavior at the construction site.
Organizations can learn a lot from construction. If you are striving for a culture of safe working, it is a good idea to take a look at that SCL. The SCL is set up in such a way that it can be applied to all sectors and types of organizations. This philosophy helps organizations to get safety into the organization's DNA.
Quality management software for the safety culture ladder
A good tool for organizations that want to put safety into practice is well-thought-out management software. And for that, you can come to us again. ISO2HANDLE's SaaS solution is versatile, powerful, and user-friendly.
Do you want to know more about that? Book a free one now short online demo
