This paper will address the issues of leadership as a key element of health and safety management and accident prevention. It will also consider the way in which committed leadership can help break down some of the barriers which still exist between disciplines.

While we regard effective management as critical to a successful programme we need to understand the differences between management and leadership and how the two are not necessarily the same. We all know managers who are not effective leaders and those who have the skills in both functions and we will consider the attributes which make a manager or other person a good leader. Whilst acknowledging that strong leadership at the top of the organisation is essential to gain the top level commitment from the organisation there are others who have an essential leadership role to play.

Leadership at Board level is critical in ensuring that the organisation is working toward common aims and that we all understand how are roles are complementary to each other and to the success of the organisations occupational safety and health management systems. It is also a key factor in gaining the involvement of employees in achieving these objectives. This also needs leadership skills from line managers.

Directors and line managers have the ability to use their authority to influence people within the organisation. However, in many organisations the commitment which we need does not already exist and it is a requirement of the health and safety professional to have the ability to influence those at all levels of the organisation including the top management. This is where there is a need for true leadership skills as this cannot be achieved through the use of authority. In addition to senior managers, the health and safety professional must be able to provide leadership to line managers, functional managers such as HR and all employees.

If a health and safety professional is to succeed in influencing all levels within the organisation it is essential that they have certain key attributes. In our studies these have been shown to be knowledge, honesty, trust and above all respect, both given and received. Given that a health and safety professional has these attributes and that this is recognised by colleagues at all levels, to be successful, there are specific skills and knowledge about the business which are necessary.

An area where failures in leadership occur is a lack of clarity as to where health and safety fits within the organisation and is this consistent with similar functions such as environmental and quality management. In some organisations there is a perceived difference in importance, even between the safety and occupational health functions which in some organisations seem to sit in separate silos. This results in one function being able to influence top management more than the others. This is a particular issue where an organisation is developing an integrated approach to health, safety, environment and quality when one of these functions can become dominant as a result of an individual’s leadership attributes. This is a major concern when barriers develop between disciplines which must be seen as complementary to each other such as health and safety.

Another related issue is the question of the reporting lines for the health and safety professional. It is difficult to propose a definitive structure but the key consideration is that there must be a way in which the individual can bring health and safety issues to the attention of top management when their approval is needed for action. We have seen organisations where the health and safety professional reports directly into Board level. However, in other cases the reporting may be into production which can result in conflicts between priorities.

Comments which are made by some health and safety practitioners indicate that the senior management don’t understand many of the health and safety issues and are purely driven by business objectives. It has been found that those who are successful in leading top management are those who have not only gained the respect of decision makers but who also understand the business strategy of the organisation. This is where alignment of the health and safety objectives with the overall strategy of the business is critical. Many organisations use strategic planning tools such as the balanced scorecard. If the health and safety practitioner understands the process within their organisation, a specific strategy can be developed which reflects the objectives, target and key performance indicators for the business. By this means senior management can be made to realise that the health and safety strategy, if correctly implemented will be a positive factor in achieving the goals of the business.

Similarly the health and safety professionals can be more effective in achieving their own goals if they have a good understanding of the budget process. Very few of them will have a budget which would be sufficient to pay for major initiatives. This means that they need to understand where potential funding may be found and how to present a case in terms which the senior managers can understand.

Another critical attribute which is needed for a leader is the ability to communicate effectively at all levels. Experience has shown that in a significant proportion of major incidents including such events as Piper Alpha the event could have been prevented had communication been more effective. It is also important that communication is seen, not as a one way process, but that to have an effect in changing behaviour and practices, there must be provision for feedback to check understanding. We must also ensure that the means of communication used does not only reflect the preferred style of the health and safety practitioner but also takes into account the nature of the message and the audience. We do not necessarily communicate in the same way with senior management as with the shop floor workers.

All organisations have formal methods of communication but to be an effective leader in health and safety, it is essential to create informal relationships with key decision makers.

These attributes are critical to effective health and safety leadership and while some individuals instinctively have them should a health and safety manager wish to make a major difference and embed an effective prevention strategy within the business they will need to understand and develop them and become a leader