New research links leadership values to reduced workplace incidents

Findings in the report by RAND Europe, funded by the Global Safety Evidence Centre at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, highlight that senior management’s involvement is the “cornerstone” of an effective safety culture.

The study, a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) conducted to inform new international ISO standards, analysed over 80 research papers to examine how senior management contributes to OSH outcomes. 

A leader’s background and personality influences workplace safety more than their characteristics, found the report.

For example, although most leaders are men in their 40s and 50s, this was less a factor than leadership styles and integrity.

Care for employee wellbeing and ethical commitment, were consistently associated with reduced incidents. Photograph: iStock

The report found that positive leadership styles, such as care for employee wellbeing and ethical commitment, were consistently associated with reduced incidents and improved occupational safety and health outcomes.

On the other hand, overconfident leaders or those focused on short-term gains see more accidents.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee 283, to support the development of a proposed international standard focused on leadership and governance.

Nick Fahy, a director in research at RAND Europe, together with analysts Giulia Maistrello and Bhavya Singh, writing in their blog, said: “This research highlights a range of ways in which senior leaders influence safety, as well as the actions, motivations, and roles that appear most effective. More broadly, this pilot demonstrates the value of explicitly reviewing relevant evidence as part of the process of drafting standards, and it lays the groundwork for using evidence to strengthen global standards more generally.”

The report identifies four critical domains where senior leaders - including CEOs, COOs, and board members - directly influence Occupational Safety and Health.

These were: strategic direction, visible leadership, systematic oversight (mandating training, monitoring safety indicators, and rewarding safe behaviour ) and cultural Leadership (fostering a ‘just culture’, where employees can report issues without fear).

“Organisational leadership is frequently praised as a cornerstone of safety culture. But beyond the rhetoric, what does effective leadership look like in practice? It’s one thing for executives to endorse a safety policy; it’s another for them to show through their decisions and behaviour that they are driving fewer injuries, stronger reporting cultures, and healthier workplaces,” writes Fahy and his team.

“Safety performance is not only a matter of policy but also a reflection of who leads and how they lead.”

Read the full report here