Empowering safety department - How long?

Recently, I read an article that the new boss of BP is reshuffling the safety division and is making it as the most powerful voice and that they can intervene in any of the technical functions of the BP. This is what is required by law also. Only that we do not follow.
I do not doubt about the capabilities of earlier safety staff of BP. I doubt only about the production staff. It is normal to see in any production facility that production staff and their bosses pay little attention to what safety department says. As the safety department is part of the facility, it can only advise. Implementation depends on the whims and fancies of the production department. Safety department becomes powerful only when the top man gives unconditional support to it. In the present case also, though the new boss ALLOWED safety division to be powerful, the time upto which it can be allowed to function this way will be limited, as Mr Trevor Kletz said, "corporate memory is short". As the memory fades gradually, well meant safety advises become additional work and time consuming for the production staff and slowly they start ignoring the safety advises. By that time, the BP boss who is making safety division powerful may also leave the organization and the STORY WILL REPEAT. Again as observed by Mr Kletz in his books.
It is my observation which evolved with my interaction with many of my friends in various industries and also from my knowledge of reading various books, safety blogs and investigation reports of CSB, HSE, etc that it is a worldwide phenomenon of giving importance to safety only after an accident and then slowly forgetting about it.
A KNEE JERK REACTION INDEED.