ABSTRACT
Safety leadership This chapter discusses the role of leaders and leadership style in relation to organizational safety. We review research evidence, relevant leadership theories, and explore some implications for improving safety through leadership development and training. While it is beyond the scope of this chapter to provide a comprehensive review of leadership theories, we focus on those that have provided theoretical and empirical insights into the role of leadership in organizational safety (for a detailed review of leadership theories, see Barling, Christie, & Hoption, 2011). The chapter begins by reviewing concepts and theories of leadership; it then discusses the impact of leadership on safety performance, relevant psychological mediators and moderators, and managing leadership roles to reduce risk and improve organizational safety through leadership development, training, and other interventions. While it would be interesting to study facets of leadership under extreme (e.g., armed combat) conditions, the chapter contents reect the fact that virtually all research into safety leadership has been conducted in organizational settings.
