Dr Julian Hought explains why businesses should combine a ‘lean’ approach to human factors with legislative compliance to improve safety and efficiency.

Nudge theory has recently been embraced by the UK Government but it is not new – indeed, most health and safety practitioners will have employed it at some point in their campaigns and initiatives to develop a positive safety culture without necessarily realising it. Dr Jennifer Lunt and Malcolm Staves appraise the potential merits of the theory for the profession.

A year since the conviction of five companies over the Buncefield explosion, the key lesson highlighted by the case is that all businesses should focus on the management of major risks by ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities. Steven Brooker explains.

Should clients inspect the work of their contractors on construction sites? In light of seemingly conflicting guidance and practice on the issue, Nick Bell examines the duties on clients and offers possible approaches.

Demystifying the current academic buzz words around the subject and using examples from politics and popular culture Tim Marsh explains why leadership style doesn’t just influence safety culture but largely determines it.

Given the current focus on competence in, and accreditation for, the health and safety profession, James Pomeroy and Tony Boyle, in the first of a two-part article, consider four technical competencies pivotal to the practitioner’s work and how well they are executed, and outline how practitioners can enhance their approach.

Richard Byrne reminds practitioners that to create a safety leadership programme for managers they must first understand the leadership styles of those in charge in their organisation and then demonstrate to them how these can be exploited, in tandem with their own personal approaches, to develop a sound safety culture.