Safety Leadership

Safety leadership is a key component in our safety excellence culture. But who are our “safety leaders”? Is it senior leadership, site management, the EHS team?

The answer is everyone can be a safety leader. Safety leaders have a commitment to help people stay safe. This genuine concern, along with the ability to inspire others to show that same concern, is what safety leaders do to influence their team to stay safe.

There are some characteristics that instantly come to my mind when I think about an effective safety leader. I think that they are authentic and trustworthy. They consider safety as a value as well as a priority and genuinely care for others' safety and wellbeing. They have courage to take any actions necessary to ensure safety and to openly share their concerns, thoughts and ideas about safety and wellbeing.

In addition, they also understand that safety is an organizational issue and can only be achieved and maintained through cooperation and teamwork. This is why they do not take safety for granted, they encourage everyone to speak up and set high standards for their own and others safety behavior.

Everyone, from employees and supervisors to managers and senior leadership must be involved and be safety leaders if we are to continue our journey to safety excellence.

This year during Safety Month, we will focus on how you can be a safety leader or strengthen your safety leadership skills by taking a deeper look into:

• What does safety leadership look and feel like?
• How can you be a safety leader?
• How do you promote a positive, inclusive safety-oriented workplace?
• How can you contribute insightful ideas to help improve the level of safety, and encourage your colleagues to do the same?
• How can you help your management team put in place effective, intuitive, and practical safety programs?
• How can you recognize when your team members are tired, stressed, and not ready for work?
• How can you demonstrate, on a personal level, through actions and day-to-day attitude that you care about the safety of your colleagues?

I’m inspired by all the safety leaders we have at CF and am excited to see what ideas you’ll be sharing during safety month. Together, with your participation, we can ensure we all Do It Right by #LeadingSafety!