Elements of Safety Leadership
Great safety leaders care deeply about their people and regularly demonstrate the value of safety through their actions. Let’s take a look at a few attributes of successful safety leadership:
- Safety leaders must have the 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 or the ability to “see” what an excellent safety culture looks like and how to spread the message throughout the company.
- Effective safety leaders 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 with employees of every level, promote collaboration, and actively seek input on safety issues.
- Safety leaders are 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞; they are willing to admit mistakes and advocate for the safety interests of every employee.
- Leaders 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 about safety every time they speak.
- Safety leaders 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 to prevent incidents rather than reacting to them.
- Successful leaders keep employees 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 for their safety efforts and results.
- Safety leaders 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 to honest feedback and take the actions necessary to resolve issues.