Key Skills for Effective Safety Leaders

Leadership is crucial to a strong safety culture. Those people are in charge of fighting for a safer working environment. Safety leaders aren’t afraid to bring concerns to the attention of their superiors or to urge others to do their part to keep themselves and others safe.

Safety managers or specialists may be safety leaders, or they may be safety professionals. Safety leaders can be anyone, from shift supervisors to production managers, to frontline workers. When it comes to health and safety, leadership comes down to the following six qualities rather than the job title.

Bringing Safety to the Forefront is Their Responsibility

Leaders in safety are stewards of safety. It is important that they wear their PPE properly and consistently, even when passing through a work area. As well as participating on boards and committees, they are role models for their employees. Acting in such a way reminds everyone that safety is important and that rules apply to everyone.

Managers also work to ensure their employees are properly trained and understand how to operate equipment safely. Whenever necessary, they ensure that the health and safety program is updated, especially if it is outdated or lacking. The company also hires competent trainers and engages in every training initiative enthusiastically.

Safety is Truly About People to Them

A company’s safety program is built on rules, regulations, and procedures. Various health and safety laws are also provided by the local, state, and federal governments. That’s why enforcing the rules is so important.

You can’t give employees a huge, fat manual and expect them to follow it, since the real goal is to keep them from getting hurt. Through influence, education, and coaching, you must assist them in developing safe work habits beyond compliance. Engaging workers and strengthening their personal safety skills are the best ways to achieve compliance, as strong safety leaders understand that safety is about engaging and educating them. The effectiveness of any safety regulation is directly related to its adherence, even if it is well-intentioned.

Safety is Their Top Priority, 24/7

Leaders of safety organizations know that caring for their workers’ health and safety doesn’t stop at the end of their shift. Regardless of where employees are or what they are doing, they are encouraged to use personal safety skills in every aspect of their lives.

The company wants its workers to keep an eye out at all times because they’re more likely to get injured outside of the workplace, which can negatively affect the company.

At work, safety leaders are always on the lookout for ways to improve worker safety. They promote this attitude to their team and encourage them to keep the same level of vigilance.

They Acknowledge that Human Factors Contribute to Incidents

Those responsible for health and safety understand that an employee’s state of mind can greatly influence whether they follow protocol at any given time. Accidents at work are almost always caused by rushing, fatigue, frustration or complacency. Workers who become exhausted or complacent after spending many hours doing the same task may be encouraged to take a break, offered assistance, or assigned a task with a less hazardous potential or to disrupt complacency.

A safety leader also understands that the direction they give can influence workers’ likelihood of rushing and adjusts their communication accordingly.

Their Communication is Effective

In order for safety practices to be implemented and adhered to effectively, there must be an open dialogue. Safety leaders know that implementing a new program without discussing it with the workers and aligning it with their needs won’t work.

Additionally, safety leaders use constant communication to ensure that employees are always mindful of safety.  Safety leaders can figure out which safety aspects should be addressed in the future by meeting regularly with the workforce and listening to their ideas and concerns. Providing a toolbox talk before starting a new job or at the start of the week could suffice. The meeting will also show workers they should be concerned about their safety.

They Ask Question

Asking questions is a communication skill. The right questions to ask at the right time can help leaders determine competence assurance and ensure the appropriate controls are in place to prevent something bad from happening. A leading question such as “Are you going to do a toolbox talk or a pre-job brief?” can lead to the correct answer, but only if you lead them to say: “Yes we are going to do a toolbox talk.” Asking open-ended questions such as “Tell me about what you are going to do next?” will more likely yield answers that are accurate and true, even if the leader isn’t seeking them.

Integrity

Leaders must follow through on their promises. When a leader does not follow through on this, it can result in a dissatisfied workforce where workers feel that their leader lacks honesty and consistency. The disloyalty of one’s followers can be caused by disappointment. Leaders need to demonstrate integrity to those around them, as it is a crucial skill to grasp. In order to be an individual of integrity, you must be aware of yourself, show your values (what you care about), and manage your emotions. By demonstrating these qualities in their behaviors and how they make decisions, leaders will gain the trust of their teams, ultimately creating followers.

Why Should You Choose Promise Training & Consultancy for Safety Leadership Training?

It is impossible to create a strong safety culture at the workplace if you are not willing to learn new things. Leading by example will help you implement safety programs more quickly and, eventually, you’ll succeed in getting even the most complacent employees to consider their well-being on the job. Our Safety Training Courses at Promise Training & Consultancy ensure that those participating must end up upgrading their skills with the latest advancements. We offer a variety of corporate training seminars for that purpose. Interested in learning more? Talk to our course consultants. Get in touch.