Environment, Health and Safety Governance and Leadership

Book excerpt: Environment, health and safety (EHS) management has become increasingly important in the past 10 years, especially within high risk and high reliability organizations. EHS is driven from the top of an organization, and whilst there has been much research on the subject of EHS leadership, there is very little on EHS governance and the director’s role in leading or influencing change in organizational safety/EHS performance. Environment, Health and Safety Governance and Leadership: The Making of High Reliability Organizations reviews the factors influencing safety/EHS leadership and governance and addresses all the areas where the role impacts on the performance and sustainability of organizations. Based on the author’s in-depth research, the book draws on much of the best-practice standards developed by many leading organizations such as the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This book provides exclusive insights and legal imperatives for practitioners and leaders to inform decision making, strategy and EHS governance, all of which can have a fundamental impact on business continuity, developing company value and the sustainability of large organizations around the world.