Insights from the WA HSE Leaders Forum

We were thrilled to host a recent HSE Leaders Forum in Perth, where HSE professionals came together to exchange ideas and experiences.

Safety leaders' shared learnings around managing critical risk and discussed ESG initiatives. The group enjoyed a dynamic round-table discussion, and we are excited to share some of the key takeaways that emerged:

Key takeaways

• All in the same boat - Many HSE leaders, across a diverse range of industries, are dealing with similar issues.
• Break the TRIFR paradigm – Battle against legacy language. Just because it’s easy to measure, doesn’t mean it’s effective. Safety is not the absence of accidents, it is the presence of controls. While metrics will underpin dashboards, remove from board presentations to focus on serious strategy and injury as the priority. 
• Keep it at the critical few - When it comes to critical risk, a laser-like focus allows you to be highly effective. Rank your risks. Trying to treat everything as ‘critical’, means that the truly critical things get lost in the mix. 
• Get buy-in from leadership – Influence stakeholders by addressing “what’s in it for them.” Connect initiatives directly to the value they add back into the business. Never underestimate the power of buy-in.
• Streamline & simplify – Get rid of cumbersome paperwork - it gets in the way of important knowledge and actions. Where possible, strip out bureaucracy and box ticking. Information should be prioritised, targeted, clear and easy to access.
• Use a common language – Consistent terminology removes misunderstandings, aids clear communications and reporting across different sites and regions. Organisational values should underpin your safety culture.
• Embrace the ‘red’ – Striving for perfect 'green', means the problems get hidden and you can miss something important. Allow room for error and don’t strive for unrealistic ‘green’. Put your pride aside. Admit mistakes and learn from them – this is an important part of refinement and growth.
• Support individuals for success – Avoid blaming the individual for things that go wrong. Instead ask - did you have the right systems, training and processes in place for them to be safe and successful in their job. Ask yourself: “As a leader, what can I do?”
• Provide role clarity - When it comes to safety everyone in the organisation needs to be crystal clear about their specific roles and responsibilities (and understand how these contribute to the bigger picture). Map safety responsibilities across the chain of command, differentiating across operators, supervisors/crew leaders, managers/superintendents and HSE general managers.
• Psychosocial wellbeing & safety – Psychosocial wellbeing and safety is dominating safety conversations and thinking. It's still a very fuzzy area. Success requires close collaboration with HR, operations and other parts of the organisation. There is also a significant talent gap in this space. Consider how you can acquire capability and develop skills amongst early career stages e.g. how to attract psychology graduates to enter the HSE profession. 
• Talent - Attracting and retaining people has been challenging of late, especially in a very tight employment market. An influx of inexperienced workers mean there are some knowledge gaps around ‘unwritten rules’.
• Communication – Persuasive communications are an essential influencing tool. External providers can be useful to achieve cut-through. They may help you refine not just what you say, but how you say it. 
• ESG - The traditional world of safety is converging with Environmental and Social Governance measures and objectives. With expertise in employee wellbeing and a strong understanding of regulations, frameworks and operational processes, HSE professionals can contribute significantly to developing strategy and driving momentum.
• Be aspirational, but also realistic – In emerging areas like psychosocial safety and ESG It’s OK not to have all the answers. It’s important to aim for progress over perfection.

How we can help?

Would you like help building your team, developing your own capability or being connected to new career opportunities? 

Get in touch and one of our team will be pleased to help.

The Safe Step HSE Leaders Forums are small groups held periodically around the country. They  are designed to bring senior workplace health and safety professionals together to aid innovation, thought leadership and cross-sector collaboration.