Page 61 - Serious Incident Prevention How to Achieve and Sustain Accident-Free Operations in Your Plant or Company

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Management Commitment and Leadership 39

Serious Incident Prevention

OTHER OBJECTIVES

Cost Control Production

Customer Satisfaction

Environmental Performance

FIGURE 4-1. The tension between organizational objectives.

blame on “lack of leadership” is common. In this context, leadership is as-
sumed to have mystical powers—with crime, unemployment, drug use,
poverty, teenage pregnancy, and workplace accidents ready to be snuffed
out, if only we had true leaders in positions of responsibility.
In reality, leadership is a rather vague concept requiring further defini-
tion. Leadership is more than style. Rather than simply offering words that
affirm personal commitment, management must lead by identifying and
taking the actions necessary to maintain the prevention of incidents as a pri-
ority objective. Leadership will be critical in transforming concepts into the
specific actions required for achieving desired performance. A safety man-
agement process must be put in place that is comprehensive rather than
piecemeal. The process must ensure that the ground is properly prepared;
seeds are sown, growth is nourished, harvesting is on schedule, and im-
proved methods are implemented for a more prosperous future.
Peter Drucker has observed that “charisma without a program is always
ineffectual.” Management actions must be sufficient to ensure that serious
2
incident prevention objectives are understood and supported through all
levels of the organization. Management support that is both visible and con-
structive is required. The following excerpt from Kaizen by Masaaki Imai
illustrates the need for management action beyond mere affirmations:

The president of an airline company proclaims that he believes in safety
and that his corporate goal is to make sure that safety is maintained
throughout the company. This proclamation is prominently featured in the