Chapter 39.3: The OHS Professional as a Workplace Influencer
Abstract
The ability to influence is a critical capability for OHS professionals to create and facilitate positive health and safety outcomes within organisations. After a brief overview of why influence is important and the types of proactive influence strategies relevant to OHS practice, this chapter highlights interpersonal and relational skills (such as emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence), considered key enablers for successful influence. The chapter concludes with practical insights on how these influencing skills and strategies could be employed by OHS professionals to navigate challenges, build relationships, and influence the management of OHS in their organisations.
Keywords: OHS, influence, influence tactics, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence
First year of publication: 2026
Chapter 39.3: The OHS Professional as a Workplace Influencer
Table of contents
| 1 | Introduction |
| 2 | Why is influence important? |
| 2.1 | Characteristics of the OHS Professional role |
| 2.2 | Organisational Factors |
| 3 | Power and Formal Authority |
| 3.1 | What are the key enablers of influence? |
| 3.1.1 | Preparing for influence |
| 3.1.2 | Choice of influence tactics |
| 4 | Emotional Intelligence (EI) |
| 4.1 | Models of EI |
| 4.1.1 | The Ability Model |
| 4.1.2 | The Trait Model |
| 4.1.3 | Mixed Models |
| 4.1.4 | The Four-Branch Model |
| 4.2 | Utilising EI in Workplace Influence |
| 4.2.1 | Self-Management |
| 4.2.2 | Self-Awareness |
| 4.2.3 | Social Awareness |
| 4.2.4 | Relationship Management |
| 4.3 | The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Workplace Leadership |
| 5 | Cultural Intelligence |
| 5.1 | Cultural Intelligence Framework |
| 5.1.1 | CQ® Drive – (Motivational) |
| 5.1.2 | CQ® Knowledge – (Cognitive) |
| 5.1.3 | CQ® Strategy – (Metacognition) |
| 5.1.4 | CQ® Action – (Behavioural) |
| 5.2 | Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Assessment |
| 5.3 | Cultural Clusters |
| 5.4 | Applying Cultural Intelligence in Practice |
| 6 | Coaching |
| 7 | Mentoring |
| 8 | Storytelling |
| 9 | Building Trust in Relationships |
| 10 | Influencing in Practice |
| 10.1 | Use your Emotional and Cultural Intelligence with Organisational Intelligence |
| 10.2 | Use your Emotional and Cultural Intelligence with Building and Maintaining a Foundation of Trust |
| 10.3 | Use your Emotional and Cultural Intelligence to Leverage Networks |
| 10.4 | Use your Emotional and Cultural Intelligence to Use or Build Context |
| 10.5 | Use Change Models to ensure your Influence has an Effect |
| 11 | Summary |
| 12 | References |
Dr Cassandra Madigan BPhty, GDOHS, PhD
Cassie held an academic position for over a decade in the OHS Teaching and Research Unit at the University of Queensland. With an allied health background, she has held senior roles across health and safety, human resources, and organisational development. Her PhD research investigated how OHS professionals influence management in organisations and the factors that impact their strategic influence. She played an active role within the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, most recently on the Research Committee.
Debra Burlington BSW, Grad.Dip. OHS, Grad.Dip. Business
Debra Burlington has worked in the field of OHS for 30 years. She has worked extensively with large organisations on the development of leaders and culture in general. For the past 25 years she has been based in Melbourne as a consultant and has partnered with a broad range of organisations. She is a Fellow of the AIHS, a Certified Developmental Coach and an NLP Master Practitioner. This is the second BOK chapter Debra has contributed to as well as being an author of ‘Impactful Leadership One Conversation at a Time’.
Eldeen Pozniak, MBA, BA, BSc, CEES, CHSC, CHSMSA, CRSP, CMIOSH, FIIRSM
Eldeen Pozniak is an International Management Consultant that specializes in Occupational Health and Safety Systems and Culture. Eldeen is committed to a Safer World of Work. Her commitment is demonstrated by her 25 plus years of experience and involvement as an advisor and consultant to various industry sectors, government organisations, and businesses, and as a professor at educational institutions. She consults in management and leadership and recognizes that a sense of purpose is a foundation piece to success and self-satisfaction. It is shown by her reach – she has worked on 6 of the 7 continents and in 34 different countries. It is also shown through her involvement and volunteer positions in safety and health related associations. Eldeen is the Past President of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and the past president of the International Network of Safety and Health Professional Organizations (INSHPO), was the standards practice chair of the Global Practice Specialty of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and was on the OneWish board. Eldeen focuses her life and work on concepts of leadership, emotional intelligence, the power of influence and OHS culture and systems. Well known for her sense of humor and down to earth approach, Eldeen uses experiences from her consulting practice and her personal life to deliver a timely, well researched and insightful consulting, keynotes, and education.
Greg Dearsly, GradDipOSH, MALP, CertProfNZISM
Greg started his health and safety career in 2000 and has worked both in corporate environments and as a consultant. A past President of both the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management, (NZISM), and the International Network of Safety and Health Professional Organisations (INSHPO). Greg was a member of the inaugural Governance Group for the Health and Safety Association of NZ (HASANZ). Greg’s wider career as a health and safety professional has been largely focussed on the waste, recycling and recoverable resources industry, civil construction, utilities, heavy transport along with project work for both central and local government in New Zealand. His work now focuses on integrating cultural intelligence (CQ) into capability frameworks and curriculum used to guide and educate the health and safety profession.
Learning Outcomes: Model of OHS Practice
The OHS Body of Knowledge takes a conceptual approach which enables it to be applied in different contexts and frameworks.
To optimise its value for education and professional development learning outcomes have been developed for each technical chapter in the Body of Knowledge.
The learning outcomes as described give an indication of what should be the capabilities of an OHS professional; it is up to those developing OHS education programs, OHS professionals planning their CPD or recruiters or employers selecting or developing people for the OHS function to consider the required breadth vs. depth .
Please read the section on using the learning outcomes before delving into the leaning outcomes of the individual chapters.
The numbers against each learning outcome refer to the chapter number of the BOK download page. No learning outcomes have been developed for the chapters considered introductory or underpinning knowledge (that is chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, .13, 14, 15.)
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