Safety Labs by Safety Products Global

A Balanced Approach To Safety with Trevor Farr

Safety Products Global — Mon, 11 May 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Trevor Farr, a safety manager who only joined the profession 5 years ago - so brings a fresh perspective to the Safety Labs podcast.

Trevor advocates a blended approach to safety management, combining human understanding with rules and regulations.

Leaning on HOP principles, Trevor challenges traditional accident investigation methods, emphasizing their limitations and the need for a broader, more inclusive inquiry process. He encourages safety practitioners to move beyond blame to foster genuine care and authentic relationships within organizations.

Throughout the conversation, Trevor reflects on the evolving nature of safety management, sharing guidance on navigating complex systems by embracing curiosity, collaboration, and a learning-based approach that values multiple perspectives, especially from frontline workers.

This episode helps EHS professionals discover a more humanistic path to keeping workers safe.

The LinkedIn post featured in the show: LaGuardia Fire Truck Plane Collision: Human Performance Analysis

Trevor Farr on LinkedIn: Trevor Farr, MEng, CSP | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

The Human (and Animal) Side of Safety with Domini Montgomery

Safety Products Global — Mon, 04 May 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Domini Montgomery, who leads safety and risk management at St. Louis Zoo, offering a fascinating perspective grounded in biology, public health, and occupational safety.

Domini shares compelling stories from managing safety where the needs of staff, animals, and the public intersect, including the pandemic’s contribution to raising awareness of the role of mental well-being in workplace safety.

With a strong focus on trust, communication and collaboration, Domini explains how total worker health approaches foster engagement, innovation, and safer cultures. She offers valuable insights into integrating psychological safety and becoming a genuine changemaker in your organization.

This episode provides EHS professionals with thoughtful strategies to enhance safety by embracing a human-centered approach that balances organizational mission with worker well-being. (And you’ll be glad you don’t have to consider animal-centered approaches as well!)

Recommended resources for safety professionals:

ASSP - American Society of Safety Professionals | ASSP

Board of Certified Safety Professionals | BCSP

Women in the Safety Profession Member Community | ASSP

Domini Montgomery on LinkedIn: Domini Montgomery, MPH, ASP, CSP, CEAS | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Lessons From Retail Safety with Mark Gobert

Safety Products Global — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mark Gobert, a seasoned retail safety expert with nearly 30 years of experience managing safety programs at major companies like Macy’s and Williams Sonoma.

Mark reflects on how safety has evolved over his career and the specific challenges he faced in retail.

He shares his innovative approach to translating the cost of injuries into business metrics that helped leadership appreciate the true costs and benefits of effective workplace safety.

Throughout the conversation, Mark emphasizes the importance of listening to frontline workers, whose insights are crucial to effective safety solutions, and offers EHS professionals practical guidance on building credibility throughout your organization.

Mark’s insights may come from his distinguished career in retail, but they offer universal wisdom for safety managers across all sectors.

Mark Gobert on LinkedIn: Mark Gobert | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Why Safety Isn’t a Profession with Dr. Robert Long

Safety Products Global — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Robert Long, founder of the social psychology of risk and an uncompromising voice in the world of safety.

Drawing on over 50 years of experience across multiple careers, Rob delivers a forthright challenge to the safety industry’s status quo, even maintaining that it doesn’t deserve to be called a profession.

“Nonsense” ideologies such as zero harm, and “meaningless” slogans like ‘blame fixes nothing’ are torn to shreds as Rob reveals safety’s ethical and educational deficiencies, and its lack of contextual awareness.

He critiques the dominant technicist worldview - narrowly focused on engineering and regulation - and calls for a radical shift towards a person-centered, transdisciplinary approach embracing disciplines outside of safety’s comfort zone.

This no-holes-barred interview will sound many alarm bells for safety ‘professionals’ who happily accept the current approaches to keeping workers safe.

Find out more about Rob’s work:

Human Dymensions - Dr Rob Long - Culture, Learning and Risk

Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) – The Social Psychology of Risk, Safety and Leadership Maturity

Dr. Robert Long on LinkedIn: Robert Long | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Evaluating New View Safety with Mike Fears

Safety Products Global — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mike Fears, who describes himself as a recovering academic and has more than 20 years of experience in occupational health and safety across multiple industries.

This is a fascinating deep dive into New View Safety: its principles, how it developed, its originality and, most importantly, whether it improves safety outcomes.

Mike evaluates the core tenets of this approach to help us uncover the validity of maxims such as ‘error is normal’, ‘blame fixes nothing’ and ‘workers should decide how work is done’. His research findings help us separate unrealistic assertions from useful applications. But context and nuance are always key!

This episode gives safety professionals a balanced and measured perspective on New View Safety, encouraging thoughtful application of its ideas - rather than uncritical adoption or rejection.

Learn more about Mike’s work: The Recovering Academic

A Passion for Safety Regulations with Brandy Zadoorian

Safety Products Global — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brandy Zadoorian, a certified safety professional and CEO of Triangle Safety Consulting, who helps organizations build robust and sustainable safety programs through her expertise in regulatory compliance.

Unusually, Brandy is a passionate supporter of workplace safety regulations and highlights OSHA’s key role in keeping workers safe in America. She addresses common misunderstandings about the agency’s purpose and approach before exploring the major citation trends.

Brandy analyzes the effectiveness of fines as a compliance tool and stresses the importance of proactive safety training, especially for smaller businesses. In addition to robust regulations, she also emphasizes the critical need for thorough follow-up on corrective actions to protect your workforce and prevent repeat incidents.

This compelling conversation will help EHS professionals work with regulatory agencies, build trust within your organizations, and improve safety programs before enforcement or penalties are necessary.

