The health and safety culture of a business is a powerful driver of its performance. How well a company considers and protects its workforce reflects its overall ability to deliver its business objectives and long term value.
Health and safety is about establishing the systems and processes that enable a safe working environment, and the health and safety culture of a company is the force that makes these systems and processes effective.
The last few years have seen transformational changes to the sustainability agenda and the international interest and awareness of ESG challenges. We need to build infrastructure and stimulate economic growth faster and better to meet current needs, but in a sustainable, safe way by ensuring ‘best-in-class’ practices.
At BII, we believe ESG is the bedrock that helps us realise these aims – by protecting, preserving and creating value. A safe workforce, driven by a strong health and safety culture that is inclusive, can enable environmental and social risk management and deliver positive sustainable development outcomes when operating within a structured and organised management system framework. That’s why, in partnership with the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), we’ve developed this good practice note on developing and sustaining a positive occupational health and safety culture and the critical role of senior leadership in achieving these objectives.
Our aim is to propose a framework that helps leaders develop and foster a health and safety culture that benefits from continuous learning and supports teams in delivering good health and safety performance, for company employees, contractors and affected communities.
The scope of this good practice note is intentionally wide, recognising the diverse points of discussion with regard to health and safety culture and safety leadership. These concepts are complex, and the note does not seek to find a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. Rather, it presents our combined experience of implementing and building safety cultures across many sectors, focusing on the role of governance and company leadership.
The main audiences for this good practice note are:
- Company directors and senior management.
- Investors looking to improve the OHS performance of their investee companies.
- OHS professionals, practitioners or leaders.
We hope that some of the guidance and the referenced toolkits will resonate and support you on your safety leadership journey. We encourage you to read and research the subject further.
We acknowledge the immense contribution by Don Gibson, whose knowledge and expertise went a long way in shaping this note.
