Use this leadership assessment tool to
obtain a detailed understanding of your
strengths and weaknesses.
SAFETY LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT TOOL
Score yourself from 1 to 5 for each expectation of leadership roles.
Set the Example
Model Positive Behavior
Expectation
1
2
3
Personal
Willfully
disregards
policies,
procedures &
regulations.
Avoids
participating in
safety activities,
such as safety
meetings & audits.
Follows policies,
procedures &
regulations.
Visibly and actively
participates in local
safety activities, such
as safety meetings,
audits, etc.
Visibly and actively
participates in
contractors' safety
activities, such as
safety meetings,
audits, etc.
Follows policies,
procedures &
regulations and
visibly participates
in, and leads,
safety activities,
including contractor
activities.
Bias for
Safety
Reluctantly
responds to
unsafe situations
(i.e., not always
stopping work to
prevent injury).
Stops own work
when necessary
to ensure safety.
Stops own work when
necessary to ensure
the safety of self and
others.
Stops the work of
others when
necessary to ensure
safety.
Reacts positively to
work being stopped
by others when
necessary to
ensure safety.
Personal
Competency
Does not
understand
personal
leadership role in
promoting safety
or personal
leadership
development
needs.
Can describes
personal role in
safety system
and own
leadership
development.
Has personal
leadership skills and
competencies
assessed.
Attends technical
and leadership
training.
Regularly assesses
and improves
personal technical
and leadership
skills.
compliance
and
involvement
4
5
Integrate Systems and Provide Resources
Support deployment of an effective SMS & integrate safety into the business
Expectation
1
2
Effectiveness
of SMS
Fails to implement
all elements of the
SMS so that it that
meets basic
standards.
Implements all
elements of the
SMS so that it
that meets basic
standards.
Establishes a SMS
that includes best
practices.
Regularly (e.g.,
quarterly) reviews
SMS effectiveness
and plans
improvements.
Systematically
improves SMS.
SMS focus
Inconsistently
attends to
fundamental
elements of the
SMS when new
programs are
implemented.
Consistently
attends to
fundamental
elements of the
SMS as well as
new programs.
Maintains
fundamental elements
of the SMS as well as
new programs.
Integrates new
programs into
existing SMS.
Maintains
fundamental SMS
elements while
integrating new
programs.
3
4
5
Support deployment of an effective SMS & integrate safety into the business. Cont.
Assures that
contractors
meet SMS
standards
Sometimes hires
contractors that
do not meet
minimum
standards for
safety
management.
Supports of
“Just
Culture”
Criticizes those
who report near
misses that the
person reporting
has been involved
in.
Hires only with
contractors who
meet minimum
SMS
requirements.
Meets regularly with
contractors to discuss
their SMS.
Works with
contractors to
improve their SMSs
and adopt best
practices.
Uses the Just Culture
decision tree as
designed
Tests & verifies that
contractors are
improving SMSs,
allocating
competent
resources, &
integrating safety in
their business
planning.
Makes efforts to
assure all
employees that the
Just Culture
process is fair.
Rely on competent resources
Assurance of
competency
Assigns
employees to
safety-critical
roles without
assuring they are
qualified, willing,
or capable.
Describes
training
necessary for
employees to
work safely.
Releases employees
for required training.
Assures that
employees attend
recommended
training.
Verifies that
employees have
the knowledge and
skills to do their
work safely.
Deference to
expertise
Makes cursory
evaluation of
risks; makes
safety critical
decisions without
involving people
with the greatest
technical and
safety expertise.
Involves people
outside
immediate circle
in evaluating
risks.
Involves people
outside immediate
circle in safety critical
decisions.
Involves people with
varying expertise in
safety critical
decisions.
Involves people
with the greatest
technical and
safety expertise in
evaluating risks
and making safetycritical decisions.
Set Standards
Establish effective safety goals, standards, and roles
Expectation
1
2
3
Goals
Establishes vague,
unattainable, or
otherwise
ineffective safety
goals, such as
"work safely."
