With the Safety Culture Ladder, you can measure how (un)consciously your organization deals with safety and health. This encourages everyone in your organization to act safer and more consciously, thereby reducing the number of unsafe situations, resulting in fewer incidents (and hence damage and absenteeism). This is achieved by making employees more safety-conscious, so that they themselves see the importance of adjusting their attitudes and behavior accordingly.

Broadly applicable safety instrument

The Safety Culture Ladder was originally developed at Dutch railway company ProRail and has since become a widely applicable instrument used by organizations in the construction sector, food industry, etc., to anchor safety and safety awareness in their way of working. The SCL safety standard is now managed by Dutch standardization institute NEN and more and more parties, including major procurers in the field of public transportation, energy and government use the Safety Culture Ladder when selecting suppliers and subcontractors.

Mandatory in Dutch construction sector

Since 1 January 2022, the Safety Culture Ladder has been included as a requirement in many tenders and contracts in the Dutch construction sector. This was agreed upon by the signatories of the Governance Code for Safety in Construction.

How does the Safety Culture Ladder work?

Unlike audits for system certificates, the Safety Culture Ladder does not assess documents but examines through open dialogue and observations at which of the five levels of the Safety Ladder an organization stands.

Which SCL certificate is right for you?

In the overview below, you will find a complete overview of the available SCL products. The offerings range from the SCL Original (where a full audit is conducted every year) to variants with a smaller sample or only a self-assessment with a check on the action plan. Kiwa can certify all these products and assist you in choosing a specific SCL variant.

SCL VERIFICATION

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

SCL Original (Certificate)

100% audit

100% audit

100% audit

SCL (Certificate)

100% audit

Follow-up audit 40%

Follow-up audit 40%

SCL Light (Statement with level indication)

40% audit

Action plan check

Action plan check

Approved Self Assessment

Self-Assessment

Action plan check

Action plan check

Safety Culture Ladder Training

Kiwa has developed a training to help you or your employees in educating or training for the setup or implementation of the Safety Culture Ladder:

  • The Safety Ladder in Practice (Dutch): After this training, you can determine at which SCL level your organization stands and what is needed to maintain it and/or move to the next level. The training provides practical tools and enables the participant to take action and leave with a concrete action plan.

Why SCL certification with Kiwa?

Kiwa has been closely involved in auditing, establishing and improving the Safety Culture Ladder from the beginning. Kiwa experts have been part of the Experts Committee of scheme manager NEN for years and are still involved in further improving the SCL. Kiwa has extensive experience in the implementation and assessment of the safety performance ladder. Our SCL clients include small and large organizations both domestically and internationally. Kiwa is authorized by NEN to certify (internationally) according to the Safety Culture Ladder.

More Information?

Would you like to know more about SCL certification by Kiwa? Contact us and we will be happy to provide you with more information. For general information about the Safety Culture Ladder, visit Safetycultureladder.com.