Whether working as internal or external consultants, the role of safety professionals is to increase safety performance within the organization by decreasing injuries, illnesses, and accidents. The purposes of this role are multifold: reducing or eliminating employee pain and suffering; complying with regulations and legislation; and increasing the company's profit margin, or bottom line. How successful these consultants are in getting their recommendations implemented depends on a number of factors. The most important factors, as demonstrated by scientific research, are management commitment to the safety effort and employee participation (Erickson, 1997; Most, 1999).
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recognized the paramount importance of the role of management and employees for optimal safety performance. For example, in its proposed Safety and Health Program Rule, and in its Ergonomics Standard, OSHA lists "management leadership and employee participation" as its first core element (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1999).
The challenge for safety professionals is to obtain management commitment and support for the safety effort. Traditionally, safety professionals have been taught to obtain this support by speaking "management's language," by referring to the bottom line or profit margin. There is no doubt that an excellent safety program can save companies hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars a year. However, this message does not always seem to get across to management. Otherwise, why else would so many safety professionals be losing their jobs through downsizing or corporate restructuring? Did none of these individuals attempt to explain the cost savings of their programs?
There are some professionals within the safety and health disciplines that advocate obtaining business or management degrees to better understand the orientation and priorities of management. The main reason for this is to enable safety professionals to speak with management by using its terminology. This is an admirable goal. However, most academic business programs do not mention the subject of safety in any of its courses. Therefore, many business managers are unaware of what safety in a company entails or the cost savings that can be realized by an optimal safety program.
Many business managers seem to assume that safety is a people function, best handled by those professionals who have been educated and trained in the safety and health disciplines. Also, management seems unaware that it must actively support these professionals in order to have the best possible safety performance in their companies.
Not having the education or knowledge that it plays a major role in the level of safety performance is a valid reason why some management does not support the safety effort. In this instance, management can become aware of what it must do in order to decrease injuries, illnesses, and accidents and their associated costs. Recent research findings can provide a means for management in achieving this goal.
The management in other companies, whether exposed to safety principles or not during their education, actively support safety professionals and their effort. The main reason for this support lies within the corporate culture of the organization.
