Book extract
Be the best:
how to become a world-class
health and safety professional
by Richard Byrne
£15 softback 108 pages
ISBN 978 0 901357 45 8
Board steering group
Most board meetings will contain an element of health and
safety, even if it’s just as simple as seeing the organisation’s
safety performance for the period. For many years, safety
professionals argued that this wasn’t enough, and in 2007 this was
recognised by the Health and Safety Commission and the Institute of
Directors, which published joint guidance on the leadership actions
that directors and board members can take on health and safety at
work. The guidance suggests that setting up a board steering group
is a good idea, but how do you do it?
The steering group is a subset of the main board and has the same
standing orders and similar terms of reference as other
subcommittees. Its aim is to maintain the impetus on health and
safety matters at the senior levels of the organisation.
As each organisation is set up differently, it’s difficult to
suggest who exactly should sit on the steering group. The following
list is a good starting point, along with a safety
professional:
• operations director (chair)
• HR director
• sales director
• finance manager
• property manager
• a regional manager (or two)
• a senior representative from the organisation’s insurers.
Operations director
Typically, the operations director is responsible for the
money-making side of the business. This is also the part of the
business with the most staff and often with the most health and
safety risk.
HR director
Most organisations delegate health and safety responsibilities to
the HR director, and there are good reasons for this. He or she is
independent of the operational line and holds a leadership
position. Health and safety in the workplace should also form an
integral part of the organisation’s ‘people agenda’. Clearly,
directors with this sort of responsibility would not want to find
themselves marginalised by not being involved with the steering
group.
Sales director
At first sight, this may seem a strange addition to a steering
group for health and safety. But consider that the sales team are
the people who go out and win business – is health and safety taken
into account when setting up the pricing structure for the
contract? Or do operational colleagues have to correct the problem
afterwards while working within the margins agreed by the sales
team? There are other powerful reasons for the sales director to be
involved. Not only are they in charge of people, but also they’re
perfectly placed to make the most of the competitive advantage that
can be obtained by excelling in safety.
Finance manager
Finance tends to be another function in an organisation that is
forgotten in relation to health and safety management. But at this
level some buy-in from the finance team is important – they need to
see the bigger picture of the work involved before they’ll be
willing to allocate scarce resources.
Property manager
A lot of health and safety problems come down to building and
equipment issues. It can sometimes be difficult to explain this to
board members – the steering group provides an opportunity to do
so.
Regional manager
The steering group has a great deal of potential to advance the
safety culture of an organisation, but it can be in danger of
‘ivory tower’ syndrome – the perception that its members are making
decisions without referring to the staff on the ground who actually
do the work. Involving one or two regional managers can help
counter this. The regional managers involved will undoubtedly start
to be safety champions among their peers when they see just how
seriously safety is taken at the top. It’s also a good opportunity
for succession planning and development by giving them exposure to
a different part of the organisation and showing their talent to
members of the organisation’s leadership.
Senior representative from the insurers
It’s nice to get approval from an external source saying: “Yes, I
think you’re going in the right direction.” If approached, most
employers’ liability insurers will provide someone with the
relevant background to do this. As well as assuring the
organisation that it’s going in the right direction, involving an
insurer’s representative allows you to benefit from the best
practice the insurer has learnt from other clients. Insurers often
welcome this kind of involvement, too, as it allows them to gather
feedback from their customers.
Safety professional
The role of the safety professional in this steering group is
similar to the one he or she performs at a safety committee, but at
a much higher level. You may need to be more prepared and polished,
but the rewards include getting directors and other influential
people in the organisation to champion your cause.
The mechanics of the steering group
Once the steering group has been established, it needs some terms
of reference. Here are some ideas:
• review the previous period’s safety performance
• review and agree the next period’s activities
• identify and remove existing blocks to improving safety
performance
• support the development of the safety strategy
• update the main board and champion safety issues at its
meetings.
How often the steering group meets will depend on how much there
is to talk about, but given that it’s dealing with strategic
issues, once a quarter is probably enough. That said, an emergency
meeting may sometimes be required – for example, to discuss a
Prohibition Notice that’s been issued or to form a major accident
review panel that looks at the outcome of a serious incident
investigation.
It’s important to maintain momentum. You can do this by bringing
in different external speakers to address the steering group. It’s
important, though, to pick your speakers so that they’re relevant
to the rest of the agenda.
For example, you may want to launch a driver safety training
programme in the next six months, for which you’ll need funds. An
external speaker who can sell the virtues of this kind of
investment can be very useful, particularly if he or she can get
the group’s enthusiasm fired up. Not only will this help you to get
the funding you need, but your invited speaker will be able to talk
to other people in the organisation about what’s coming up and why
it’s important.
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