The importance of safety leadership
One of the most important contributors to good OHS within any organisation is safety leadership. Role modeling and “walking the talk” of safety can be one of the most significant contributors to good OHS in practice and in demonstrating a meaningful commitment to safety.
The Safety Conference Sydney 2012 features a whole stream dedicated to safety leadership. With speakers including the CSIRO’s Angelica Vecchio-Sadus, OZ Minerals’ Tony Anderson and Transformational Safety Leadership’s David Broadbent, the conference will explore both the theory and practice of safety leadership from a number of perspectives.
In the latest issue of the OHS Professional eNews, it was also noted that the model Work Health and Safety laws present governments with a unique opportunity to send a clear message about the importance of safety in the workplace, and in particular the key role senior management plays in building safety cultures.
This is an important shift in the regulatory environment for leaders. Safety leadership is not just a nice concept, but one that is now important to regulatory compliance under harmonisation. Rather than just another compliance box to tick, leaders should see this an opportunity to take a proactive approach to leading OHS in their organisations and building a real culture of safety.