Insight Blog

Reputable construction companies have always been concerned about the health and safety (H&S) of their workers. Over the past few years, many of these firms have taken their initiatives further by focusing on building strong safety cultures throughout their organizations. The primary driver behind this trend is, of course, an overall genuine concern about employee health and well being. The second impetus is the fact that a positive safety reputation is critical for a firm's competitiveness. Additional advantages relate to insurance costs, liability concerns, and clients having stricter requirements for projects.

Realizing the significant benefits of having organizational cultures of safety, senior leadership in construction companies of all sizes and disciplines are paying close attention to safety performance, and having comprehensive and effective H&S programs. Their objectives are similar:

• Raising awareness and knowledge of the importance of H&S management.
• Embedding H&S as a core value.
• Establishing appropriate metrics; and achieving a measurable reduction in fatalities and accidents.

To complement their strategies, many companies have appointed H&S officers at the corporate level. These leaders are members of the executive teams, and act as catalysts for the strategic development, and management of H&S policies, programs, and activities. This can be quite a challenge. After all, building a safety culture is not easy to achieve. And this type of culture must extend from a construction project site to a firm’s boardroom. It takes a depth of knowledge and intellect, the ability to motivate people, and of course, patience and persistence.

While the responsibilities of these C-level H&S officers can vary among firms, they typically include:

• Acting as the key influencer in driving behavioral change across the entire organization.

• Reviewing and analyzing current H&S practices, and recommending and implementing initiatives.

• Working collaboratively with all teams to plan and achieve best in class H&S performance.

• Developing and monitoring metrics, including incident rates, recordable rates, etc., and providing feedback to executive management.

• Ensuring that consistent H&S training is being done throughout the organization.

• Providing talent development to H&S team.

• Actively and consistently promoting H&S mindset throughout the organization through continuous communication, relationship building, and leadership.

• Coordinating outside H&S resources to support current policies, best practices, and regulations. Networking with appropriate industry, government and regulatory authorities.

In large A|E|C firms, these officers are also tasked with managing H&S internationally. It’s no secret that, in developing countries, safety is not considered a priority. Therefore, these safety officers need to remain apprised of occupational safety regulations, language barriers, cultural differences, and consistent implementation of safety management systems.

When a construction company decides to appoint a C-suite level safety officer, many times they look within their own ranks to see if they have a professional who has the qualities and experience they need. If they don’t, they go to the outside to secure the ideal candidate.

Typically, to succeed in this type of role, professionals need to have certain leadership qualities, such as:

• Vision
• Credibility
• Collaboration
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Educators
• Change Agent
• Communication
• Action Orientation
• Responsiveness

Other important qualifications are:

• Bachelor's degree in Safety Engineering or related discipline.

• 15 - 20 years of progressive experience in the field of H&S experience with at least five (5) of those years at a corporate leadership level.

• Experience in championing delivery of successful H&S change initiatives.

• Analytical skills and capabilities to identify risks, analyze information, and generate solutions.

• Skills in strategy development, effective program and process execution, change management, and business partnerships.

• Excellent knowledge of Field Operations as well as of working with state/provincial and federal/national regulatory agencies. If applicable, in a global context.

• Proven ability to influence and lead employees of all levels.

• Excellent, open communication style with ability to facilitate behavioral change.

Being known for having a strong culture of safety is imperative in today’s competitive construction environment. This kind of reputation helps firms to attract and retain workers, and supports them in winning bids and projects, along with offering a myriad of other benefits. As construction activity increases, H&S will continue to be a focus of companies who want to build and maintain strong reputations. As a result, we will see more C-level H&S officers being appointed and playing a lead role in long-term corporate strategies and initiatives.

Sources: EHS Today, Global Safety Management Consultants, McGraw-Hill SmartMarket Report: Safety Management in the Construction Industry.