Industry launches leadership framework to raise workplace health standards 

A new leadership framework, designed to strengthen accountability for workplace health and wellbeing in the major hazard industry, has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) alongside industry bodies, employers and trade unions. 

The Principles of Workplace Health and Wellbeing Leadership were unveiled at the House of Lords on 24 June with the aim of giving physical and mental health the same level of strategic leadership as process safety across the chemicals and major hazards sectors.  

Developed through HSE’s Prevention Programme, the principles have been created by a working group including the Chemical Industries Association, Chemical Business Association, GMB Union, Unite the Union, National Gas, Grain LNG, Yorkshire Water and the Tank Storage Association. 

The framework places clear responsibility on senior leaders to prevent work-related ill health, building on the process safety leadership model introduced following the Buncefield incident in 2005. It also aligns with Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review, which highlights the importance of preventing ill health to support employment and economic growth.  

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said the principles represented “an important step” towards improving workplace health. 

“I welcome its clear focus on preventing work-related ill health. Working together, we can create healthier workplaces, support economic growth and raise living standards.” 

Ken Rivers, Non-Executive Board Member at HSE, said the framework marked “a significant step forward” in occupational health leadership. 

“By bringing together regulators, industry leaders and trade unions, we have created a framework that builds on the sector’s proven track record in process safety leadership,” he said. 

The principles focus on visible leadership, workforce engagement, early intervention and better management of occupational health risks, encouraging organisations to treat health with the same rigour as workplace safety. 

Industry leaders involved in developing the framework said it provides a practical structure for embedding healthier workplaces while improving organisational resilience. 

Clare Middleton, Head of Safety, Health & Wellbeing at National Gas, said the document reinforces that looking after employees “isn’t just the right thing to do” but also improves business performance. 

Meanwhile, Grain LNG Managing Director Simon Culkin said the framework helps organisations both manage and measure employee health and wellbeing while helping to “close the gap between safety and health in industry”.  

The initiative forms part of HSE’s wider Prevention Programme, an industry-led collaboration involving more than 90 organisations that aims to reduce work-related ill health by encouraging businesses to manage health risks with the same discipline traditionally applied to safety.