The answer to this question must be constructed in light of the concrete actions and contributions that people linked to prevention have carried out and are currently carrying out in their work.
In terms of accident prevention, technical knowledge must be combined in a fair and balanced way with the management of human groups. It is not enough simply to know how to apply the current regulations or the established procedures to be a good Preventionist, it is also necessary to "relate" in a particular way with the people who make up the organization, so that you can clearly convey your message.
What is that message? Prevention must be the result of a safe "conduct", adjusted to specific norms and standards.
To achieve this, the most important thing is to establish a special bond with the workers, so that it is trust and credibility in the figure of the Preventionist that facilitates the incorporation of the message as an inherent part of the work, as an organizational value that is part of our functions.
When we trust others, our "defenses" (prejudices, fears or others) begin to disappear, so that the messages acquire an important connotation, thus generating a greater influence on our way of thinking. In this context, this is key for the Preventionist and in turn carries a great ethical responsibility. It is key, because the bond of trust and credibility allows imposing authority over power, and thus requires fewer punitive measures for people to modify their behavior with respect to the standard. On the other hand, ethical responsibility is related to the use that can be made of this relationship, on which there are no regulations other than the professional's own moral values.
If a prevention (or security) professional generates human relationships based on trust, and cultivates the credibility of their role in the organizational context, and applies their technical knowledge promoting attitudinal change and good practices, we will be facing a " Security leader ".
Being a true leader in safety implies believing that true prevention starts with changing people's attitudes regarding the way they should carry out their work and the respect they have for themselves and others, and of course act in accordance.
Security leaders live off up-to-date information. They are information eaters, they investigate and integrate various subjects related to their work. They like to know the opinion of people at different levels, keeping an open mind to different points of view. They share information with their peers and collaborators avoiding intellectual selfishness.
Safety leaders define the success of their work when others are able to put the guidelines of safe work into practice . Also when the expectations of their position are exceeded and when collaborators recognize that the management carried out has been important in their work.
There is no conformity in security leaders, because they know that risk is always present and that careless action can make a difference in organizational life. Therefore, they are permanently attentive to the behavior of workers, to keep alive the concept of safety as a value and to maintain a good working environment.
On the other hand, if professionals are only concerned with "complying" with legal and administrative issues, even precisely fulfilling their functions within the company, they will simply be "security administrators".
The security administrators are in charge of precisely that, and nothing else… they carry out their work, support their heads, make reports and participate in meetings, often without contributing more than the data collected. They are good professionals, good employees, but not very proactive or "value addors".
These clerks work with the information available and are not inclined to search for additional information on their own. They expect to meet the demands (external locus of control) and define success as meeting the demand of the position and the objectives that have been proposed for the department or unit to which they belong. They are ready to follow orders and follow instructions. In some cases they even prefer to go unnoticed in work meetings, since they have nothing new to contribute or are simply embarrassed. In extreme cases, they tend to call themselves leaders in safety or prevention, but are in evidence by reflecting little or nothing of the behaviors or actions required (and mentioned above) to become one.
Being a security leader or administrator depends solely on us. I hope that at the end of this article, you have already decided if from today you will be a Leader or a Security Administrator…
