ABSTRACT
Supervisory grades and first-line managers have long been considered crucial to safety for they are the conduit between those who set the rules and those who use them. In addition, it is supervisors and first-line managers who are best placed to see, on a day-to-day basis, whether the operations are being conducted safely and/or whether there are practical difficulties which militate against safe operation. If the pivotal role of supervisors and first-line managers is to be fully capitalised in the context of health and safety they need: To know that they have safety responsibilities and what exactly those responsibilities are; the knowledge and experience to fulfil those responsibilities; and the time to fulfil their safety responsibilities. The crucial importance of the supervisory and first-line management monitoring and action roles in relation to safety issues is such that the training provided should be formal although the best way of delivering such courses will need to take consideration of local issues.
