Strong leadership "an absolute must" for employees' wellbeing

Strong leadership is vital to improving employees' health and wellbeing, says the British Safety Council.

At its first conference looking specifically at the links between leadership and healthy workforces, held in London last week, the BSC launched a report on the role of leaders in transforming their organisations' health and safety cultures.

Chief executive Julie Nerney said: "We are certain that the goals that have been set for preventing workplace injury and ill health will not be met without strong and effective leadership and a workforce that is actively engaged in managing risks and is competent to do so.

"The British Safety Council has played, and will continue to play, a full part in promoting leadership and active worker involvement and building competence across the workforce."

Speakers from "world class organisations with exceptional health and safety records", according to the BSC, revealed to delegates at the Health and Safety Leadership conference how they have transformed their own H&S cultures.

Sports clothing manufacturer adidas, for example, explained how it has seen employee sickness rates drop to 2.63 days per employee per year - well below the national average for its sector - after it introduced an employee wellness programme that offers employees a free service including a gym and medical support.

Barry O'Connor, head of facilities, emphasised the importance of leadership buy-in to promoting health and wellbeing: "A top-down approach is an absolute must. I don't think there's a health and safety professional anywhere that doesn't realise that, if it's not lead from the top, it's an uphill struggle."

And Bud Hudspith, health and safety adviser at the Unite union, said good leadership encouraged employees to get involved and also helped recognise the work of safety representatives and trade unions in improving people's health and safety at work.

The conference was the first organised by the BSC to specifically address the role of leadership in developing positive workplace H&S cultures. It attracted delegates and speakers from a variety of industries and stakeholder groups.

A copy of the BSC's Transforming the culture of workplace health and safety report is available at www.britsafe.org