Find out more about Brandy’s services and resources, including her OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 workbooks: Triangle Safety Consulting LLC

The book recommended by Brandy: Basics of Occupational Safety, The: Amazon.com: Goetsch, David

Brandy Zadoorian on LinkedIn: Brandy Zadoorian, CSP, CSD, LMSS | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Putting Safety Theory into Practice with Zoë Nation

Safety Products Global — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Zoë Nation, a human factors and safety expert with over 25 years of design and implementation experience across rail, oil and gas, logistics, mining, marine, manufacturing, and aviation industries.

Zoë challenges safety professionals to be more curious, move beyond ‘tribalism’, and adopt more context- and research-driven approaches to safety management: “There isn’t one right answer!”

She highlights the common pitfalls organizations face when implementing change and emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique maturity and culture of your organization.

Drawing on her extensive experience, Zoë stresses the critical role of end-user engagement, reminding EHS professionals that frontline workers don’t care about safety camps or jargon - they just need solutions based on their work realities.

Throughout the conversation, Zoë shares practical tools and insights to help EHS professionals learn from the workforce, influence decision-makers, avoid common blind spots, and create effective safety systems that resonate across all levels of the business.

Safety resources/authors recommended by Zoë:

The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error': Amazon.com: Dekker, Sidney

Bob's Guide to Operational Learning: How to Think Like a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Coach: Amazon.com: Edwards, Bob, Baker, Andrea

Humble Inquiry, 3rd edition: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Humble Leadership): Amazon.com: Schein, Edgar H., Schein, Peter A

SafetyInsights.org – Home of safety & risk research summaries

Global Safety Innovation Summit

Zoë Nation on LinkedIn: Zoë Nation | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Understanding Disasters to Enhance Workplace Safety with Edward Tenner

Safety Products Global — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Edward Tenner, a renowned author and lecturer at Princeton University, whose work explores the intersections of history, technology, and safety.

Edward draws on his seminar “Understanding Disasters,” examining major events like the Titanic, the World Trade Centre, Fukushima and Covid to expose how hidden risks can break safety systems.

He highlights how overlooked factors such as ‘gray rhinos’ and ‘mode errors’ have contributed to serious failures, demonstrating the unintended consequences of well-meaning safety measures.

Through examples of expert decisions and system designs that didn’t work as intended, he encourages safety managers to vigilantly scan the horizon for subtle signals of weaknesses..

This episode offers EHS professionals practical insights and historical lessons that help you identify emerging hazards to make workplaces safer.

Find out more about Edward’s work, books and essays: Edward Tenner - Welcome

You can read Edward’s latest essay here: Are We Getting Dumber? - Milken Institute Review

Other books recommended by Edward:

Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America: Petroski, Henry

Normal Accidents – Living with High Risk Technologies: Perrow, Charles

Edward Tenner on LinkedIn: Edward Tenner | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Embracing Neurodiversity in Workplace Safety with Sarah Ischer

Safety Products Global — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Sarah Ischer, CIH, CSP, the Senior Director of Expertise at the What Works Institute, who recently published a ground-breaking report investigating neurodiversity in the workplace.

Roughly 1 in 5 people are neurodivergent, meaning their brains process information, perceive hazards, or communicate differently. Yet many traditional safety programs still assume a single way of thinking.

Sarah explores why neurodiversity isn’t given the same focus in the workplace as it now receives in the education system and highlights how this negatively impacts the well-being of your workers.

She provides EHS professionals with practical and affordable tactics to improve workplaces for neurodiverse - and neurotypical - workers, giving you a new lens to enhance safety systems at your organization.

Find out more about Sarah’s work: What Works Institute

The full report into neurodiversity at work: Neurodiversity in EHS

Sarah Ischer on LinkedIn: Sarah Ischer, CIH, CSP | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Expert Views on Safety 100th Episode Special

Safety Products Global — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 05:42:35 -0700

In this special 100th episode, we look back at the conversations that have shaped Safety Labs by Safety Products Global over the past 99 shows.

The series has consistently explored the major challenges facing today’s EHS professionals, providing a platform for expert guests to share candid perspectives on the realities of workplace safety.

Inevitably, certain subjects have consistently shaped the conversations and sparked wider debate on LinkedIn - so you’ll find lots of firmly-held views on hot topics including safety theories, metrics, and blame; frank assessments of the role of EHS professionals, psychological safety and Heinrich; and emphatic statements on safety porn, Zero Harm, and safety culture.

Expect rallying calls to action, powerful messages, and hard-hitting insights. And some of the language is as strong as the opinions.

Thanks for being part of the Safety Labs journey, and we hope you enjoy this celebration of its success - here’s to the next 100 episodes!

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Is Safety Learning the Right Lessons with Nippin Anand

Safety Products Global — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Nippin Anand, an event investigation expert who founded a consultancy specialising in human-centred approaches to learning.

Using the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, Nippin examines how investigations often produce explanations that satisfy the need for closure but fail to reflect the complexity of events and help organizations actually learn.

Drawing on social psychology, mythology and anthropology, Nippin challenges many “safety myths” including normal work, zero harm and the role of blame in the workplace. He encourages the safety profession to uncover deeper insights through surfacing the unconscious, using our three minds and focusing on intelligent cues in accident investigations.

A key theme is that real learning lies in the tension, and Nippin argues for transdisciplinary thinking in safety, moving beyond root cause and corrective action towards context, meaning, individuality and uncertainty. This interview offers EHS professionals a more reflective approach to safety learning.

Find out more about Nippin’s work: About Nippin - Nippin Anand

Nippins’s book: Are We Learning from Accidents?

Nippin’s consultancy (including knowledge space): Home - Novellus Solutions

Recommended resources about the iCue (intelligent cues) process:

The iCue engagement program™

iCue engagement process

Dr. Robert Long’s excellent work: Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR)

Nippin Anand on LinkedIn: Nippin Anand | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

A Regulator’s Perspective on Improving Safety with Doug Parker

Safety Products Global — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Doug Parker, former US Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, whose illustrious career has spanned labor law, federal and state oversight, worker advocacy, policy leadership and consultancy.

