Safety leader qualities

As a specialised car manufacturer Volvo has a strong reputation for safety and quality. The surge of public environmental awareness mcikes the inclusion of environmental considerations into the fundamental values of the company a logical step, and Volvo has the ambition to become a leader in this area. This orientation adds several issues to those traditionally considered in car manufacture, as well as new organisational requirements, as indicated in Figure 7.9. 

Improvement then requires a simultaneous focus on processes, organization, supervision, training and teamwork, underpinned by leadership, constancy of purpose and support from senior leaders. In this chapter we will see how these ideas have been put into practice, but first we need to briefly consider the difficult topic of the evaluation of safety and quality improvement. 

Both the VA and Jonkoping have clearly approached the improvement of safety and quality with great integrity, strength of purpose and seriousness. Both have leaders, at all levels, committed to improvement, who have fostered a culture of aspiration and continuous improvement. Both systems have invested heavily in educating and training their staff in safety and quality improvement... 

Studies of catastrophic accidents, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion in the Soviet Union, the Bhopal gas spill in India, and the incident of the Hubbell Telescope s misguided mirror, reveal a pattern of subordinating safety and quality to costs. Neither the standards for basic safety nor those for the particular industry were met in these cases. Questions for leaders concerning safety standards include those listed here ... 

Transforming Hospitals Designing for Safety and Quality presents information about three model hospitals that incorporated evidence-based design elements into their construction and renovation projects. This DVD shows hospital leaders how evidence-based design can improve the quality and safety of hospital services. It is an especially useful tool for hospitals that are planning capital construction projects or renovations (AHRQ Publication No. 07-0076-DVD). 

Safety leaders must learn safety leadership. Some people have certain leadership qualities and characteristics. Safety leadership is not an automatic part of such qualities. Safety leaders must know how to recognize hazards for the work they oversee and how to protect against those hazards. Safety leaders need to know how to communicate safety practices effectively and influence safety among their workers. 

Being an effective safety leader takes something over and above what it takes to be a good leader generally it takes respect for the intrinsic value of others. This requires a significant degree of empathy, compassion, and maturity. These qualities are available to all leaders, but they must be cultivated and nurtured. Many leaders have not considered how to integrate these qualities effectively with their leadership roles, both medical and administrative, and with their personas. 

Credibility creates respect for and loyalty to the safety leader. It makes leading easier because it makes following easier. A leader s credibility improves the quality of communication and builds a culture of integrity. In a culture that enjoys high credibility, people can rely on the commitments of others. This trait facilitates trust and cooperation. 

The process safety and maintenance departments may have interest in the quality of completed hot work permits, whereas the business leader may not have use for that information. 

Chemical engineers have improved the quality and quantities of many products that enhance the quality of all our lives. At the same time, they have continued to serve as leaders in environmental and safety innovations. It is, in fact, the adaptability of a field that can successfully straddle both science and engineering, physics and physical plumbing, that makes chemical engineering so viable in an age where change is the only constant, and constant improvement the only option. 

Maintenance leaders must maintain the technical knowledge and experience to support compliance with all state and federal regulations under OSHA, USEPA (Clean Air Act), the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The issue of indoor air quality must receive constant attention to eliminate potential problems. Maintenance must work closely with other staff groups in the organization, such as quality and safety, to provide a totally integrated and mutually supportive approach to regiflatory compliance. 

For safety education training, the main purpose is to improve workers safety awareness and labor quality, and meet the needs of the enterprise sustainable development. But some coal enterprise leaders think safety education training, only needs to tell the current practical technology, without consideration for further development of the enterprise. In addition, some coal enterprises do not put safety education training in the height of... 

Compared with foreign countries, China has not formed a set of effective model and index system of the evaluation and measurement on safety culture, which resulted in the current coal industry security standards obsolete, lack of pertinence and maneuverability. Enterprises, as responsible body and the implementation main body for safety production, are less or passively involved in the standardization construction. Some leaders of the larger coal mines think that the enterprise has passed ISO quality management system and HSE management system certification, and safety standardization has little difference with safety management and safety standards, so they do no need to carry out safety standardization construction. Some leaders of coal mines are lack of awareness of the importance to carry out safety standardization, and lack of management, enthusiasm. They implement... 

The first-line supervisors or team leaders should be educated, trained, and motivated to make safety, health, and loss prevention part of their everyday activities. First-line supervisors and team leaders must be provided the tools with which they can effectively manage the safety, health, and loss prevention function just as they manage production, quality, and the other job requirements. Necessary to acquire the appropriate buy-in are the commitment and motivation of upper-level management combined with the necessary education and training (i.e., the tools ) for supervisors or team leaders to manage safety and loss prevention effectively, as well as holding the supervisor or team leader accountable for the safety performance or achievement of the goals or objectives. 

Hughes Safety Showers is well known thi ougliout iIk woild as a leader in quality, innovation and value for saf( ty sliow( is and eyewash equipment. Oui customers hav( n li( d upon oui dedication and leadership in the sector for ovei do y(,-ais and oui commitmentto their support has created bettei pmductsand a safer working enviionment foi all. 

Team leadership in all its forms is particularly critical in high risk activities. For example, team leaders influence safety attitudes and behaviour in the workplace, such as compliance with safety related rules and procedures and are key to the effective management of emergencies (Flin and Yule, 2004). Rigid hierarchies in healthcare teams may not be conducive to high quality care however, leadership, clarity of purpose and roles remain critical. 

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