A: Senior leaders are in a position of authority to ensure that policies and procedures are put in place to ensure effective environmental management and keep people safe at work.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Section 37 (Offences by bodies corporate) places accountability on senior managers, executives, directors, and similar figures to ensure that the relevant statutory provisions of this act are met. Failure to comply could mean that a senior leader could be found guilty of an offence where it is proved they had knowledge of the risks, knew of health and safety failings, or neglected their duty of care.
To reinforce the accountability and responsibility of senior leaders, ISO 45001 clause 5 (Leadership and worker participation) highlights the need for the two-way communication between higher management and all levels of the workforce. Its standards set out clear expectations of both organisational leadership and workers responsibilities.