The role of leadership and governance in occupational safety and health

The findings highlight the need for embedding clear leadership roles, responsibilities, and competencies within occupational safety and health standards. OSH policymakers and practitioners need to be encouraged to prioritise leadership development and integrate these insights into organisational policies and practices, with the aim of improving safety outcomes among workers. 

The findings shows that: 

• Senior managers can positively impact OSH outcomes in organisations by providing strategic direction, demonstrating visible leadership and engagement, maintaining systematic oversight, and fostering a positive safety culture.
• These leadership practices directly and indirectly improve safety by reinforcing safe behaviours, building trust, and encouraging organisational learning.
• Positive leadership styles were consistently associated with reduced incidents and improved OSH outcomes, while traits such as overconfidence and a focus on short-term results were associated with increased workplace injuries and poorer OSH outcomes.
• Longer CEO tenure can foster organisational stability and accumulated experience, thereby contributing to improved OSH outcomes.
• There is inconsistency in how ‘senior management’ is defined across ISO standards and the research evidence.  

Future research should aim to address the gaps in the definitions and scope of senior management within both the ISO standards and the research evidence. There is a need for comparative studies across different cultural and organisational contexts to better understand how leadership and governance influence occupational safety and health outcomes globally. Further investigations should also explore the development and evaluation of targeted leadership competencies and training programmes, assessing their long-term impact on safety culture and incident rates.