The Role of Leadership in Process Safety Management System - No Process Safety Management System is an Island

Abstract

The role of process safety management system in accident prevention and safety, in general, is well established. However, the same cannot be said when it comes to the influence that different factors can have on the safety management system. Especially, the role of leadership is much less understood. The main purpose of the safety management system is to control risks in the organisation and consequently to prevent accidents. However, such a system is not isolated. Politics, procedures, and practices that are in place to ensure safety in hazardous process industry can be influenced by several factors, in both positive and negative ways. Studies showed that leadership style can have a critical role in the implementation of an effective safety management system, as the importance of senior managers and leaders cannot be overemphasized. This paper tries to shed some light on the relationship between process safety management systems, factors that can influence safety performance, and various types of leadership. Based on the literature, factors that can have the most influence on successful implementation and performance of the safety management system are determined. Several most common leadership types that can contribute to the successful process safety management are also presented. To obtain a better understanding, leadership types were studied in relation to one of the previously identified factors that can support or hinders the process safety management system – managers’ commitment to safety. Findings present different ways in which various leadership types can support managers' commitment to safety.