Doug explains why regulators are often seen only through the lens of enforcement and what that view misses. Drawing on his time leading OSHA, he describes the broader role of guidance, dialogue and worker voice in improving safety outcomes.

The conversation explores how trust shapes the relationship between regulators and organizations, why engagement matters and how fear of enforcement can limit learning and transparency. Doug also reflects on the constraints regulators operate under and what that means in practice.

This episode gives EHS professionals a rare regulatory perspective on how to engage more constructively with oversight bodies and use regulation as a lever to support meaningful, lasting safety improvement.

Find out more about OSHA: Home | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

California State OSHA resources and templates: Cal/OSHA - Division of Occupational Safety and Health - Home Page

Worker-focused global resources Doug recommends: Hesperian Health Guides | Knowledge for Action - Action for Health

Doug Parker on LinkedIn: Doug Parker | LinkedIn

Contact Doug directly: dougparker1@gmail.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Bootstrapping Workplace Safety with Shawn Connick

Safety Products Global — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Shawn Connick, a safety consultant with decades of experience across construction and energy.

Shawn reflects on why safety professionals are surrounded by ideas yet often struggle to turn them into practice. Drawing on his own experience, he shares his success operationalizing new workplace safety approaches with (all too familiar) resource constraints.

Discover how to effectively implement learning teams, ensuring safety is aligned with production and quality, insights emerge before workers get hurt, and your organization improves in all these areas together.

Shawn emphasizes the importance of building ‘safety fluency’, helping leaders understand that organizational change is the key to creating safer workplaces. This episode gives EHS professionals invaluable guidance on making new safety approaches work in practice - and on a limited budget.

Find out more about Shawn’s consultancy work: Shawn Connick Construct Strategies

Books recommended by Shawn:
- Sidney Dekker’s: The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error'

- Todd Conklin’s: The 5 Principles of Human Performance

- Bob Edwards and Andrea Baker’s: Bob's Guide to Operational Learning

- Edgar Shein’s: Humble Inquiry

Podcasts recommended by Shawn:

PreAccident Investigation Podcast | Todd Conklin

A HOP Podcast (With No Name)

Podcasts - Freakonomics

Shawn Connick on LinkedIn: Shawn Connick, CSP | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Redefining Safety Success with Dr. Todd Loushine

Safety Products Global — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Todd Loushine, an Associate Professor, EHS professional, scientist and Data Analytics enthusiast who has extensively researched how we track safety.

Todd challenges the profession’s reliance on familiar aspirations and indicators, questioning whether established goals and metrics actually enhance workplace safety.

In this stimulating interview, he explores the current balance between compliance and people, and shares his extensive critical analysis of the data we rely on to measure performance. Other big-picture questions, such as safety’s role and alignment within an organization, also come under the spotlight.

Todd pushes EHS professionals to raise ambitions for safety. He urges you to think more deeply and critically about metrics, while broadening your perspective beyond hazards to a more empathetic approach.

Resources recommended by Todd:

Home - Safety On The Edge Conference

SafetyInsights.org – Home of safety & risk research summaries

Dr. Todd Loushine on LinkedIn:

Todd William Loushine, PhD, PE, CSP, CIH | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Getting Back to Safety Basics with Lori Guasta

Safety Products Global — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Lori Guasta, a safety leader whose career spans frontline practice, academia and consultancy.

Lori reflects on the profession’s obsession with the next shiny object, even though the fundamentals that support safe work have been understood for decades. She explains that chasing the latest silver bullet will actually distract organizations from doing safety well.

Leadership development and cultural change are key themes throughout this inspiring conversation; however, Lori’s experience allows her to cover many important areas, including generational change and women’s role in workplace safety.

Lori encourages EHS professionals to step back from the noise, reconnect with proven principles and focus on what genuinely supports people to work safely. This episode offers practical guidance to get back to basics and ignore the temptation to search for safety shortcuts.

Explore the life’s work of Edgar Schein: Edgar H. Schein: books, biography

Lori Guasta on LinkedIn: Lori Guasta, Ph.D. | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

The Power of Words in Workplace Safety with Crista Vesel

Safety Products Global — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Crista Vesel, an academic, author and safety communication specialist whose work focuses on how language influences learning and decision-making in safety-critical environments.

Crista explores why safety professionals often rely on familiar approaches even though they fail to produce meaningful learning. She explains how language used around incidents can steer inquiry in particular directions, narrowing what is explored and what gets left out.

Drawing on her pioneering work on learning reviews, Crista explains how certain language patterns can unintentionally shut down inquiry, reinforce blame and limit understanding. She contrasts this with approaches that support open and collaborative dialogue to give organizations deeper understanding of workplace safety.

This conversation offers EHS professionals practical insight into using language more deliberately, strengthening insights after events and creating cultures where workers share and organisations learn.

The Masters of Engineering program where Crista teaches: Graduate | Advanced Safety Engineering and Management

Her (open access) thesis on agentive language: Language Bias in Accident Investigation

Crista and Ivan’s book: Human & Organization Potential

Find out more about their work: Dynamic Inquiry | All change starts with a question

Kenneth Gergen’s book recommended by Crista: An Invitation to Social Construction

Crista Vesel on LinkedIn: Crista Vesel, MSc | LinkedIn

Ivan Pupulidy on LinkedIn: Ivan Pupulidy, PhD | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Broadening Your Approach to Workplace Safety with Dr. Simon Goncharenko

Safety Products Global — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Simon Goncharenko, a respected thought leader and author on a mission to make safety management theory more accessible.

He examines why many organizations continue to rely on specific philosophies, frameworks and metrics to manage safety, even as serious injuries and fatalities remain stubbornly high. He questions what established measures, such as TRIR, tell us and where they can distract attention from more meaningful risk.

