Chapter 1
Introduction
Among the seven duties of company directors listed by Companies House, the UK government's registrar of businesses, are "promoting the success of the company': "independent judgement" and "exercising reasonable care, skill and diligence".
To discharge these duties, directors and senior operational managers rely on expert information about the risks and opportunities facing the organization, prepared for them by specialists in each business function, whether it is sales, finance, environmental management or health and safety.
Muddled and unfocused information from subject experts makes it harder for senior leaders to make the decisions needed to keep the organization secure and profitable. In the case of occupational safety and health management poor reporting can cement a half-hearted commitment by leaders to health and safety as an unloved compliance burden
But the right data, clearly presented, helps promote engaged safety leadership and set the tone at the top needed to create an active, effective safety culture.
In this paper we will look at what goes into health and safety reports to senior management , focusing on the form and content that gives them assurance and directs them to take action.. We will consider the ways that health and safety practitioners can shape their reports to ensure they are understood by non-specialists and that requests for decisions are clear.
Intelligent, focused reporting not only helps engage senior leaders and encourages them to play their part in safety leadership but allows safety professionals
We will review the metrics that are most valuable to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements and broader measures of performance. We will examine the inputs into the safety system that are key to building a strong safety culture and help safeguard the business against future failings.
Finally, we will look at the features needed of a health and safety software system to allow professionals to extract and analyze the data that influences senior executives' decisions.
