H&S leaders can offer ‘more value’ say majority of frontline workers

Health and safety leaders and their improvement initiatives are perceived positively by frontline workers, according to a new study, commissioned by global technology company, SafetyCulture.

The study, which surveyed more than 2,000 UK workers in frontline and management roles across the construction, energy, hospitality, logistics, retail, and manufacturing sectors revealed more than two-thirds of survey respondents (68 per cent) who are aware of health, safety and quality (HSQ) improvements in their organisation, say the initiatives have positively impacted their day-to-day work.

Similarly, UK workers who are aware of HSQ leaders in their organisation were most likely to describe them as “helpful”, “effective” and “valuable”.

Those positively impacted say that HSQ initiatives have made them “feel safer at work” (44 per cent) and that incidents have reduced in volume or frequency (38 per cent). These workers cited a halo effect of various other benefits, such as learning new skills and solving complex or long-term issues.

But the report, titled Feedback from the Field, also suggests health and safety professionals can do more to improve trust and increase awareness of their work. Four in five respondents (81 per cent) aware of HSQ leaders in their organisation believe they could offer even more value. Of these, 43 per cent would value assurance that feedback will be heard and actioned, and improvements encouraged through positive reinforcement rather than fear (38 per cent). Workers also feel somewhat out of the loop, seeking more regular or clearer updates on the business impact of their HSQ initiatives (33 per cent).

The minority of respondents who are aware of HSQ initiatives in their organisation and view them negatively say they have added “compliance clutter” which costs time, haven’t addressed the root cause of an issue, and haven’t left workers feeling any safer.

Alex Brooks-Sykes, SafetyCulture’s lead for UK & Ireland, commented: “These are promising findings for health, safety and quality leaders and the reward for a lot of hard work. With safety professionals having many plates to spin – trying to manage risk, drive improvements and embed culture change, all against the backdrop of current fiscal pressures – the view from the frontline is that they’re succeeding.

“Of course there is more to be done – we wouldn’t expect anything other than continuous improvement across the profession. And frontline employees and managers alike have given a clear indication of how this can be done: reassurance that risks and issues will be taken seriously, and greater clarity and visibility on initiatives and the health, safety and quality role itself.”