Dr Kirstin Ferguson gave the opening keynote address to the Campbell Institute Symposium in New Orleans in 2017.

Dr Kirstin Ferguson opened the Symposium with a presentation on how to engage boards and senior executive teams in EHS, beyond merely focusing on compliance with regulations and laws.

Using her research, Dr Ferguson explained safety governance and set out clear markers EHS professionals can use to identify the safety governance maturity of their organizations. This will ensure that any initiatives in driving change around EHS in the boardroom are targeted appropriately.

Dr Ferguson then discussed the safety leadership qualities identified for the most senior leaders of an organization – the board and senior executive team – who are often geographically located some distance from operations. The four safety leadership criteria identified from Dr Ferguson’s research were explained along with advice for EHS professionals on how to best influence these behaviors in senior leaders.