Women in Safety for Health and Safety Professionals

Inspiring women in safety to lead their way - sponsored by L’Oréal

This unique, free-to-attend one-day course, certified by the Institute of Leadership as world-class leadership development, is designed to provide practical knowledge and solutions for sustainable business advantage through excellence in safety and health leadership for women business owners, directors, senior executives, and anyone with leadership responsibility in any sector, around the globe.

What is the Women in Safety course?

Launched in 2023, Women in Safety follows the success of previous Women in Safety training initiatives. This new programme, developed by Karen J. Hewitt of Leaderlike Ltd, in partnership with RoSPA and L’Oreal, is an integral element of our Safe@Work-Safe@Home Partnership. Approved by the Institute of Leadership, this programme allows small groups of women to work together to overcome challenges and enhance their cross-company influence in Health and Safety, while focusing on their own leadership development. Addressing a real need for women in leadership positions, not just for Health and Safety, this programme provides a unique opportunity for women to support each other’s development, and lead in a way that feels authentic to them, making the most of their own unique strengths. On completion of the full programme, participants will receive professional membership of the Institute of Leadership.

Who should apply for this course?

The course is aimed at women who are business owners, directors, senior executives or have leadership responsibility in any sector, anywhere around the world.

L’Oréal has sponsored these training sessions as part of our Safe@Work-Safe@Home Partnership, meaning we can offer a limited number of fully funded places to help those who identify as women and work in health and safety to reach more senior roles.

What does the Women in Safety course cover?

The free course covers three key areas – Leadership by Design, Leadership in Action and Leadership as a Strategy, and will provide:

✓ An understanding of the barriers women can face in leading safety

✓ A personal vision for how you want to make a difference in health and safety

✓ An understanding of transformational leadership

✓ How to be more flexible with your communication across cultures

✓ How to be more influential across your organisation

✓ A personal pitch for transformational change

“The course session was the best I’ve ever attended: to be in a room of great-minded ladies, with tons of experience and a safe space where we shared our feelings, experiences and aspiration without fear. I would attend and recommend this course a thousand times”

Belinda Nyambare
Safety Officer, Siginon Aviation Ltd, Kenya

What are the benefits for me and my organisation of attending the course?

Key delegate benefits

Sharpens your skill-set and makes you a more effective leader
Creates understanding of good practice from around the world
Enables bench-marking of your performance against others
Shapes your safety and health vision
Identifies steps to achieve your safety and health ambitions
Provides membership of the prestigious Institute of Leadership

Key business benefits

Enhanced engagement in health and safety
Reduced accident rates, absence and sick leave
Increased productivity and profits
Improved reputation among suppliers, clients and partners
Reduced insurance premiums and legal costs
Better business continuity

How is the Women in Safety course delivered?

The course will be delivered on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 via Zoom (from: 07:00 to 15:00 GMT) making it available to anyone, anywhere (time zones permitting) and easy to fit in with busy schedules. The sessions include group interaction and there are plenty of opportunities to discuss topics in small groups, ask questions and share ideas with your peers.

Following the course there will an additional action planning session lasting 1.5 hours and held via Zoom.

Meet your trainer

Karen J Hewitt

Women in Safety is hosted by Karen J Hewitt, director and founder of Leaderlike Ltd. Karen has spent the last decade creating leadership movements for health and safety that save lives and drive engagement and performance. She helps individuals and organisations harness their own ‘people power’ to build communities of care that take real ownership of employee health, safety and wellbeing.

Creator of the Build, Buzz, Bake® method with sustainable engagement in health and safety at its heart, Karen inspires leaders and change agents to create leadership movements that can transform workplaces for the better.

To see Karen in action watch her TEDx talk here

Karen McDonnell

Following the initial training session, Dr Karen McDonnell, RoSPA’s Occupational Health and Safety Policy Adviser, will work together with Karen J Hewitt and Malcolm Staves, L’Oréal’s Global Vice President of Health and Safety, to identify a suitable mentor for each delegate to help them continue their development. As Karen states, “with women making up less than 30 per cent of health and safety professionals in occupational safety and health, our programme seeks to create balance across business; encouraging women to believe they are ‘good enough’ and can progress to and influence at leadership level. Making the connection through mentoring is a powerful support mechanism for personal development."

Next steps

Complete your application

To apply for a FREE place, please the following form, outlining why you think you would benefit from the course.

Applications close March 15, 2024 at 18:00 GMT.

Applications are now closed

Inspiring Women in Safety Award

Sponsored by L’Oréal, learn more about the incredible women who have made a significant inspirational impact in the world of health, safety and wellbeing.

Find out more