Director Sentiment of Health & Safety – AICD

I’ve been monitoring the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ (AICD) – Director Sentiment Index (DSI) closely over the last two years as it provides some insight into how directors perceive workplace health & safety and their general appetite for health & safety risk management.

Unfortunately, this is the 3rd consecutive report where respondents have identified the amount of ‘red-tape’ in health & safety has a negative impact on business productivity and where respondents have omitted worker health & safety as something that keeps them ‘awake at night’.

Directors should maintain a chronic sense of unease towards workplace health & safety, as a healthy scepticism makes you more cognisant of how your decisions in the boardroom impact on health & safety outcomes in the business.Click To TweetI find both of these positions quite interesting. From an observer’s perspective, it would appear respondents are either not as concerned about the health & safety of workers in their business as one would expect, or they’re overly comfortable which can create blind spots. Where they are concerned about health & safety, it’s unfortunately from a negative and frustrated perspective due to what they see as unnecessary red-tape.

While there is continuing interest from shareholders in the health & safety performance of organisations they invest in, an acceptance that an unsafe workplace cannot be an excellent workplace, and with interest from community as to a company’s social license to operate particularly sensitive in Australia right now with the findings from Royal Commission into banking, it is unfortunate that this environment and these factors have not translated into the survey results.

I’m particularly excited for this week’s post because I have launched a YouTube Channel. For better or for worse, you will catch me there on a regular basis dishing out health & safety leadership and governance advice and insights to business leaders to assist them in leading safe & healthy work in their business.

When you finish watching, I’d like to know, 

What’s the most important insight that you’re taking away from this video?

And most importantly, what can you do to turn that insight into action?

Leave a comment below and let me know.

Remember, share as much detail as possible in your reply. Your story and/or thoughts may lead to someone’s meaningful breakthrough and it all contributes to this audience knowing What to Ask, and When to Act #knowWTA

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