Safety Matters Fall/Winter 2014 | Page 10

Are you a safety leader? Who in your workplace is a leader? Are you? Does having a title make you a leader? Do you need a title

before you can lead?

Ask yourself how do you rate as a Safety Leader? Have you ever actually thought about whether you are a safety

leader in your workplace?

The truth is you don’t need to have a title to be a leader in workplace safety. In fact, the people who need to be leading safety don’t have safety anywhere in their title. Reversely, many people who are in a position to lead are not good leaders. Often the best leaders have no greater title than co-worker.

Safety Leadership is action and passion, not position. One of the most important parts of being a safety leader is to be solution based. When we are faced with a problem, a leader sees it as a challenge.

To be a safety leader you need the following:

Take seriously your responsibility for safety. If you can step back and look at the job from a different perspective, ask the right questions, and look for solutions you can be a leader of your team;

Reward and support safe work behaviour. When a co worker identifies a problem do you support them? When a solution is proposed are you looking a how to make it work or just the obstacles? Are you looking for the best way to do a job or just the quickest?

Lead by example. Don’t cut corners. Do the work the right way not the ‘get er done’ way. Wear the proper gear. Look out for your co workers. Look for solutions not obstacles. Spend time fixing problems, not assigning blame or looking for a scapegoat.

Take the initiative. If you see a hazard a leader will deal with it. Even if it is not their responsibility because they understand the risk of ignoring it. Get involved with training, team meetings and inspections, as it provides a great opportunity to engage with everyone about safety concerns.

A good leader will be treating everyone in the organization with empathy

in order to earn trust and create strong bonds with co-workers.

A leader involves and empowers others to tackle safety issues. It can also increase worker morale and job satisfaction. As a safety leader, ensure continual, open communication. And remember, the true end goal of a good leader is to empower and mentor others to become leaders as well.

“The truth is you don’t need to have a title to be a leader in workplace safety.”

Corporate Safety Advisor, Samuel Livingstone receiving

certification as a Registered Construction Safety Officer.