Citation

Roger I, Flin RH. Proc. Hum. Factors Ergon. Soc. Annu. Meet. 2011; 55(1): 1145-1149.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1071181311551239

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Clear commitment to safety from senior management is consistently cited as a cornerstone of safe organizations by industry regulators, accident investigators and safety experts. To date most research on senior managers explores their influence on key financial and business outcomes, while little empirical work investigates their influence on safety. This appears to be a major gap in the safety and management literatures in light of the major human, environmental and economic implications associated with leading safe operations.
This paper presents findings from the first stages of a project which aims to develop an evidencebased safety leadership tool for senior managers. Results from a systematic literature review and interviews with subject matter experts (senior managers, health and safety professionals) indicate that key safety leadership functions of senior managers include: (1) Emphasizing safety as an organizational priority, (2) Establishing clear communication for safety, (3) Participating in safety activities, (4) Setting and maintaining safety standards, (5) Maintaining risk awareness and, (6) Motivating and supporting the workforce.

Language: en