Establishes
individual safety
goals in annual
objectives that
align with
organizational
goals.
Establishes safety
goals appropriate to
leadership level in
annual objectives.
Informs
contractors of
safety goals.
Leads development and
communication of
effective safety goals for
individuals and teams
that align with
organizational goals.
Standards
Communicates
about safety
standards and
roles in an unclear
manner.
Clearly
communicates
safety standards
to employees.
Clearly
communicates safety
standards and roles
to employees.
Clearly
communicates
safety standards
to employees
and contractors.
Clearly communicates
safety standards and
roles to employees and
contractors.
and roles
4
5
Establish effective SMS performance measures
Expectation
Support of
performance
measures
1
Only uses
reactive
measures of
the SMS to
assess
performance,
such as
number of
incidents.
2
3
4
5
Uses some proactive
measures of the
SMS, such as
number of audits
and observations,
but focuses on the
quantity rather than
the quality, of
measure.
Uses many
proactive measures
of the SMS.
Uses all available
proactive measures
of the SMS, such as
number of audits
and observations.
Uses proactive
measures of the SMS,
such as number of
audits and
observations, and
focuses on both their
quality and quantity.
Give & receive effective performance feedback (Performance: Both behavior & results)
Expectation
1
2
3
4
5
Giving
feedback
Only provides
individual
performance
feedback
annually.
Provides individual
feedback
semiannually.
Provides specific
individual feedback
when requested.
Regularly provides
specific individual
performance
feedback.
Provides frequent and
specific feedback to
employees and
contractors.
Receiving
feedback
Reacts
negatively to
any specific
feedback on
own
performance.
Accepts specific
feedback on own
performance.
Makes changes
when given
corrective feedback
on own
performance.
Occasionally
solicits feedback
from others on own
performance.
Makes changes when
given corrective
feedback and solicits
feedback from others
on own performance.
4
5
Reinforce and reward positive safety performance
Expectation
1
2
3
Reinforce
Makes critical
comments
about
employees'
safe behavior
(i.e., criticizes
time and cost
of safe work).
Praises positive
performance more
often than criticizes
negative
performance.
Regularly
acknowledges
teams for positive
performance.
Regularly
recognizes
individual
employees for
positive
performance and
celebrates teams'
meeting goals.
Systematically
recognizes and
reinforces safe
behavior of individuals,
teams, and
contractors.
Reward
Rewards or
promotes
employees in
spite of their
safety
behavior and
results.
Occasionally
considers safety
performance in
reward and
promotion decisions.
Regularly considers
safety performance
in reward and
promotion decisions.
Systematically links
significant rewards,
such as promotion
and pay, to safety
performance.
Considers safety
behavior and results
when making
decisions to recruit,
select, develop,
reward & advance
employees, & when
selecting & influencing
contractors and
partners.
Correct and discipline negative safety behavior.
Expectation
Informal
correction
Expectation
Formal
discipline
1
Rarely
corrects even
obvious
unsafe
behavior.
1
Never uses
formal
discipline
procedure to
address
unsafe
behavior.
2
3
Informally corrects
obvious or extreme
unsafe behavior.
Informally corrects
all observed unsafe
behavior.
2
Describes steps in
formal discipline
system.
4
Encourages other
leaders to
informally correct
unsafe behavior.
5
Informally corrects all
observed unsafe
behavior and
encourages other
leaders and
contractors to do the
same.
3
4
5
Inconsistently uses
formal discipline
system to address
individual safety
behavior.
Consistently and
effectively uses
formal discipline
system to address
individual safety
behavior.
Consistently and
effectively uses formal
discipline procedure to
address individual
safety behavior and
encourages other
leaders and
contractors to do the
same.
Measure
Assess and monitor safety practices and outcomes
Expectation
1
2
3
Formal
performance
measurement
Assesses
individuals'
and team
performance
on basis of
personal
opinion.
Assesses individual
performance on basis
of reliable and valid
outcome measures.
