When introducing new safety initiatives or trying to grow commitment for older ones, safety champions can be any organization’s biggest allies.

But who are these safety champions? In his Summer/Fall 2018 column for Safety Decisions Magazine, Ray Prest addresses this question in detail:

The words “safety champion” do not appear anywhere in OSHA’s workplace requirements. But don’t underestimate the impact they have in the workplace. Safety champions—the men and women who embody the values of safety—can be the difference between just being in compliance and having a thriving safety-focused culture.

In his column, Prest discusses the need for companies to collaborate with safety champions. But first, they need to identify them. And although some safety champions are not hard to find, others are less easily spotted. EHS professionals need to look out for people with “passion for safety, the courage to speak up and the respect of their peers.”

It’s important to note that someone doesn’t have to work in a safety-related job to be a safety champion. Safety is something anyone can be passionate about. And you don’t need to have the word “safety” in a job title to advocate for safety improvements or to inspire others to be more attentive to health and safety issues:

Safety champions speak directly to workers, not just with words but with their actions. When they support and disseminate a safety guideline, others listen and follow.

As a result, safety champions act as a bridge between management and the workforce. They can act as an intermediary—translating important safety messages in a way that will resonate with their peers.

In his article, Prest describes why safety champions are important to the safety culture and outlines the ways to spot them. He also discusses four ways that management can cultivate safety champions. You can find the information in the article “A Culture of Champions.”