When disaster strikes at an oil and gas facility, it is the people on the ground that feel the immediate impact. But exactly how much of process safety success is predicated on senior managers that might be countries or continents apart?

In this exclusive interview with Dr Laura Fruhen, Research Fellow at the Industrial Psychology Research Centre at the University of Aberdeen, we touch on the tangible importance of senior manager leadership in process safety culture story.

In the course of the interview, Dr Fruhen covers:

• · Questions any manager should ask to find out if they really understand safety issues
• · "Social competence" and its relation to process safety
• · How senior managers control their safety commitment
• · Practical steps to help manager optimise the trickle down effect of process safety
• · The importance of communication and leadership in buy-in to safety culture
• · How to bridge the disconnect between senior managers and staff
• · The importance of an open reporting culture and hearing both the good and bad news
• · Balancing contact through personal presence and delegation through subordinates
• · The linguistic aspects of the promotion of safety culture throughout an organisation

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