Should Executives be Involved in Accident Investigations
We increasingly hear people say things like “senior managers and executives should be more involved in workplace safety”.
Some people then extend this logic to officers of the company should participate in accident investigations to demonstrate their personal concern and safety leadership.
Before we press for such initiatives, we need to better understand the roles and responsibilities of each level of the business.
Expecting directors and executives to add value to a safety investigation is not only naïve, but dangerous for the business and increases the risk of personal liability for the executive(s) involved.
A common board governance principle, is “noses in, fingers out.”
This principle emphasises that board members should stay informed about the company’s performance and key risks and challenge reports, but not to micro-manage processes or get involved in the day to day operations of the business.
It is not an officer’s role to be in the room when an accident root cause analysis investigation is underway, but it is OK to make enquiries and seek assurances that the organisation has policies, procedures and resources to do this properly and to monitor any necessary improvements are indeed implemented.
Executives have important roles to play like determining the desired culture and providing the leadership to direct the whole organisation down the right path.
A valuable role executives can play in the field is Safety Walks. This is where execs talk to individuals about their work, difficulties and potential risks, and look for opportunities to praise people for good work, not hunt hazards or find fault.
Let’s not waste their time and ours by asking executives to participate in activities where they do not add value and could create more liability for them and the business.
Below is rudimentary but helpful table which attempts to summarise the main safety roles and responsibilities for the various levels in an organisation.
Of course, there will always be additional activities, particularly in larger and complex organisations.
Acknowledgement: This article is based loosely on an interview with Mills Oakley senior lawyer, Sam Dekker, 2025.
