Health and Safety for Directors and Senior Managers
When a serious incident happens, investigators and courts increasingly ask what the board knew, what it asked and what it did. Many directors still receive only injury statistics and assume safety is managed elsewhere. This programme gives directors and senior managers a clear understanding of their responsibilities and a practical framework to lead, oversee and challenge health and safety performance.
04 - 08 October 2026
Dubai
5 Days
USD 4,500Health and safety failures at senior level are rarely about lack of concern. More often the board sees lagging indicators that look good while serious risks grow, accountability is delegated without clear oversight, budgets and schedules put pressure on safe working, and contractors and supply chains are treated as someone else's problem. After a major incident, these gaps become questions of personal and corporate liability as well as reputation.
This programme looks at health and safety from the boardroom. It moves through five stages: the case for leadership and the legal and ethical responsibilities of directors, governance and accountability structures, understanding and overseeing the organisation's most serious risks, measuring and reviewing performance, and building a culture in which people can raise concerns and learn from events.
Built on recognised practice. The programme references the ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention (C155) and Promotional Framework Convention (C187), ISO 45001 on occupational health and safety management systems, ISO 45003 on psychological health and safety at work, the UK Health and Safety Executive and Institute of Directors guidance Leading health and safety at work (INDG417), and the Plan, Do, Check, Act approach in HSE's HSG65. They are used as reference points for leadership and oversight, not as technical checklists.
Decisions this programme improves. How to allocate health and safety responsibilities at board and executive level; which risks require direct board attention; what information the board should receive and how often; whether investment in controls is adequate; how to respond to a serious incident or enforcement action; and how to link health and safety to strategy, procurement and executive performance.
How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a group with construction, operations and contractor activities where good injury rates hide a rising number of high-potential incidents. Participants review a board safety report, challenge a risk profile, respond to a serious incident scenario and prepare a board-level health and safety leadership plan.
In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own sector, governance structure, legal framework and risk profile, and delivered as a board briefing followed by working sessions with the executive team.