Known for challenging narrow thinking in safety management, Simon revisits key concepts, including behavior-based safety and safety culture, highlighting the crucial gaps between theory and practice.

Throughout the interview, Simon returns to a central theme: safety is not a single-solution challenge. He encourages EHS professionals to broaden their approach, push boundaries and resist over-reliance on specific ideas. Safety is a journey, not a destination.

Simon’s safety management books:

Save Lives: Pushing Boundaries in Human Factors

Operationalizing Twenty-First Century Safety

Find out more about Simon’s work: Save Lives Global – Safety Consulting

Dr. Simon Goncharenko on LinkedIn: Dr. Simon G. | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

The Dangers of Safety Incentives with Diane Chadwick-Jones

Safety Products Global — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Diane Chadwick-Jones, a former BP safety leader and long-time researcher whose work has shaped how organizations think about safety incentives.

Diane explains why linking pay and bonuses to injury rates often creates unintended consequences, including suppressed reporting and reduced learning. Drawing on years of internal and external research, she shows how incentives can reinforce belief systems that feel right but undermine safety in practice.

She shares how BP and other high-hazard organizations have moved away from injury-based bonuses, what replaced them and why peer recognition, transparency and supportive leadership matter more than annual rewards.

This conversation offers EHS professionals practical insight into influencing senior leaders, changing belief systems over time and building conditions where people feel safe to speak up about problems before they escalate.

Diane’s published research on safety incentives: Rewarding safety performance: Improving safety or maintaining beliefs?

Find out more about Diane’s work: Diane Chadwick-Jones / Safety Leadership / Human Performance

Energy Institute videos Diane recommends:

The modern view of incident causation

Human performance - what does it mean?

Walk through a task to prevent incidents

Safety leadership in the field

Diane Chadwick-Jones on LinkedIn: Diane Chadwick-Jones | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Making Sense of Evolving Safety Approaches with Leslie Rex Stockel

Safety Products Global — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Leslie Rex Stockel, Associate Professor of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology at Oklahoma State University and a long-time leader in safety education.

Drawing on decades of experience and teaching, Leslie reflects on how safety ideas evolved from Taylor and Heinrich to behavior-based safety and human performance. And assesses the impact of approaches like safety third.

She questions whether leaders are patient enough to give new approaches a chance and warns against the profession’s tendency to chase silver bullets rather than focusing on sustained incremental improvement.

Leslie explores the growing imbalance between cultural and technical safety, warning that strong people skills cannot compensate for weak technical foundations.

Throughout the conversation, she offers candid, practical advice for EHS professionals to assess their own gaps, strengthen both sides of their practice and focus on what truly keeps people safe at work.

Find out more about Leslie’s work: Leslie Stockel | About | Oklahoma State University

OSHA’s website: Home | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

ASSP website: ASSP - American Society of Safety Professionals

Leslie Rex Stockel on LinkedIn: Leslie Rex Stockel, PhD, CSP, SMP, FASSP | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

How Sociology Can Help Safety with Martijn Flinterman

Safety Products Global — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Martijn Flinterman, a sociologist, researcher and author, specializing in how organizations deal with safety. Drawing on the work of Niklas Luhmann, Martijn challenges many assumptions that underpin traditional safety management.

He explores why focusing primarily on accidents can obscure crucial safety insights, and why categories such as “safe” and “unsafe” often create blind spots. Martijn explains how systems manage risk through distinctions, narratives and routines, and how these can unintentionally suppress reflection, dissent and learning.

The conversation also covers interesting ideas including harmony bias, constructive distrust and humble confidence. Martijn argues that too much trust can become negligent, silence can itself be a risk, and safety professionals must learn to act decisively while acknowledging that their understanding is always partial.

This wide-ranging discussion offers EHS professionals a sociological lens to better understand complexity, challenge comfortable assumptions and create space for critical reflection in safety systems.

Learn more about Martijn’s work: Unter Soziologen / Among Sociologists

Martijn’s book featured in this interview: Managing Safety in Complexity

Luhmann’s most accessible writing: Introduction to systems theory : Luhmann, Niklas, 1927-1998

Martijn also recommends the sociologist Stefan Kuhl: Stefan Kühl – Uklitag

Martijn Flinterman on LinkedIn: Martijn Flinterman | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Enhancing Safety Through Design Thinking with Ben Goodheart

Safety Products Global — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Ben Goodheart, a human-centred safety consultant and podcast host who advocates a design thinking mindset to improve safety outcomes.

Ben introduces EHS professionals to the concept of design thinking and its practical application in workplace safety. He explores the importance of workers’ experiences, small-scale experiments and incremental change - and how these alternative approaches can positively impact your organization.

He shares cool real-world examples of how design thinking has driven greater safety success and provides actionable guidance to replicate this in your workplace.

You’ll also discover what Ben wants you to focus on instead of technical knowledge, how “safety improv” can help and why it’s good to be comfortable with uncertainty.

Learn more about Ben’s work: Magpie Human Systems

Listen to Ben’s safety podcast: Punk Rock Safety

The Empathy Map Ben suggested: Empathy Map - XPLANE

Ben recommends this website: IDEO - A Global Design & Innovation Company

Ben Goodheart on LinkedIn: Ben Goodheart, Ph.D. | LinkedIn

Contact Ben: bgoodheart@safetyforhumans.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Helping Workers Make Safer Decisions with Aaron Potash

Safety Products Global — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Aaron Potash, an experienced EHS Design Program leader with a background in emergency response and diving instruction.

Drawing parallels from these two high-pressure, unpredictable environments, Aaron explores why rule-heavy approaches often fail to support real-world decision-making.

He explains how practice, repetition and exposure to realistic scenarios - rather than regulations - are key to helping people develop resilience and reliable judgement.

