I came across these nine bullets from an SMS for a UK government agency. It may be the best-summarized listing of the behaviors and language we should see from the top executives within our organizations. I realize that one of the references talks about “prioritizing safety”; and although I am not a fan of that phrase, the manner in which they use it makes sense to me.
Leadership should demonstrate a commitment to safety within their organization by setting a clear tone from the top, promoting the vision for safety, and by:
- taking overall responsibility and accountability for the prevention of work-related injury and ill health, as well as the provision of safe and healthy workplaces and activities;
- making sure that they are visible across their organization and by prioritizing safety alongside other strategic objectives;
- communicating the importance of effective safety management and of conforming to the SMS and the organization’s SMS requirements using a range of communication methods;
- regularly reviewing safety performance at leadership meetings and bidding for the necessary finance and resources to maintain a safe workplace;
- developing, leading, and promoting a culture in the organization which supports the intended outcomes of the SMS;
- ensuring the organization establishes and implements processes for continuous engagement via consultation, training, and participation of the workforce and other stakeholders;
- encouraging the workforce and stakeholders to identify areas for improvement, leading to continual improvement in risk management through collaboration and innovation;
- promoting the open and transparent reporting of occurrences, hazards, risks, and opportunities; and
- driving continuous improvement of safety performance management and effective oversight of action plans.
