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In any business, leadership and management play different roles. When it comes to health and safety, understanding that distinction becomes even more important. Managers often focus on systems and procedures. Leaders, on the other hand, shape the culture and set the standards.
In high-risk sectors like construction, strong health and safety leadership can save lives. Poor decisions at board level can have serious consequences on site, from legal exposure to accidents that affect people and reputation. That’s why leadership isn’t just about having the right paperwork in place; it’s about taking active ownership of your company’s safety culture.
We offer the CITB Directors Role for Health and Safety course to help senior decision-makers understand their legal duties and lead by example. It equips directors with the knowledge and tools to build safer businesses, starting at the top.
Leadership and management are often used interchangeably, but they serve different purposes. Leadership is about influencing others, setting expectations, and driving long-term change. In health and safety, that means creating the conditions where safe behaviour is the norm, not the exception.
Management, meanwhile, ensures day-to-day compliance. It involves putting policies in place, conducting inspections, and making sure staff follow procedures. Both roles are vital, but leadership is what drives sustained improvement and engagement.
As a director, you set the tone for the rest of the organisation. If safety isn’t a visible priority for you, it likely won’t be for your team either. By showing personal commitment to health and safety, you help build trust, accountability, and a stronger safety culture.
Leadership at board level also ensures health and safety goals are aligned with wider business priorities. That might include planning for risk, allocating sufficient resources, or using performance data to make informed decisions. Good leaders don’t just delegate safety, they lead it.
As a director, you carry both moral and legal responsibilities for health and safety. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty on employers to protect their staff, contractors, and the public. If you make decisions that affect safety, you’re personally accountable.
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 means companies, and in some cases individuals, can be prosecuted for gross breaches of duty. Fines and legal costs are only part of the risk. Investigations can damage your reputation and business operations too.
Enforcement bodies like the HSE have the power to stop work, issue improvement notices, and prosecute directors. You can find further detail in the official HSE guidance and within the COSHH regulations, which apply to hazardous substances.
Construction businesses face additional duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. These rules define the roles and responsibilities of directors, principal contractors, and duty holders.
If your business reports to RIDDOR, you’re responsible for ensuring serious incidents and near misses are logged correctly. This includes injuries, dangerous occurrences, and occupational diseases.
Directors must also be aware of the legal expectations placed on principal designers and principal contractors. If you don’t understand how these roles apply, it’s time to seek support and training.
Strong safety leadership starts with a clear strategy. As a director, you should be planning, delivering, monitoring, and reviewing your approach to health and safety.
This includes appointing a competent person to advise you, overseeing risk assessments and method statements, and making sure control measures are actually followed on site.
You also need to stay informed. Regulations change regularly, and staying up to date with industry best practice ensures you remain compliant, and competitive.
A safety-first culture doesn’t happen by accident. It starts at the top. When directors take responsibility and lead by example, others follow. That means being visible, approachable, and honest about health and safety.
You should encourage staff to speak up about risks or concerns. Building an open culture improves communication and reduces the chance of mistakes going unnoticed. Behavioural safety is about shaping habits, your influence plays a key role.
Your safety policies should reflect your company’s values, structure, and working practices. Copying templates won’t cut it. As a director, you should ensure policies are relevant, reviewed regularly, and clearly communicated.
It’s also your job to make sure every employee understands their role in keeping the workplace safe. That includes training, supervision, and access to the right tools and equipment.
Measuring safety helps you make better decisions. By tracking key performance indicators and running regular audits, you can spot trends and take action early.
We recommend reviewing near misses and incidents, not just accidents. These give valuable insights and help prevent future harm. Good leaders use data to drive improvements, not just to tick boxes.
We recommend this course to anyone responsible for shaping safety strategy at a senior level. If you’re a company director, contracts manager, operations lead, senior quantity surveyor, or principal designer, you’ll benefit from the insight this course provides.
It’s designed to help you take ownership of health and safety from the top down.
This one-day course explores your legal responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and other key legislation. We look at the financial and human cost of poor safety practices and how director-level decisions directly impact your workforce.
We also cover the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) and the importance of proactive planning. You’ll learn how to embed health and safety into your operations and how to drive change through leadership and accountability.
By the end of the session, you’ll have the tools to create a safety leadership action plan and use a compliance checklist to benchmark your business.
You can complete this course in a single day, with approximately nine hours of guided learning. We offer flexible options depending on what works best for you.
You can join a virtual classroom session via Zoom, or book an in-house course for your leadership team. Either way, you’ll have the chance to interact, ask questions, and relate the material to your day-to-day operations.
We provide a digital coursebook to support your learning, and you’ll complete a final online exam to gain your certification.
This course is CITB accredited, BuildUK endorsed, and forms part of the Site Safety Plus suite of qualifications. You’ll receive a recognised certificate valid for five years.
It helps you make better, safer decisions at board level and gives you the confidence to lead health and safety initiatives across your business. If you’re CITB registered, you can also claim grant funding for each delegate who completes the course successfully.
Compliance is important, but great safety performance needs more than just ticking boxes. In this course, we explore how to shift your mindset from passive compliance to active commitment.
We show you how to influence attitudes, drive behavioural change, and build systems that make safety part of how your company operates, not an afterthought.
Health and safety leadership starts in the boardroom, but its success depends on how it flows through the business. We help you understand how to lead safety discussions confidently, from site briefings to strategic meetings.
Whether you’re delivering a toolbox talk or updating policies, your actions set the tone. When directors lead by example, supervisors and site teams are far more likely to follow.
We make it easy to get started. You can book a place on one of our public online courses directly through our website. If you prefer a more tailored approach, we also offer in-house delivery for your leadership team, either on-site or remotely.
To request a quote for in-house training, simply fill out our training enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch. We’ll work with you to arrange a course that suits your schedule, team size, and preferred delivery method.
If you’re not sure which option is best, or you’d like help choosing the right course, you can speak to one of our advisors. We’re here to help you find the most effective way to meet your responsibilities as a director.
View the CITB Directors Role for Health and Safety course page to book or enquire today.
Leadership focuses on setting the tone and influencing behaviour. Management ensures processes are followed and tasks are carried out.
Yes. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, directors are legally responsible for protecting their workforce and the public.
Because poor leadership leads to a poor safety culture. A strong leader encourages safer practices and drives positive change on site.
We recommend the CITB Directors Role for Health and Safety. It’s recognised across the industry and ideal for senior roles.
Yes. We run the course as a virtual classroom using Zoom. You’ll take part in live sessions and complete your exam online.
Yes. If your business is registered with CITB, you can claim grant funding for every delegate who passes the course.
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