Assesses
individual
performance
on basis of
reliable and
valid outcome
and process
measures.
Regularly reviews
individual and team
performance with
employees.
Implements a system
to continually measure
performance through
observing, recording,
and tracking individual
and team trends over
time.
Inspection and
observation
Rarely
performs
informal or
formal tours
and
inspections.
Occasionally
performs formal tours
and inspections.
Monitors for
procedural
compliance
when
observing
employees.
Performs unscheduled
tours, inspections and
observations.
Regularly performs
unscheduled tours,
inspections,
observations, and
encourages other
leaders and
contractors to do the
same.
4
5
Assess and monitors SMS
Expectation
1
SMS
accountabilities
Leaves
SMS to
safety
personnel.
Monitors the
SMS
Rarely
monitors
performanc
e of the
SMS.
2
3
4
5
Uses, and
encourages others
to use the SMS.
Holds people
accountable for
all elements of
the SMS.
Develops accountability
processes for
employees' use of the
SMS.
Develops
accountability
processes for own and
employees' use of the
SMS.
Accurately describes
current level of SMS
performance.
Periodically
evaluates
organization’s
progress
towards safety
goals.
Regularly tracks
progress on action plans
for safety improvement.
Establishes process for
regular reviews of the
SMS and involves
contractors in the
review.
4
5
Assess and monitor contractor safety
Expectation
1
2
Contractor
safety
Leaves
contractors to
manage safety
on their jobs.
Attends to
contractors'
performance only in
response to incidents
or regulatory
interventions.
3
Regularly
reviews
performance
with
contractors.
Monitors contractors'
safety performance
trends.
Regularly reviews
contractors' safety
performance trends
and their plans to
address safety.
4
5
Improve
Assure safety lessons are applied
Expectation
1
2
Open
reporting
Avoids
reporting,
denies
mistakes,
blames
others, or
presents
misleading
information.
Describes the value
of open reporting.
Analysis of
incidents
Rarely
participates
in incident
analyses.
Personally reviews
incident analyses.
3
Encourages
early and open
reporting of
safety
problems.
Participates in
incident
analyses.
Protects individuals who
raise concerns about
safety compliance.
Protects individuals
who raise concerns
about safety
compliance and
encourages other
leaders to do the
same.
Analyzes safety
problems other than
incidents.
Fully analyzes
problems using
formally defined criteria
for investigations and
related follow-up.
Learning
Rarely
systematically discusses
learning from
incidents.
Describes the value
of sharing learning.
Participates in
shared
learning
systems.
Implements key lessons
from both in and outside
the organization
Shares, identifies, &
implements incident
lessons within & with
contractors and third
parties.
Ensure continuous improvement of the performance of the SMS.
Expectation
1
2
Actions
closure
Rarely
follows up or
acts on
findings,
recommendat
ions, or
assigned
action items.
Assigns responsibility
for action items to
others.
Assumes
responsibility
for assigned
action items.
Meets deadlines to
implement agreed
recommendations.
Monitors status,
maintains records, &
implements action
items that result from
incident analyses.
SMS
improvement
Fails to
address
performance
deviations in
the SMS.
Addresses deviations
in performance
measures or
deficiencies in
practice of standards.
Involves
employees in
procedure
reviews and
updates.
Involves employees in
improving the SMS.
Leads development
and implementation of
improvement plans in
the SMS m.
3
4
5
Score your Leadership Assessment:
When ranking is complete tally the overall score.
If all elements are assessed, the maximum overall score is 170. If only a portion of the
elements can be assessed the percentages must be adjusted accordingly.100% = 170
90% = 153
80% = 136
70% = 119
An overall score below 70% is unsatisfactory.
Scoring on the assessment should be looked at from two perspectives
1. The overall score
2. The score for each of the individual elements
An overall assessment score of 90% will seem quite acceptable but may not reveal that
there are one or two individual scores of 1, indicating areas where significant work on
improvement needs to be done.