This wide-ranging interview provides practical tools rooted in trust, curiosity and open communication to help EHS professionals support workers in making safer decisions.

Find out more about Aaron’s work: Original Oaktown Divers

Books recommended by Aaron:
There are no accidents by Jesse Singer

Humble Inquiry by Edgar H. Schein

Aaron Potash on LinkedIn: Aaron Potash, CSP | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Suicide Prevention in the Workplace with Donna Carter

Safety Products Global — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Donna Carter, a psychology-informed transformational safety consultant with extensive experience of suicide prevention in remote workplace situations.

Drawing on compelling stories from her frontline work, Donna discusses the complex challenges of suicide prevention and how EHS professionals can support workers in this extremely sensitive area.

She explores the key roles of trust, education and community and warns us that leadership decisions and messages can influence workers’ mental wellbeing in ways organisations may not anticipate.

Donna’s wisdom offers safety professionals crucial guidance on what genuine care requires in practice and how humanising safety can make a meaningful difference for people who may be struggling.

This powerful conversation raises difficult but necessary questions and encourages you to look beyond physical risks to protect lives.

Find out more about Donna’s work: Home | The Person Factor

Get in touch with Donna via email: donna@thepersonfactor.co.nz

Recommended suicide prevention resources:

24/7 Support for Anxiety, Depression and Suicide Prevention. - Beyond Blue

Black Dog Institute | Better Mental Health | Science. Compassion. Action.

Donna Carter on LinkedIn: Donna Carter | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Teaching Real-World Safety with Dr. Ashley Gill

Safety Products Global — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Ashley Gill, an experienced safety consultant whose passion for developing the next generation of EHS professionals led her to teaching.

Through her work educating the next generation of EHS professionals, experienced practitioners and engineers, Ashley has firsthand knowledge of the habits, assumptions and gaps that shape how students understand safety. She shares stories from the classroom and explores the importance of teaching safety principles to professionals in adjacent roles.

Ashley explores how OHS education has evolved over recent years and how it can improve even further. She recognizes that certain elements including non-physical psychosocial risks, soft skills and wider culture enhancement should be key areas of focus going forward.

Dr. Gill’s unique perspective offers EHS professionals practical guidance to raise safety standards in the real world - and not just in theory.

Find out more about Ashley’s consultancy work: ERM - Environmental Resources Management

Learn more about WISE: Women in the Safety Profession Member Community | ASSP

Ashley highly recommends the work of Sydney Decker: Sidney Dekker: Safety Differently

Dr. Ashley Gill on LinkedIn: Ashley Gill, DBA, CSP | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Jake Mazulewicz’s Practical Guide to Enhancing Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Jake Mazulewicz, a former firefighter, EMT and paratrooper, who is now a Human Reliability consultant and author. Jake translates ideas from Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and High Reliability Organizations (HRO) into clear, practical actions EHS professionals can use on the job.

He explains why incidents rarely have a single root cause and shows you how to learn from accidents without blame, strengthen team performance, and build resilience so mistakes don’t disable operations. Jake shares many helpful safety enhancement ideas including balancing control-based and learning-based approaches, active vs latent errors, and separating the error from its consequence.

Jake also tackles myths about psychological safety, outlines different review types, and highlights classic defenses - which have been keeping workers safe for decades. This interview is packed with actionable steps you can implement immediately.

Jake’s company: JMA Human Reliability Strategies

Jake’s book: Seven Practical Steps: How to Build Reliability, Safety, and Trust in Technical Teams

Jake Mazulewicz on LinkedIn: Jake Mazulewicz, Ph.D. | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

The Ever-Changing World of Construction Safety with Fred Sherratt

Safety Products Global — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Fred Sherratt, a world-leading academic in the field of construction safety and the founder of Straight Talk Safety. Drawing on her decades of experience and research, Fred explains why safety in construction is never static, and why, at its heart, safety is a people’s game.

She describes the unique challenges of an industry where crews, work areas, and priorities constantly shift, positioning construction as a powerful case study for EHS professionals managing change. Fred discusses how production pressures, subcontracting, and evolving environments affect performance, and how leadership, respect and communication keep people safe when conditions are unpredictable.

Fred also explores why measuring “safety culture” misses the point, arguing that safety is continually recreated through human relationships and shared understanding. Her perspective and wisdom offer highly practical ways to make systems more adaptable, guide teams effectively, and build trust in complex workplaces.

Fred’s company: Straight Talk Safety

Fred’s book: Unpacking Construction Site Safety

Dr. Fred Sherratt on LinkedIn: Fred Sherratt | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Making Safety Research Useful with Dr. Matt Law

Safety Products Global — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Matt Law — certified safety professional, researcher, strategist, author, and podcast host. Matt explores why safety research often fails to actually help EHS practitioners in the workplace.

He breaks down what makes research “bad,” the roles of qualitative and quantitative methods, and how statistical findings can be better translated for real-world use.

Dr. Law also discusses academic limitations, the communication barriers caused by paywalls and jargon, and how digital platforms — from podcasts to TikTok — are changing the way research reaches safety professionals.

This interview is packed with practical advice for practitioners to evaluate research critically, stay curious, and collaborate with researchers to measure what really works in practice.

Matt’s podcast: Prove It To Me - Real Research, Real Data, No BS | Dr. Matt Law

Learn more about Matt’s work: Dr. Matt Law | Explore Proven Environmental, Health, and Safety Strategies

Matt currently serves on the Board of Directors for the: Society for Total Worker Health

Dr. Matt Law on LinkedIn: Matt Law, DrPH, CSP, REHS | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Contracting Safely with Ron Gantt

Safety Products Global — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Ron Gantt, Vice President of EHS at Beal Infrastructure and a leading voice in safety management. Ron helps safety professionals navigate the challenges of working with contractors, where hidden coordination costs and fragile common ground often undermine safety.

