Daniel G. Hopwood, MPH, CSP, SMP, CPCU, ARM, FASSP
2026 BCSP Board President
At a recent conference, I heard once again that everyone is a safety leader. Regardless of where someone is slotted in an organization — trainee, supervisor, manager, or executive — the message was we all have safety leader responsibilities. Some large and some less so, but all are important. OK, fair enough, but the question really is, does this describe leadership or, more likely, safety management?
The bridge between the two is nuanced with one more tactical while the other has both feet in the strategic camp. So, what is the difference? Safety management is tactical — surveys, inspections, training, hazard management – the how of safety, if you will. Safety leadership leans to the strategic – the why and what of safety efforts. More importantly, leadership done well is transformational.
An important part of that effort is in preparing teams to be the next generation of safety managers and leaders. Leaders do not need to tackle every aspect of essential safety functions alone. In fact, safety leaders must be committed to building the next generation and engaging others essential to that endeavor, both internal and external to the organization. Leadership is grounded in influencing groups to achieve common goals.
Transformational safety leadership motivates people and teams to accomplish more than expected. It is “additive,” according to leadership guru Peter Northouse in his book Leadership: Theory and Practice. He is the expert, not me, but my experience is that transformational leadership is synergistic and can transform and achieve results that are beyond what can be accomplished through an additive effect. (By the way, Mr. Northouse was a major influence on BCSP Director Dr. Sammy Davis during his doctoral studies!)
What is important to strategic next-generation-building? A culture of responsibility that is often accomplished by supporting safety knowledge and skill acquisition; there is nothing better than having trust in teams when the leader is away, knowing they can take on the challenges that have developed.
Culture building starts at the top and is sustained by executives and management. Its lifeblood, however, is the team writ large, whose willful engagement continues the motivational cycle. This is demonstrated in team members doing what is right because it is the right thing, not because there is a reward. The safety culture is clear when everyone on a team can tell the organization’s safety story and has clarity around goals and objectives. Building that culture requires an investment — one that BCSP can help maximize.
The Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) and Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC) certifications were created to meet the strategic and tactical needs of a team within an organization. By validating a baseline understanding of safety concepts among team members, leaders get everyone to speak the same important safety language. Safety language is a big part of a safety culture. Strategically, with these certifications, companies are kick-starting the project to build the next generation of safety leaders. Tactically, those earning the STS and STSC learn more about the process of safety. These two together seem synergistic to me, not just additive.
BCSP has seen successes with organizations who support culture and build safety efforts through the STS and STSC. Here are just a few examples of significant improvements after investing in these certifications:
PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc., saw lost-time rates drop to 2% of the construction industry average.
Eldeco, Inc., experienced a 31% reduction in injuries.
As Jeff Treffinger, MPH, CSP, SMP, former Senior Vice President of EHS at Amentum, expressed it, “Our projects are more successful when managers and supervisors are STS certified. Projects with supervisors and managers holding the STS experience improved injury and financial performance and customer satisfaction.”
There are many more success stories we could share, but these highlight the importance and value of starting the process of transforming a team’s safety capabilities and, just as importantly, looking beyond today to tomorrow.
Safety being everyone’s responsibility is not cliché; it is a fundamental reality. The testimonial and examples above are but a few cases that bear this out. Henry Mintzberg, a prolific management author and professor at McGill University in Canada, said, “Strategy is not the consequences of planning, but the opposite: it’s the starting point.”
By making a strategic decision to ensure team members are trained, educated, and have clear eyes regarding goals and objectives, leaders and managers can avoid carrying the full safety load themselves, help sustain safety efforts, and strategically build capacity for the future. But that process must be initiated. That is what leaders, especially transformational leaders, do. Everyone has safety responsibilities and accountabilities. BCSP can be your partner in accomplishing them both.