The Role of Top Management in Developing a Safety Culture: Practical Experience

The success of any business and the level of occupational injuries directly depend on the position of the chief executive. Up to 70% of specialists consider the attitude of top management to be the main non-financial motivating factor. During the webinar, Serik Mazhkenov, Chief Expert at the All-Russian Research Institute of Labor (VNII Truda), explains how to properly use this resource to develop corporate culture without turning leadership into a formal ritual.

Leadership vs. Management: A Paradigm Shift

The speaker emphasizes the fundamental difference between a manager and a leader. While a manager is focused on short-term efficiency and achieving a specific result at any cost, a leader focuses on the viability and reliability of the system in the long term. A leader creates an environment where employees can safely interact, forming conscious internal motivation instead of a "carrot and stick" system.

Seven Practical Tools for a Leader

The presentation details a set of measures that allow top management to influence the safety culture:

• Personal statement of responsibility. A leader's sincere commitment to safety issues builds trust among subordinates. The practice of directors personally communicating with the families of injured workers radically changes their attitude towards preventive measures.
• Independence of the HSE function. For objective monitoring, the HSE department must report directly to the chief executive, eliminating conflicts of interest with production units.
• Forming a basic behavior model. A personal meeting between the CEO and newcomers establishes fundamental safety rules that become a priority for the employee due to the law of primacy.
• Horizontal communications. Rotating supervisors between departments ensures an effective exchange of best practices and levels the attitude towards safety on site.
• Visiting workplaces. Direct communication with workers allows the leader to receive undistorted information, check the operation of communication channels, and demonstrate the value of each employee's work.
• Non-financial motivation. Regular encouragement for striving towards results creates a positive environment. It takes from three to eleven positive reinforcements to compensate for one negative remark.
• Attention to departing employees. Exit interviews help identify hidden problems in the organization and maintain the specialist's loyalty.

Onboarding and Safety as a Mindset

Answering audience questions, the speaker demonstrates by example how to reduce injuries among the most vulnerable groups — newcomers. The key role here is played not just by instructing "how to do it," but by explaining the meaning — "why it must be done exactly this way." Phased onboarding, where the workload increases gradually under a mentor's supervision, allows safety to be formed as a basic mindset.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• What are the fundamental differences between the approaches of a leader and a manager in occupational safety?
• How to properly structure the onboarding process for new employees to eliminate injuries in the first months of work?
• Why should the HSE department report exclusively to the chief executive?
• How to use exit interviews to identify hidden risks in production?
• How does the horizontal rotation of specialists help quickly improve the overall safety culture?