He explains why contractors add complexity, how authority differentials distort information flow and risk, and why coordination needs to be treated as real work. Ron introduces practical approaches to build stronger relationships, from co-locating teams and aligning work hours to asking the unexpected question: “How do we want to argue together?”

Ron also shares his views on who should be responsible for overseeing coordination, and offers a more collaborative alternative to punitive contractual agreements.

Beyond contractors, he also shares valuable advice to help EHS professionals move away from regulations or best practices and thoughtful guidance on truly understanding how people work.

Packed with insights and real-world advice, this conversation shows how better collaboration and evidence-based practice can transform safety outcomes.

Recommended coordination research:

Dr Laura McGuire:
Dr Laura McGuire - Edge Hill University

Sarah Butt
Sarah BUTT | Research profile

Safety podcast co-hosted by Ron:
Punk Rock Safety

Ron Gantt on LinkedIn:

Ron Gantt | LinkedIn

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

Expert Views on Safety Theories

Safety Products Global — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we’re conducting a thorough investigation of the different theories and frameworks Safety professionals can adopt to keep their co-workers safe.

There’s been a palpable shift in attitudes towards workplace safety over recent years, with multiple more-human-centred approaches emerging. But their key differences and relative effectiveness often polarize the safety profession.

We’ve compiled a collection of clips from 16 of our previous guests to help define the the different approaches, including:

Safety Differently
New View Safety
Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)
Critical Risk Management
High-Reliability Organization (HRO) framework
Behavior-Based Safety

And also bring some clarity to the ongoing debate about which philosophy is best.

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

Pam Walaski (Episode 66): Changing attitudes to Safety

Josh Bryant (Episode 26): The 3 key principles of Safety Differently

Moni Hogg (Episode 39): Defining New View Safety?

Andrea Baker (Episode 13): An understanding of what Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) means

Bob Edwards (Episode 53): Does HOP lack accountability?

Stephen Scott (Episode 28): Adopting Critical Risk Management

Jodi Goodall (Episode 67): The High-Reliability Organization (HRO) framework

Clive Lloyd (Episode 44): The problem with Behavior-Based Safety

Murray Ritchie (Episode 72): In defense of Behavior-Based Safety

Tim D’Ath (Episode 61): An alternative to Behavior-Based Safety

Andrea Baker (Episode 13): Comparing Safety Theories

Elisa Lynch (Episode 14): New View versus traditional Safety

James MacPherson (Episode 64): Bickering over Safety labels

Carsten Busch (Episode 76): Is there an ideal blend of Safety approaches?

Dr Linda Martin (Episode 22): The problem with Safety theory

Elisa Lynch (Episode 14): Are Safety approaches debates helpful?

Murray Ritchie (Episode 72): Get rid of the Safety labels

Dr Todd Loushine (Episode 74): Welcoming Safety ideas

Sam Goodman (Episode 27): Respecting our Safety predecessors

Pam Walaski (Episode 66): Safety evolution

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Safety Profession’s Disconnect Between Process and Purpose

Safety Products Global — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Greg Smith, an international award-winning author and qualified lawyer who has spent more than two decades specializing in Safety and Health management. Greg is also regarded as a leading provider of Safety training, particularly in the areas of management responsibilities and contractor safety management.

Describing himself as ‘Safety agnostic’, Greg doesn’t care how HSE professionals approach Workplace Safety - he just wants to help you be effective. However, he knows how challenging this can be and explains why Safety is a ‘wicked problem’ that is essentially unsolvable.

Gregs discusses the impact of legal frameworks on Safety Management and shares real-life examples of the unintended consequences of the criminalization of Safety.

Safety processes and measurement are the key themes of this fascinating conversation, as Greg highlights where the profession has become disconnected from its purpose and how this can be addressed.

Greg’s highly acclaimed book: Paper Safe

Greg recommends the following podcasts:

Also this subscription service: OHS Alert | Premium Workplace health and safety news

And Ben Hutchinson’s research: Ben Hutchinson | LinkedIn

Greg Smith on LinkedIn: Greg Smith | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Expert views on Measuring Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we’re conducting a thorough investigation of Safety metrics to help HSE practitioners measure (and manage) the factors that most accurately reflect Safety performance.

We’ve compiled a collection of thoughts, opinions and ideas about safety data, analysis and reporting from 19 of our previous guests discussing various aspects of this diverse and divisive subject.

Many question the existing reliance on lagging indicators and proxy KPIs, while the value of Zero Harm initiatives is particularly challenged.

But what are the alternatives? Are they easily quantifiable, will they satisfy senior leaders, and where does psychological safety fit into this discussion?

This Safety Measurement special features multiple perspectives on these crucial questions from experienced HSE professionals, consultants, authors and academics. We can’t promise definitive answers, but it will help you come to your own conclusions about Safety metrics - and how they can best keep your co-workers safe.

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

Tim D’Ath (Episode 61): Measuring the wrong things in Safety
Bob Edwards (Episode 53): Safety metrics need context
Joelle Mitchell (Episode 75): The problem with proxy Safety measurements
Christian Hunt (Episode 68): Measure the Safety outcome - not the input.
Clive Lloyd (Episode 44): Safety KPIs that undermine trust
Jodi Goodall (Episode 67): Understanding Safety metrics is crucial
Cameron Stevens (Episode 62): Health and Safety data sucks
Brent Sutton (Episode 60): Looking at Safety data differently
Stephen Scott (Episode 28): The trap of Zero Harm
Dr Nektarios Karanikas (Episode 08): Asking the right questions to evaluate Safety
Dr Peter Brace (Episode 73): Can you measure Psychological Safety?
Stephan Wiedner (Episode 69): Measuring Psychological Safety
Murray Ritchie (Episode 72): Unhelpful Safety incentivization
Moni Hogg (Episode 39): Measuring the impact of new Safety approaches
Angelina Badri (Episode 50): A bad way to measure good Safety performance
Jerry Smith (Episode 06): Measuring the adoption of Safety procedures
Gareth Lock (Episode 43): The fallacy of using lagging indicators
Kym Bancroft (Episode 05): Alternative Safety metrics
Mikel Bowman (Episode 51): Perfection doesn’t exist in Safety management

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How Personal Branding can Enhance your Safety Career

Safety Products Global — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Christian Harris, the founder of Slips Safety Services, who also hosts the Safety Roundtable and the Safety and Risk Success podcast. Christian, a social media communications expert, joins us today to offer EHS professionals practical guidance to strengthen your online presence.

