Health And Safety In Health And Social Care: Importance Of Leadership And Safety Management

How Might Leadership Affect Safety Management

Discuss about the Health and Safety in Health and Social Care.

The success of any organization depends a lot on the quality leadership that the employees get. A leader provides the correct guidance to his subordinates and motivates them to put in their best. He is responsible for building the morale of the employees and also their confidences. The leader should be aware of each and every member’s personal skills and utilize it fully for optimum output. He should be able to create a healthy work environment for the employees for the maximum growth of the organization. A leader must be approachable. He must be the friend to whom one can come with their problems, he must be the philosopher so that he can use his intelligence and experience to give the correct advice to the employees and lastly, he must be the ultimate guide so that he can supervise the employees and lead them in the correct direction to achieve the goal of the organization. Being a leader is no cakewalk. It is a highly responsible job and he needs to possess certain qualities to embark the job. He must be an efficient individual, who is not biased to a particular individual. His opinions should be based on facts and figures. He should be a visionary and be able to avoid disastrous decisions based on his foresight, intelligence and experience.   “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis. He needs to be a good communicator so that he can efficiently communicate the plans and strategies to the employees and look after its implementation. He needs to understand the problems faced by others so that he can resolve such issues. No one is a born leader, but a good leader is a product of constant hard work and self-improvement.

Leadership is not just restricted to one style. There are many styles of leaderships that are followed throughout many organizations. Say, in Laissez-Faire style of leadership, the leader completely trusts the skills of the workers and allows them to work independently. In this style of leadership, there is no direct supervision of the employees and sometimes the leader fails to give direct feedbacks. On one hand, the workers can work independently and utilize their own resources but on the other hand, it can hamper the production of the workers who indeed need guidance(Management Leadership in Occupational Safety and Health, 2016). Secondly, in autocratic leadership, the supervisors can take their own decisions with little or no input from the workers. The leaders have the supreme authority in this form of leadership. The creativity and the input of the individual employees suffer as a result. In the participative or democratic style of leadership, the input and ideas of the team members are valued by the authorities, but the ultimate responsibility to take the decisions lie on the hand of the leader. It helps the employees to feel that their decisions matter. Another style of leadership is Transactional leadership, where the leaders set a goal for the employees and provide incentives for them. If they succeed, they receive rewards; say in the form of bonuses. And if they fail, the leader helps to rectify it by training them properly(Cooper, 2015). In the Transformational style of leadership, the leader needs to possess a high level of communication skills. They focus on a bigger goal. The leaders motivate the employees by communicating with them and they focus on the bigger picture. The leader serves as an inspiration for the workers(MANAGEMENT STUDY GUIDE, 2016).

Leadership and safety management of any organization are highly interlinked. A leader is mostly responsible for the safety of the organization.It is his responsibility to ensure their safety by communicating with them and making them well aware of about this matter. There are numerous examples around the world that show that many have become the victim of poor safety conditions in some industries, some have even paid dearly with their lives. Many suffer because of the insufficient arrangement of health and safety measures in their workplace(Flintrop, 2016). They might suffer serious medical injuries and worse, they might lose their lives. And not just the workers, their families suffered as a result too. So, it is clear that a minor glitch or an overlook might change the lives of many. And this is where the expertise and skills of a good leader are needed (Flintrop, 2016).

Human life is the most precious thing; it should be the primary concern of an organization. But apart from that, useful health and safety management not only promotes the efficiency of the organization but also reduces the cost. Occupational safety ensures good health of the workers at the workplace and thus they can give their maximum output. Also, the 2005 Act on Health, Safety & Welfare at Work entails that the organization or industry should ensure the health, safety and welfare of the employees as far as possible. And also conduct their day-to-day work to ensure the same. Finally, the industries and the organizations have a moral obligation towards their workers, to ensure their safety and health(Worker Participation in Occupational Safety and Health, 2016). A good leader is one who would communicate these plans and policies to the workers and see that they are being maintained. But the safety issue is not just confined to the hazards in the workplace, it goes beyond that. Mental stress and emotional distress should also be taken into account when we are talking about health and safety measures. So, safety management in the workplace not only denotes the nonexistence of accidents that can physically harm the workers, it also covers the mental well-being of an individual. Only when an individual is fit both physically and mentally, he can give his 100% to the organization(safety works, 2016).

There are several advantages of having a capable leader to handle the health and safety measures. He can ensure the safety of the individual workers by communicating the safety measures. Thereby, he increases the business productivity by ensuring the maximum output by the employees. He saves a lot of money by reducing risks and leads to a better economic performance. He encourages people to take the responsibility for their own safety by setting up clear goals for them and not pushing them to do something that would put them at risk. Another advantage is the improved quality of work. As people are less likely to get ill due to the conditions in the workplace, also because of reduced stress, they would provide a better quality of work. He builds a better reputation among his dealers, clients and other partners or stakeholders(Boundless, 2016). As a result, more companies would be interested in investing in the organization. As the former CEO of General Electric said- “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others”. So a leader is responsible to a great extent for the growth of the industry and the growth of the individual workers. The leader represents the policy by acting as a good example. It is advantageous for an industry to have a good leader for effective safety management because he/she demonstrates the safety policies and acts as an inspiration to the other employees(Boundless, 2016). 

