Courses Available Online, Virtually and Classroom
Fully Certified NEBOSH, IOSH, IEMA Accredited
7-Day Customer Service
Peter Turner MA (law), P.G.D, Eng (Hons), CMIOSH

ISO 45001 to Bridge the Leadership Gap

October 2017

Whatever you read, and whoever you speak to, the importance of Senior Managers and leadership for creating a successful health and safety culture is fundamental. So it begs the question why do we keep on having to say it?

It is only too apparent that in many organisations, public and private sector, Senior Managers struggle to effectively engage with health and safety.

Many organisations lie on a spectrum between total disengagement with health and safety where responsibility is seen as resting entirely with a safety specialist/team, compared to where Senior Managers inappropriately compete with the Safety Specialist in day-to-day management.

Leadership and Management

Leadership and management have distinct qualities: leaders are visionary and inspirational while managers execute the vision. As safety professionals, we will often switch between the two roles.

Leadership and management also have distinct roles in an organisation which is very complimentary; the relationship between a truly inspirational leader and their management team is a partnership of trust based on a common understanding of need and purpose.

When my family go on holiday I am brilliant at suggesting exciting new destinations to meet the whole family’s aspirations, but it’s my wife who actually organises the family to get us there. However what makes it work is that we both agree on the destination before getting in the car.

In the same way, inspirational and committed Senior Managers cannot deliver their aspirations without competent, adequately resourced safety specialists; similarly, competent safety functions cannot achieve their objectives without the backing of committed Senior Managers, particularly if they have different ideas about what the objectives should be.

It’s so obvious, and yet all too often lacking.

Senior Managers and Safety Managers Working Together

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that Senior Managers are disinterested or uncaring, of course, that can happen, but they are a minority. The issue is more often that Senior Managers and their Safety Managers fail to take the time to discuss and keep on discussing how their relationship should work.

Senior Managers can feel uncomfortable about safety and either shy away or overcompensate. It has surprised me how many times I have been asked (and refused) to provide Senior Managers with a list of questions they can ask staff when visiting sites. If safety is truly being led from the top surely conversations about safety should be the most natural, and easiest of all?

Perhaps that’s partly our fault as “the safety professional”. We can make the subject seem dry, legalistic and technical; with our qualifications and ‘badges of office’, we give the impression that other, lesser mortals can’t play. That’s just not true, and where leadership must kick in.

Human Factors Come into Play

In truth, some of our greatest endeavours are the result of an inspirational leader, teacher, manager or friend. So what makes them inspirational? Belief, passion, honesty? When the chips are down, they are prepared to take the pain for those beliefs. You don’t get that from an analysis of some aspect of the law, well, not very often. If this is starting to sound more like marriage guidance than safety advice, well perhaps that’s no surprise. If the human factors' aspect of safety has taught us anything over the past few years it’s that relationships whether personal or professional are critical factors in affecting behaviour in the workplace.

But if that’s sounding too soft, ultimately businesses need to “unite” relationships and business systems. Safety isn’t the only consideration for a Senior Manager and they will have many roles to assume. It’s easy to see how a Senior Manager can become over-reliant on their Safety Manager assuming full responsibility for safety and in turn the Senior Manager ignores his own complimentary role as a visionary leader.

Bring on the new ISO 45001

This leads nicely onto the long-awaited arrival of the ISO 45001 Health and Safety Management standard. This standard which will replace OHSAS 18001 standards, possibly in October 2017 could be a game changer, at least for those companies who sign up to it.

Whilst Senior Management commitment has always been a part of the management standards, it has been a rather mechanical job. Typically the MD would sign off the policy, perhaps set a few, often arbitrary, goals, (what about zero accidents for example?!!) and then delegate everything to the Safety Manager. But the 2015 versions of the quality and environmental standards, which ISO 45001 is expected to mimic, requires a much greater involvement of Senior Managers.

Impact of ISO 45001 on the Senior Manager’s Role

In particular, ISO 45001 standards require organisations to carry out a review of the business context. Essentially it is a high-level risk assessment to determine what pressures are on the organisation now and in the future, what they really want and need, and how to effectively position health and safety.

Then as a result of the review of the business context, it’s the Senior Managers that set the realistic objectives to provide the resources required to achieve them and establish the types of information and frequency fed back, in order for them to understand the real progress achieved.

This standard, therefore, differentiates and supports the roles of leadership and management: it forces a dialogue, creates a common understanding of roles, objectives, and the tools required to deliver them. Talking about complimentary relationships it’s a marriage guidance counsellor’s dream! Well, that’s my hope at least!