Christian begins this insightful conversation by sharing his life-changing personal journey into Safety before explaining the concept of personal branding and why it’s so valuable for modern HSE professionals.

He provides a comprehensive guide to developing your personal brand and discusses the dos and don’ts of leveraging social media.

Packed with actionable advice such as being prolific rather than perfect, which channels to focus on, and the importance of developing a unique style, Christian also shares his fascinating views on the future of safety branding…

Find out more about Christian’s work:

Slip Safety Services

The Safety Roundtable:

Take part in the Safety Roundtable

The Safety and Risk Success Podcast:

The Safety and Risk Success Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Christian highly recommends this book:

Key Person of Influence Book - Daniel Priestley

Christian Harris on LinkedIn:

Christian Harris | LinkedIn

Christian Harris on Youtube:

Christian Harris - YouTube

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Expert Views on the Role of a Safety Professional

Safety Products Global — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we’re conducting a thorough investigation of a EHS practitioner’s job description to help you focus on the areas of workplace safety that matter most.

We've compiled a collection of thoughts, opinions and ideas about Safety professional’s key responsibilities from 20 of our previous guests.

All agree that practitioners are no longer “Safety Cops” but what should they be instead: facilitators, conduits, coaches? Are they best placed to write policies, implement procedures or conduct investigations? Do duties need to expand into workplace bullying, mental health and full psychosocial risk management? And is Safety even the HSE professional's responsibility??

This Safety role special presents multiple perspectives on these crucial questions from experienced HSE professionals, consultants, authors and academics. It doesn't conclude with a definitive job description, but will help you decide what to do more of - and what is no longer in your remit.

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

James Junkin (Episode 37): What is a Safety Professional?
Tanya Hewitt (Episode 7): What do we think the Safety manager's job is?
Sam Goodman (Episode 27): Redefining the role of Safety
Subena Colligan (Episode 34): Organizations don’t understand what Safety practitioners do
Chris Smith (Episode 2): Safety is the ultimate change leadership position
Chris Moulden (Episode 31): From Safety Cop to ultimate team player
Mikel Bowman (Episode 51): The power of Safety professionals
David Provan (Episode 58): Safety professionals can’t be everywhere!
Bob Edwards (Episode 53): Safety practitioners can’t fix everything!
Tony Muschara (Episode 70): Safety is not the Safety professional's responsibility
Brye Sargent (Episode 11): Safety practitioners shouldn’t implement Safety policies
Bridget Leathley (Episode 19): Safety professionals aren't solely responsible for procedures
Dr Gary Namie (Episode 41): Safety should be responsible for workplace bullying
Jason van Schie (Episode 33): Safety’s role in managing psychosocial risks
Mark Alston (Episode 16): Facilitation is more important than Compliance
Tim D’Ath (Episode 61): Safety professionals are conduits
Cameron Stevens (Episode 62): Safety practitioners' role as a concierge
Nicolai Massyn (Episode 63): Safety professionals are ideally placed to manage ESG
Dr Todd Loushine (Episode 74): The heightened value of Safety practitioners
Rosa Carrillo (Episode 57): Safety is an overlooked resource
David Provan (Episode 58): The future role of a Safety professional…

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Revisiting Heinrich’s Impact on Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Carsten Busch - the "Indiana Jones of Safety", who has over 25 years of experience in HSEQ Management. and is a tutor in the Lund University human factors and system safety program.

Carsten is also a Safety historian and has extensively researched and written about the work of Herbert William Heinrich - and shares his finding with us in this fascinating interview.

Heinrich is considered by many to be the founder of modern Safety practice, but has become a polarizing figure in today’s safety discourse.

Carsten believes Heinrich’s work and legacy should be reappraised, and he helps Safety professionals understand what he actually wrote - rather than basing their knowledge on hearsay.

One of Carsten’s main concerns is that New View Safety authors aren’t applying their own principles when they criticize Heinrich and could be positioning his work to reinforce their own approaches.

Context is key and you’ll discover what Heinrich actually said, who his primary audience was (not Safety professionals!), and the surprising role insurance companies played in enhancing Workplace Safety in the 1930s.

Carsten’s book investigating Heinrich:

Preventing Industrial Accidents: Reappraising H. W. Heinrich

Recommended additional reading from Heinrich’s time:
Men and machines: Amazon.com: Chase, Stuart

Find out more about Carsten’s work:

Home (mindtherisk.com)

Carsten on LinkedIn:

Carsten Busch | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Connecting Risk Management with Psychosocial Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Joelle Mitchell, an organizational psychologist and human factors specialist, who translates academic research findings from psychology, OHS and human factors into actionable risk management insights.

Joelle tells the story of her journey to specializing in psychosocial health, and helps simplify psychological safety for EHS practitioners.

She explores key hot topics, such as who should be responsible for psychosocial safety, and explains how organizational structures can significantly impact Workplace Safety.

Joelle proposes a well-balanced and highly practical approach to psychosocial risk management that allows HSE and HR to work together in an evolving model.

This fascinating discussion covers many elements of modern Workplace Safety, including managing inevitable trade-offs, incentivization issues, the vitality of risk management controls, moral injuries and the importance of humble inquiry.

Find out more about Joelle’s current role and work as Global Head of Psychological Health and Safety at: Flourish DX

Where you can also find psychosocial health and safety webinars, podcasts, training and tools.

