Directors should 'get back to the floor'

The calls followed a study which found that almost all (91%) of businesses with a proven record of 'excellence' in health and safety, had directors or senior managers undertaking health and safety activities at the shop floor.

Delegates at Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) annual occupational health and safety congress, which took place in Birmingham last week, were told that more needed to be done to encourage directors and senior managers to go back to the floor.

Dr Sara Lumley, director of the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (Nebosh), carried out the research among twenty-three RoSPA occupational safety award-winning organisations to look at how board members took responsibility for health and safety.

Motivational techniques

The idea behind the study was to see whether senior management demonstrated "commitment and leadership" in operational health and safety activities or whether they were "too remote".

Dr Lumley found that 21 of the organisations carried out "back-to-the-floor" activities. These included health and safety tours, audits, inspections, risk assessments, accident and incident investigation, unannounced 'crisis' visits and best area competitions.

The researcher told the RoSPA congress of a number of motivational techniques used by the organisations, including building a positive culture, testing health and safety management systems and improving loss control and client-customer confidence.

She added: "Back-to the-floor activities develop a first-hand appreciation of gaps between corporate health and safety rhetoric and real conditions at the workface. They demonstrate strong leadership and visible commitment, not only to policy but also to its effective implementation.

"They involve and motivate employees; improve board-level understanding and focus on health and safety; and thus have a valuable role to play in contributing to improved performance."

Guidance needed

RoSPA said it now wants back-to-the-floor activities introduced more widely and supported by the Health and Safety Commission in an effort to persuade more directors to provide greater health and safety leadership.

"Guidelines for organisations also need to be improved to include a specific requirement for directors to understand and take part in back-to-the-floor sessions," added a RoSPA spokesman.

The study found that 95% of organisations undertaking back to the floor activities also provided training in health and safety for senior managers.

As many as 71% provided accredited courses, such as IOSH Managing Safely, and 62% had put senior management through 5 or more days of health and safety training.

Johnny Thomson