The benefits of director leadership on health and safety - HSE unveils new case studies at Edinburgh Business School conference

HSE press release E065:05 - 19 May 2005

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today unveiled a second series of case studies that demonstrate the vital role that director leadership has to play in health and safety.

The ten case studies were featured today at HSE's conference at Edinburgh Business School to highlight the benefits that director leadership brings both to the health and safety of the employees and to the business.

The case studies, compiled by risk management consultants Greenstreet Berman Ltd, are drawn from private companies and public bodies across the construction, health services, local authority, oil and petrochemical, printing and prison sectors. Featured organisations are: BP plc, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, De La Rue plc, Glasgow City Council, Her Majesty's Prison Service, Mace Ltd, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, Pendle Borough Council, Renfrewshire Council and Rhodia UK Ltd

The director leadership case studies build on the Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) guidance, Directors' responsibilities for Health and Safety, published in 2001 and the business benefits case studies published by HSE in 2004. While HSE's evidence shows a high degree of awareness of the HSC guidance among directors it is clear that around a third of organisations do not have board level arrangements in place for directing health and safety. HSE undertook to build on the guidance by providing accessible and persuasive case studies that bring home the benefits of director leadership.

The case studies being published supplement the first series of director leadership case studies published by HSE in February 2005 publication at the end of April 2005.

HSC member Margaret Burns opening the conference said: "It is clear that a growing number of organisations across all sectors see board level direction as vital. An estimated two-thirds are aware of the contents of the HSC guidance on directors' responsibilities and following the advice it contains. The HSC is confident that the eleven case studies being published today at the conference on director leadership at the Edinburgh Business School will be persuasive and influential in moving those 'yet to be convinced' organisations to weigh up the value board level direction could produce for them."

Richard Thorpe, a Director of Mace Ltd, Project Director for the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters build in Edinburgh, "I was never cared about as a site worker - so now I think caring matters. If you do welfare and safety well you will be more profitable: through winning more work based on your safety record - a business risk for clients - through avoiding disruption and need for Board involvement following accidents"

Notes to editors

To include

• HSE has also published a series of case studies that illustrate the business benefits of well managed health and safety. These can also be accessed on the HSE web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/business/casestudy.htm
• The HSE conference taking place today at the Edinburgh Business School is intended to promote health and safety management as an integral part of effective business management and to highlight the critical role that directors have to play in ensuring risks to the health and safety of their employees are properly controlled.

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