ISO 45001 is going to be big, and if it can help organisations of all shapes and sizes to bridge the leadership gap it will also be beautiful. I would encourage all organisations to seriously find out more and plan to get on board with ISO 45001. Bring it on!!

Are you in a senior management position and want to improve your knowledge of health and safety? Click below to view the IOSH Safety for Executives and Directors! 

Related Blogs

  • Choosing The Right Health, Safety and Environmental Training Course For You Image
    Toby Howell AIEMA BA PGDip

    Choosing The Right Health, Safety and Environmental Training Course For You

    Thinking about entering into the rewarding world of health and safety? This blog will outline everything you need to know and consider before jumping in!
    15.09.23
  • What Jobs Can I Get With the NEBOSH International General Certificate? Image
    Toby Howell AIEMA BA PGDip

    What Jobs Can I Get With the NEBOSH International General Certificate?

    Discover how the NEBOSH International General Certificate can dramatically increase your employability with Astutis blog. Read more here. 
    13.09.23
  • Safety and Wellness Programmes: The Link to Stress and Work Productivity in the Workplace Image
    Tom Lea BScHons, GradIOSH, AIEMA

    Safety and Wellness Programmes: The Link to Stress and Work Productivity in the Workplace

    Effective wellness and safety programmes can yield significant results, reduce stress and increase productivity in the workplace. Why do so many businesses still fail to acknowledge the importance of them?
    01.09.23
  • What are NEBOSH Closing Interviews Image
    Toby Howell AIEMA BA PGDip

    What are NEBOSH Closing Interviews

    Understand what NEBOSH exam closing interviews are and what is required to ensure you pass your exams with this Astutis blog. 
    25.08.23
  • Remote Work Safety: 5 Best Practices to Teach Your Employees Image
    Toby Howell AIEMA BA PGDip

    Remote Work Safety: 5 Best Practices to Teach Your Employees

    Understanding how to work productively at home is crucial in the modern working environment. Here are our tips!
    21.08.23
  • The Risks and Effects on Health of Asbestos Exposure Image
    Ruth Williams DipCAM FCIM

    The Risks and Effects on Health of Asbestos Exposure

    Take a deep dive into the risks associated with exposure to asbestos and how it can effect long-term health problems. Find out more here. 
    17.08.23
Section Curve
Case Studies

Real Life Stories

Find out how learners look back on their training with Astutis. Our case studies give our learners, both individual and corporate, a platform to share their Astutis experience. Discover how training with Astutis has helped past learners and delegates make the world a safer place, one course at a time.
More Image
Bottom Curve
What People Say

Hear What Our Learners Have To Say

We're always there for our customers. 98% of our learners rated their overall experience as good or outstanding. We will always pride ourselves on our customer service. But don’t take our word for it, here is what our customers have to say
  • "The "Managing Safely" course typically covers various topics such as risk assessment, hazard identification, accident investigation, legal responsibilities, and implementing control measures. It aims to enhance my understanding of health and safety management systems and empower me to create a safer working environment. By completing the course last week , I gained valuable insights into best practices for managing safety in the workplace, which can benefit both me and my organization."

    14.09.2023
  • "Perfect training: The "Managing Safely" course with Astutis seems to have provided me with valuable knowledge and skills for improving health and safety management in the workplace."

    14.09.2023
  • "Tutor new subject well and help in any way he could so we understand the different sections"

    Tracey
    17.08.2023
  • "Interesting and informative"

    Tracey
    17.08.2023
  • "There was no need to use the customer service as the course instructions were clear"

    14.08.2023
  • "It was a good course, as I had not completed an exam for such a long time I found this challenging, it would have been helpful that there was more focus on how to structure the answers"

    14.08.2023
  • "The course was good overall. Online classes can be difficult and I much prefer the classroom experience but due to circumstances and availability online was the option chosen. FSC1 was very good with lots of interaction. But no forward planning or discussion was given to FSC2. Because of a lot of experience in the fire industry and risk assessments I carried on without giving the question enough scrutiny which meant a refer and a costly resit. 5 minutes of discussion and forward planning for FSC2 would have avoided that. All that said I’m aware I took it too lightly."

    Peter
    10.08.2023
  • "A good online course, with good interaction. Be positive and be part of it. Some people sit quietly by that wouldn’t happen in a classroom. Ask questions and understand, everything is there for you."

    Peter
    10.08.2023
  • "Great learning experience! Astutis was there every step of the way!"

    Michelle
    18.07.2023
  • "Actually purchased through my company - they selected a great partner"

    Michelle
    18.07.2023