The management should ensure that their health and safety policy is suitable for the hazards and danger that the workers might face and should also include a pledge to protect the workers, the normal people and the contractors as far as possible. The management should be able to review their health and safety objectives from time to time to ensure continuous improvement. Another very important thing to remember in this regard is training. It is absolutely essential to train the individual workers in safety programs so that they can handle themselves and know what to do in a situation of hazard.The responsibility of health and safety management is normally given to the senior executive officers, the senior managers and the supervisors(Safety Goals and Objectives, 2009).

The leaders should also take into account the views and feedbacks of the employees, because, at the end of the day, it’s the workers who have to get the work done. But there is one disadvantage to this the decision-making process slows down, as many people are involved in it. In the words of George Orwell, “The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.” So, a leader is the one who can work hand in hand with the workers and work as a teammate.

A leader has the capability to change the culture in the place of work. He can ensure the safety of his workers while adhering to the moral values that the company upholds. The leaders or the supervisors interact with their employees and that way they learn how they can do their jobs safely and avoid any sort of accident. He needs to relate to his employees and not just that, he should be a trustworthy person, someone who understands his employees and their values. He can hold meetings to inform the employees about the safety procedures or any immediate hazards that need to be dealt with. He must look for the immediate risks in the workplace like faulty equipment or any potential exposure. He must ensure that the workplace is clean and well-maintained. An unclean workplace is more prone to hazards. Also, a clean working environment increases the moral of the workers and thus increases productivity(Continuous Improvement Plan, 2006). Supervisors continuously interact with the workers, so they have more opportunities to imbibe a safety work culture among them. And the reward is a much safer workplace and the least amount of occupational hazard. Good leadership not only ensures safety but it also improves the performance of the workers which is interlinked with the productivity of the company. A leader is one who dedicates his time and energy to improve others. “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others” – Bill Gates(Continuous Improvement Plan, 2006).

Most organizations have formed boards to ensure the health and safety of its members. They give the necessary advice, training and direction. If an employee loses his life in the workplace due to a mishap in the safety management of the organization then they have to pay heavily for it. The employer or the supervisor may even be imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter. The industries which deal with hazardous equipment especially need to be careful.  The leaders play an extremely important role in this regard. He gets the major share of the blame. “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – Arnold Glasow, humorist and author.He is the glue in the team that holds all the members or the employees together(Cooper, 2015).

It is impossible to function properly in the workplace without any sort of assistance or guidance. That is where a team leader or a supervisor is needed. In the absence of a leader the team would go haywire, they would lack synchronization and that is what attracts a disaster. Lack of leadership diminishes the commitment of the team members to their work because there is no specific person to set the goal. Everyone would aim for the power play and they would fail to identify their interdependence. It is not productive for the organization or the team members. Leadership is therefore indispensable (Flintrop, 2016).

Conclusion

Any organization needs a strong leader so that the organization can reach its optimum potential. In other words, the success of an organization depends a lot on the kind of leader it chooses. He can identify the skills of the individual workers and use them in such a way that the organization will be benefitted and also the person will have a job satisfaction. He is the role model that others can follow and look up to. He must respect his employees in order to get respect from others. He has to realise that he is not just an individual unit but a part of the whole organization. “To lead people, walk beside them. As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence … When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, ‘We did it ourselves!'” – Lao Tzu, philosopher.

If employees are the pillars on which the organization stands then the leaders or the supervisors are the foundations. He should be a complete package. “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker.

References

Boundless. (2016). The Importance of Productivity. [online] Available at: https://www.boundless.com/economics/textbooks/boundless-economics-textbook/economic-growth-20/productivity-98/the-importance-of-productivity-368-12465/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Continuous Improvement Plan. (2006). 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: https://www.osach.ca/SG/Workwell/WorkwellSeniorManagementTeamSampleTemplate.pdf [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Cooper, D. (2015). Understanding Types & Styles That Improve Safety Performance. 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: https://www.behavioural-safety.com/articles/effective_leadership_cooper_0215.pdf [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Flintrop, J. (2016). The importance of good leadership in occupational safety and health. [online] OSHWIKI. Available at: https://oshwiki.eu/wiki/The_importance_of_good_leadership_in_occupational_safety_and_health [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Management Study Guide. (2016). Transformational Leadership Theory. [online] Available at: https://managementstudyguide.com/transformational-leadership.htm [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Management Leadership in Occupational Safety and Health. (2016). 1st ed. [ebook] /Brusse. Available at: https://osha.europa.eu/en/tools-and-publications/publications/reports/management-leadership-in-OSH_guide [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Safety Goals and Objectives. (2009). 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: https://www.asse.org/assets/1/7/11018chap3.pdf [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

safety works. (2016). Managing Safety and Health. [online] Available at: https://www.safetyworksmaine.gov/safe_workplace/safety_management/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].

Worker Participation in Occupational Safety and Health. (2016). 1st ed. [ebook] Brussels. Available at: https://osha.europa.eu/en/tools-and-publications/publications/reports/workers-participation-in-OSH_guide [Accessed 9 Dec. 2016].