Safety culture in gas companies: a case study of an LPG reseller network

This research aimed to analyze the maturity stage of the safety culture within a network of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) reseller companies located in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The relevance of the topic lies in the importance of LPG to the national energy matrix and in the inherent risks of resale operations, which involve direct exposure of workers and the surrounding community to a highly flammable product. The study is grounded in wellestablished theoretical models that conceptualize safety culture as a set of collective values, practices, and behaviors that evolve through different stages of maturity. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques through the application of structured questionnaires based on six analytical dimensions (leadership, commitment, involvement, information, communication, and organizational learning), along with a checklist of documentary evidence. The sample comprised 289 workers from 82 reseller companies of varying sizes. The results revealed that the analyzed network is positioned at an intermediate level of safety culture maturity, between the reactive and bureaucratic stages, showing relevant progress but still constrained by gaps in effective communication, organizational learning, and leadership engagement. Statistical analyses indicated a positive correlation between safety culture maturity and variables such as education level, age, length of employment, monthly sales volume, and sector of activity, suggesting that experience, company size, and formal education contribute to stronger awareness and adherence to safe practices. It is concluded that advancing the maturity of the safety culture depends on interventions tailored to the profiles of both employees and reseller companies, focused on strengthening safety-oriented leadership and management, enhancing communication, information, and organizational learning, promoting frontline engagement and safe behavior, and improving governance, performance indicators, and distributor/reseller integration.

Keywords: safety, safety culture, maturity, liquefied petroleum gas, LPG companies, organizational culture.