The Safety Culture State Review is built upon Stephen Covey’s framework for personal effectiveness, which describes the progression of maturity levels from dependence to independence and ultimately to interdependence. Bradley adapted this model of personal effectiveness to evaluate a company’s safety culture, introducing the reactive level and establishing a link between safety culture maturity and performance outcomes, primarily accident rates. This approach highlights the direct impact of organizational safety culture on performance metrics and fosters the evolution toward a collaborative, safety-driven workplace

The Safety Culture State Review provides a structured approach to transform the otherwise vague description of a safety culture into a more tangible assessment. This is achieved by introducing a numerical scale from 1 to 8 for the maturity levels, while the safety performance axis is categorized from A to E. This dual-scale system forms the Safety Culture State Review Index, enabling a more precise analysis of cultural maturity and performance over time.

The modified Bradley Curve™ (DuPont 1995)

Ultimately, the Safety Culture State Review provides a – so called – ‘numerical solution to a mathematically ill-posed problem.’ While it may not yield absolute precision, it equips leaders, senior management and organizations with a structured approach to define targeted actions for the cultural transformation process and to transparently measure progress through performance indicators.

Covey’s maturity continuum defines three key stages of personal and organizational growth
(Reference: Covey, S., The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. London, 2020, pp. 49):

  • Dependence is the paradigm of ‘you’. Dependent people need others to get what they want. Reliance on others for direction, accountability, and results.
  • Independence is the paradigm of ‘I’. Independent people can get what they want through their own effort. Emphasis on self-reliance, personal responsibility, and achieving goals individually.
  • Interdependence is the paradigm of ‘we’. Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success. Collaboration and synergy, where individuals work together effectively, leveraging collective strengths for shared success.

Additionally the meaning of the fourth level is:

  • Reactive is the paradigm of ‘minimalism’. Any progress is made by chance.

What Does It Mean for a Company’s Safety Culture?

Applied to a company’s safety culture, the maturity levels have the following meaning:

(A) dependent

Safety is primarily management-driven, with compliance audits, rule enforcement, and discipline as key motivators. Employees follow procedures but have limited ownership of safety.

(C) interdependent

Teams collaborate to drive safety initiatives, defining goals, leading incident investigations, and fostering a culture of shared responsibility and continuous improvement.

(B) indepentent

Employees take ownership of safety, participating in training, self-inspections, and leadership programs. Performance evaluations and recognition programs reinforce proactive safety behavior.

(D) reactive

Safety is treated as a compliance requirement rather than a core value, with minimal effort beyond regulatory obligations. Actions are primarily reactive rather than preventive.

20 dimensions that significantly influencing the companies’ safety culture

Carrying out a Safety Culture State Review Survey