Following on from our recent health and safety governance update, partners Stacey Shortall and Matthew Ferrier provide essential insights for directors, CEOs, and senior management on understanding and enhancing health and safety practices at a governance level. They outline the practical applications of the latest guidance from the Institute of Directors and WorkSafe, including ways to document and demonstrate due diligence, the importance of curiosity in understanding workplace operations, and strategies for maintaining thorough health and safety reporting.
Purpose of the new health and safety guidance
[02:16 - 02:48] Stacey Shortall discusses the new guidance by the Institute of Directors and WorkSafe. Stacey highlights key differences from the 2023 guidance document. She suggests the new guide is more practical and focused on actionable advice for boards, aiming to help officers actively fulfil their health and safety duties.
Key takeaways from the new guide
[03:50 - 04:18] Stacey emphasises that the updated guide is essential reading for directors, CEOs, and management. She notes its dual purpose of updating prior guidance with practical application and clarifying that WorkSafe will use this document as a benchmark for assessing officers’ compliance with their duties.
Role of curiosity and constructive scepticism
[07:28 - 08:14] Stacey explains that good governance involves questioning information sources, ensuring that officers understand real workplace operations rather than just high-level management perspectives, and seeking input from frontline employees.
Board documentation and director accountability
[10:12 - 10:50] The discussion touches on the importance of documenting board discussions, especially where individual directors raise specific questions. Recording these interactions can help demonstrate due diligence, though Stacey warns that documentation should balance transparency with maintaining a cohesive board culture.
Adapting reporting to focus on narratives and behavioural insights
[14:01 - 14:52] Stacey suggests that boards move beyond merely recording statistical safety data and incorporate narratives that reveal underlying behaviours and systemic issues. She advocates for dashboard reports that reflect actionable insights, enabling directors to make informed decisions that contribute to a safer work environment.
Board’s role in incident response and management expectations
[19:54 - 20:19] Stacey outlines the board’s governance role in incident response, emphasising that management should handle immediate actions guided by a well-prepared incident response plan. She notes that, in some cases, directors might participate in incident review, depending on the incident's severity and the established response protocol.
If you have any health and safety governance related questions, please get in touch with one of our experts.
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