In any organisation, leadership and management teams play a critical role in health, safety, and wellbeing.

Leaders and their boards know they are accountable for legal compliance, and that this is achieved by setting strategic direction, standards, and values, ensuring that those responsible are accountable, measuring the results and taking action where needed.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that 60% of large UK companies discussed occupational health and safety at least quarterly in board meetings[i], 67% set and published objectives for health and safety, and 70% received audit and performance reports related to health and safety.[ii]

Encouragingly 85% of these boards had a named health and safety director. Leaders also take active roles by engaging in health and safety initiatives, conducting safety tours (walkabouts), engaging with staff about their own health and safety and holding management accountable with performance objectives and indicators.

However, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), only 37% of SME’s have a wellbeing strategy in place (CIPD, 2023).

By setting the culture, the ethics and the standards, influential leaders show that wellbeing, health, and safety is not just a compliance requirement but is a fundamental way in which businesses conduct themselves. They recognise that identifying and mitigating risks in these areas will help to create a successful, harmonious, sustainable organisation.

In its recent Burnout Report – based on a YouGov poll of more than 2,000 UK adults – Mental Health UK found that one in five UK workers needed to take time off in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress. More than a third of respondents said they did not feel comfortable letting their line managers know they felt stressed at work, while nearly half said their employer did not have a plan in place to spot signs of chronic stress and prevent burnout.

“Simply put, this temperature test of the nation’s wellbeing suggests that the UK is rapidly becoming a burnt-out nation, and a worrying number of people are taking time off work due to poor mental health caused by stress,” said Mental Health UK chief executive Brian Dow on releasing the report.[iii]

Meanwhile data published in November by the HSE, showed that of the 1.8 million people suffering from a work-related illness in 2022–23, almost half – 875,000 – had stress, depression or anxiety caused by their jobs. These conditions were responsible for the loss of 17.1 million working days during the period[iv].

Leadership and responsibility in health and safety

It is therefore vital for senior leaders and managers to recognise that setting the business strategy not only determines the success of safety and wellbeing, but also creates long-term value for a company.

Some in leadership or management positions may have limited qualifications in safety, or only partial understanding of their legal responsibilities, or it may be that their previous engagement with health, safety, sustainability, and wellbeing might have been at operational levels.

As such, this can create challenges for leaders to confidently make informed decisions, adapt to the changing risks and working environment and articulate a clear vision and mission for health and safety. There is a significant difference between managing and leading, knowing and acting on responsibilities is essential for Governance.

Building competence and vision in safety leadership

Competence of a leader is one of the most important factors to ensuring vision and culture is embedded, decisions on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) priorities are implemented, and boards able to make reliable and informed decisions. Education is the starting point. To be a next-generation leader is to be aware of your moral, legal, and financial responsibilities, understanding effective leadership skills and styles to motivate and encourage safe practices.

The skills learnt in health and safety leadership courses can often be transitional to other management qualities and people management skills, empowering a leader to an optimum performance and supporting an organisation board in a more effective and meaningful way.

Changes in the world, changes in the workplace

The Covid pandemic led leaders to recognise rapid changes in our working environment:  emerging hazards, changes in work patterns, working remotely, new technology, continued macroeconomic and global uncertainty.

Leaders must continue to recognise the value of human capital and integrate this into corporate values and behaviours: healthy, safe environments create engaged employees who perform more effectively and efficiently, making better decisions and ultimately driving down risks in a business.

Following the introduction of new sentencing guidelines, which have seen multi-million-pound fines imposed on companies and an increase in the number of directors receiving immediate custodial sentences, it is all the more vital that leaders and managers know and understand their responsibilities, by undertaking appropriate training with an organisation like British Safety Council.

To enable leaders to thrive in our ever changing and dynamic environment, managing risks effectively, strengthening board decisions, it is imperative that leaders build knowledge, flexibility, and capacity.

[i] RR135 – Health and safety responsibilities of company direc… (hse.gov.uk)

[ii] RR414 Health & safety responsibilities of company directors & management board (hse.gov.uk)

[iii] Burnout Report: one in five needed to take time off work due to stress in the past year – Mental Health UK (mentalhealth-uk.org)

[iv] Statistics – Work-related ill health and occupational disease (hse.gov.uk)