Authentic leadership training supports long-term safety culture goals

Bahrain refinery invests in leadership to strengthen safety culture

NEBOSH has reported that Bapco Refining is training leaders to promote authentic leadership as part of efforts to strengthen its safety culture.

The organisation said the programme aims to create a workplace environment that encourages open communication, psychological safety, and shared responsibility for health and safety.

Andy Shenstone, NEBOSH Chief Executive, said: “Truly exceptional safety requires that people don’t just follow procedures, but that they are empowered to speak up when issues arise, so they can be corrected and lessons learnt.”

He added: “And to make that happen, we, as leaders, need to be champions of the safety-centric mindset and create a psychologically safe environment.”

Bapco Refining, part of Bapco Energies, has set five leadership principles for managers: Brave, Ambitious, Progressive, Conscious and Open.

According to NEBOSH, these are based on research by Barry Posner and James M Kouzes and are intended to encourage authenticity and remove barriers that stop employees raising safety concerns.

Core leadership principles and training structure

NEBOSH said the leadership principles are embedded into training from the induction stage for anyone with management responsibilities.

Managers attend workshops and webinars on the principles and visible leadership practices.

Training sessions are designed to develop emotional intelligence, promote empathy, and strengthen safety through improved communication.

The company stated that in 2024 around 2,442 employees attended more than 190 sessions, with 46 sessions completed by May 2025.

Line managers also receive mental health awareness training and act as mental health champions, with 600 staff set to qualify in mental health first aid.

Psychological safety and organisational performance

Shenstone said: “Psychological safety has the potential to really ‘level up’ an organisation’s performance. Dr Amy Edmondson’s research discovered that teams with better outcomes admit more mistakes; they can learn, share ideas and make better decisions as a result.”

He added: “This concept is universally applicable across all business functions, but it is particularly crucial in occupational health and safety, where preserving human life and health is paramount. To do this, we must give our leaders the underpinning training and tools to create this type of culture.”

According to NEBOSH, Bapco Refining’s approach includes external speakers on psychological safety and graduate training on diversity, inclusion, and team management.

Visibility, accountability, and assessment

NEBOSH reported that leaders at Bapco Refining are encouraged to attend workplace events and maintain an open-door policy.

The company’s “no name, no blame” safety policy has evolved into “Be brave” to align with its leadership principles and encourage incident reporting.

Leadership accountability is tracked through evidence-based assessments, with leaders showing how they apply the principles and encourage psychological safety.

Post-course evaluations measure training impact.

An employee engagement survey found strong agreement that leaders communicate effectively, provide quality development, and prioritise health and safety.

NEBOSH-endorsed training courses

Shenstone said: “Bapco Refining has an extensive suite of leadership support that reflects the impact and value leaders can have, and just how committed the organisation is to developing its safety culture.”

He added: “This transcends to operational safety, too – if we have created a psychologically safe culture where workers can speak up about safety issues, we must also give them the knowledge and skills to be able to work with confidence.”

NEBOSH confirmed that six Bapco Refining courses have received NEBOSH Endorsed certification, covering authorised gas testing, harness safety, hazard recognition and control, working at height, and confined space awareness.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

This initiative demonstrates how leadership training can directly support workplace safety culture and incident prevention.

The approach combines behavioural, mental health, and technical safety training, which may be relevant to organisations aiming to integrate safety leadership into operational policy.

For safety professionals, the case offers an example of embedding leadership principles into all management levels while aligning them with accredited technical training.

Authentic leadership training supports long-term safety culture goals: Summary

NEBOSH reported that Bapco Refining is delivering leadership training to strengthen safety culture.

The programme is based on five leadership principles.

Training includes workshops, webinars, and mental health awareness.

More than 2,400 employees took part in sessions in 2024.

Six technical courses have received NEBOSH Endorsed certification.

Leaders are encouraged to maintain visibility and open communication.

Employee surveys indicate positive feedback on leadership communication and safety focus.

Post-course assessments track progress on leadership and safety culture.

The initiative aligns with NEBOSH guidance on psychological safety.