10 Principles of Safety Leadership Behaviour
Clear leadership is one of the main priorities for the development of a positive Safety Culture.
- Making Safety number one priority
- Showing visible management commitment to safety
- Increasing Visibility around Safety
- Safety Reporting
- Staff Involvement
- Create a Learning Culture
- Provide Recognition
- An Open Culture
- Effective Communication
- A visible, simple to understand safety policy
- Emphasis on safety related issues by regular staff communication e.g. memos, newsletters, messages from senior management, and the distribution of quarterly safety performance reports.
- Safety Management System
It is imperative that the senior a management team to gives safety high priority against other company objectives.
It is imperative that senior management demonstrate visibility and commitment to safety throughout all areas of the business. For example, if senior management fail to challenge unsafe behaviours they this becomes normal accepted practice and is acceptable.
It is essential to undertake regular audits around the workplace regularly. This demonstrates commitment and managers will become aware of the safety improvements required. The findings will provide an opportunity for managers to meet their teams and be proactive with regards to safety.
Effective leaders should respond to all incidents in a positive way. They should lead investigation teams to prompt and thorough investigation (accidents/incidents/near misses), identifying root causes and implementing corrective actions.
Active employee participation is essential in preventing hazards and potential accident and incidents. Ownership for safety can be improved by providing effective training which will allow employees in getting them personally accountable for safety. It should be made easy for employees to report any near misses so that proactive measures can be taken to prevent an incident or accident from becoming a reality.
All employees should be involved in learning by contributing ideas so improvements can be made, the positive learning culture enables the business to identify, learn and change unsafe acts or unsafe conditions and negative behaviours.
Always recognise the achievements of employees who improve safety in the business, especially those who voluntarily contribute to safety improvement.
Employees should feel that they are able to report issues or concerns without fear of reprisal. Management should always demonstrate care and concern towards employees and have an open door policy in place.
Effective communication is vital for the success of safety leadership. This can be achieved by:
Businesses must have effective systems in place for the management and co-ordination of safety. This should be led by the most senior person in the organisation, Objectives should be set to monitor the performance of the system. Outcomes should be communicated to all employees within the organisation at regular intervals.