The Roadmap to Gaining Senior Leader Buy-In for Safety Initiatives

In a recent survey we conducted, 97% of safety professionals who responded confirmed that gaining senior leader buy-in for their safety programs was either very important or extremely important to them.

This research project was a joint effort between the National Electrical Contractors Association, HR Resources of the Carolinas LLC and Habit Mastery Consulting, with the purpose of discovering the secrets to gaining greater senior leadership support for safety initiatives. Our research included surveying 128 safety professionals and conducting in-depth interviews with 15 deeply experienced safety professionals.

We revealed our research results at the October 2024 iP Utility Safety Conference & Expo in Allen, Texas, sharing with attendees what our data indicates are the eight practical stops on a safety professional’s roadmap to securing full senior leadership support for their next safety initiative. The remainder of this article will focus on those stops, which fall into three categories – preparation, marketing and follow-up – providing a clear structure to guide professionals on their journey.

Part I: Preparation
The safety professionals who most successfully earn senior leader buy-in for their safety initiatives typically work for organizations that have established strong foundations. What does that mean exactly? These organizations have put the right leaders and reporting structures in place, and there is a great amount of trust and psychological safety among employees that has been built over time.

Stop #1: Have the Right Leaders in Place
In the surveys and interviews we conducted, safety professionals told us that an ideal senior leader values safety, aligns it with the organization’s priorities and demonstrates a commitment to protecting workers. Three personal factors influence a senior leader’s willingness to support safety efforts:

• Risk tolerance: We know that different people have different levels of comfort where risk is involved. Leaders who are naturally risk-averse may more easily understand the need for safety interventions.
• Values: Leaders who strongly value protecting the well-being of others may be more inclined to prioritize safety efforts.
• Past experiences: Significant injuries and fatalities make a lasting impression. Leaders who have worked for organizations where employees were hurt or killed on the job may better understand the realities of such situations – and be more likely to show support for safety initiatives.

Utility organizations must actively recruit, develop and promote leaders who naturally champion safety. And although safety professionals may have limited influence on hiring practices, one thing they can do is provide hiring teams with targeted questions to better identify job candidates who view safety as both a core personal value and a core business imperative.

Stop #2: Establish the Right Reporting Structure
Direct, meaningful communication channels between safety professionals and senior leaders are critical to safety program buy-in. In our interviews, safety professionals who have regular access to their senior leaders reported the greatest satisfaction with their ability to move initiatives forward.

Safety professionals should report as high up the leadership ladder as possible – ideally to the CEO or another senior executive. This helps to ensure that safety is a frequent topic of conversation. Safety professionals should also advocate for dedicated time on leadership agendas and/or weekly one-on-one meetings with key organizational leaders.

Stop #3: Build Trust
Trust among co-workers is built over time and requires intentional effort from all parties. To strengthen relationships and build trust, safety professionals must invest time in meaningful interactions with senior leaders to better understand their priorities, values and communication preferences. They also must intentionally strive to build a track record of safety success, which could start with small projects that eventually evolve into larger initiatives (e.g., pilot programs).

Part II: Marketing
Marketing is key to garnering strong leadership support for initiatives. Safety professionals who consistently earn buy-in for their programs have learned how to get people excited about and involved with their ideas.

Stop #4: Collaborate to Create Ownership
In the interviews we conducted, safety professionals told us their senior leaders want to influence a safety initiative’s final design. So, instead of presenting leaders with fully developed plans, these safety professionals now invite leaders to participate early in an initiative’s development process.

Senior leaders often have unique insight into the organizations they work for; when shared with safety professionals, this insight can improve a safety initiative’s alignment with organizational goals. Plus, a senior leader who actively participates in the development of a safety initiative is typically much more inclined to support that initiative when it’s rolled out.

During our research, one safety professional shared the process of revising what would have turned out to be an expensive behavior-based safety program. The revisions were prompted by senior leader feedback and resulted in a more cost-effective, impactful solution.

Stop #5: Get the Timing Right
Timing can significantly influence whether an initiative succeeds or fails. External events, internal organizational disruptions and competing priorities can propel or derail efforts. Safety professionals should strongly consider postponing the launch of safety initiatives during major company changes and when competing demands exist, such as restructurings or major rollouts.

However, safety professionals can also use timing to their advantage by highlighting internal incidents, external news stories and published studies to make the case to senior leaders that now is the right time to implement a specific safety initiative.

Stop #6: Craft a Compelling Argument
Whether senior leaders want to support a safety initiative depends on how safety aligns with their priorities. So, safety professionals must quantify the impact of a specific problem as well as the projected savings from a recommended safety initiative due to reduced injury rates, increased productivity and/or improved retention.

It’s also important for safety professionals to humanize safety issues that still exist in the work environment. For example, use the names of workers who were hurt during the last reporting cycle to tell a compelling story to senior leaders about the organizational impact of those incidents – and the many ways the organization stands to benefit by adopting targeted safety initiatives.

Part III: Follow-Up
By documenting and sharing the results of a safety initiative with senior leaders, safety professionals can gain more credibility – and greater leadership support for future initiatives.

Stop #7: Create Metrics and Ask for Accountability
Metrics must be established and tracked to measure an initiative’s impact. Tracking should include tangible changes. For example, a safety initiative that targets job planning could track how frequently multiple voices are heard during a job planning discussion. That number should then be communicated to leaders each month to help maintain their focus on the initiative. Metrics can also help senior leaders and safety professionals identify when additional efforts or new strategies are needed.

Another important item to note: Metrics reporting is a great opportunity to communicate specific steps senior leaders can take to further support the initiative. If a leader chooses not to take those steps, schedule time with them to discuss their hesitancy to contribute to the initiative’s success.

Stop #8: Be Persistent – and Patient
Change takes time, and resistance to change is inevitable. That’s why safety professionals must set realistic expectations about the length of time it will take to (1) see results from an initiative and (2) identify and advocate for new solutions if the initiative does not initially succeed.

But don’t worry – safety professionals don’t have to do this all on their own. By following this article’s guidance, they can collaborate and forge strong relationships with senior leaders to develop and implement targeted organizational safety initiatives to better protect their employees.

About the Authors: Sharon Lipinski is the Habit SuperHero and CEO of Habit Mastery Consulting (https://habitmasteryconsulting.com), which helps organizations increase their targeted safety behavior by up to 150%. She is a Certified Gamification for Training developer, certified cognitive behavioral therapist for insomnia instructor, speaker, TV personality and coach dedicated to helping people create the right habits so they can be happier, healthier and safer at home and in their work.

Wesley L. Wheeler, SMS, CESCP, MSP, is the executive director of safety for the National Electrical Contractors Association (www.necanet.org). He joined the organization in 2014 and has over 45 years of electrical experience.

Keith Wheeler is president and chief human resources officer at HR Resources of the Carolinas LLC (https://hrresourcesofthecarolinas.com). With over 30 years of human resources management and leadership experience, he provides guidance to a variety of U.S. organizations and industries to help them meet the challenges of a rapidly changing workforce.