Papers/books recommended by Joelle:

On the Folly of Rewarding A, While Hopig for B - by Stephen Kerr

Risk Management in a Dynamic Society - by Jens Rasmussen

Organising for Safety: How structure creates culture - by Andrew Hopkins

Connect with Joelle Mitchell on LinkedIn: Joelle Mitchell | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Safety is a Team Sport

Safety Products Global — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Todd Loushine, a former OSHA compliance officer and EHS practitioner who now teaches the next generation of Safety professionals as an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin.

Todd uses his wide-ranging experience to improve worker success, satisfaction and safety - and in this highly-engaging discussion, he focuses his wisdom on the importance of learning and practicing civil discourse.

Many guests on our show believe Safety education doesn’t adequately prepare tomorrow’s HSE professionals, but

Todd provides a more positive perspective.

He explains how students can be given the right level of challenge, guidance and soft-skill training to help them become successful Safety practitioners.

Debates about Safety do not always remain civil - especially on social media - and Todd explores why this happens and how the professional can raise the standards of discussion, openness to ideas and collaboration.

Both entertaining and enlightening throughout, Todd compares Safety to a teenager(!) and shares his vision of the profession without a regulator.

You can find most of Todd’s lectures on YouTube:

T William Loushine - YouTube

Todd recommends Safeopedia:

Safeopedia - Empowering the workplace with free health and safety info

Dr Todd Loushine on LinkedIn:

Todd William Loushine, PhD, PE, CSP, CIH | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How to Support Workplace Psychological Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Peter Brace, a psychological safety consultant who helps organizations link respect and accountability through psychological safety to improve team performance.

He begins this engaging conversation by clarifying how much influence Safety professionals can have on psychological safety. Perhaps surprisingly for a consultant, Peter explains that you can’t create psychologically safe workplaces. Instead he describes the conditions required for this emergent quality.

Peter reveals the 5 key aspects of psychological safety (as defined by leading neuroscientist David Rock): Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness - and how these conditions can be assessed and cultivated.

He also clears up the common misconceptions about psychological safety, highlights the key benefits and explains how this quality can be easily measured.

Safety practitioners will learn how psychological safety is an important precursor for physical health and safety, while deepening awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion.

Find out more about Peter’s work:

Human Capital Realisation

Peter recommends the work of Professor Amy Edmondson and Dr. Timothy Clark

Dr Peter Barce on LinkedIn:

Peter Brace PhD | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Safety’s Bad Habits

Safety Products Global — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Murray Ritchie, an experienced OHS practitioner, researcher, educator, and speaker who’s worked with various industries, governments, and NGOs.

He joins us to discuss the content of his new book: ‘Seven Bad Habits of Safety Management - Examining Systemic Failure’ (published September 2023).

Murray gives EHS professionals an honest, open and comprehensive appraisal of current approaches to Safety Management, covering education, regulations, Plan Do Check Act, the right to refuse, Heinrich, BBS, Zero Harm, Safety Culture, and so much more.

This insightful interview is packed with real-life examples from his 40-year career and extension academic research, highlighting where the industry is failing to improve.

Murray’s on a mission to propel Safety out of its ‘comfort zone’. This conversation helps HSE professionals focus on what’s important: finding facts and fixing them before somebody gets hurt.

Find out more about Murray’s work:

Tri-Lens Safety (trilenssafety.com)

Murray’s book:

Seven Bad Habits of Safety Management: Examining Systemic Failure

Murray recommended the work of Sydney Dekker and Clive Lloyd

Contact Murray by email:
murray@trilenssafety.com

Murray Ritchie on LinkedIn:

Murray Ritchie MSc | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Expert Views on Safety Culture

Safety Products Global — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, we’re conducting a thorough investigation of ‘safety culture’ to help HSE practitioners bring some clarity to this controversial term.

We've compiled a collection of thoughts, opinions and ideas about safety culture from 15 of our previous guests discussing various aspects of this nebulous subject.

The main dispute is whether safety culture actually exists, but even when we get past this, people rarely agree on its definition, measurement and implementation.

This safety culture special presents multiple perspectives on these crucial questions from experienced HSE professionals, consultants, authors and academics. We can’t promise definitive answers, but it will help you come to your own conclusions about safety culture - and what it means for your practice.

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

Dr Tristan Casey (Episode 40): Confusion and Clarity About Safety Culture
James Junkin (Episode 37): There’s No Safety Culture
Dr Tristan Casey (Episode 40): Defining Safety Culture
Dr Linda Martin (Episode 22): There’s No Such Thing as Safety Culture
Clive Lloyd (Episode 44): 5 Levels of Safety Culture
Dr Tristan Casey (Episode 40): 3 Different Perspectives of Safety Culture
Dr Drew Rae (Episode 55): Culture has been corrupted in Safety
Tim Marsh (Episode 1): Elements of Safety Culture
Chris Smith (Episode 2): Importance of Culture
Dr Tristan Casey (Episode 40): Avoid Catch-All Definitions of Safety Culture
Mary Ann Baynton (Episode 45): How EHS Professionals Can Extend Safety Culture
Rey Gonzalez (Episode 23): Fostering Safety Cultures
David Heap (Episode 36): Safety Culture and Positive Psychology
Stephen Harvey (Episode 38): Impact of Language on Safety Culture
Amy Roosa (Episode 48): Creating Inclusive Safety Cultures for Women
Dr I. David Daniels (Episode 30): Open and Inclusive Safety Cultures
Gareth Lock (Episode 43): Safety Culture’s Role in Accident Investigations
Chris Moulden (Episode 31): Authentic Leadership’s Impact on Safety Cultures
Tim Marsh (Episode 1): Culture is King
Dr Tristan Casey (Episode 40): Safety Culture Versus Safety Climate

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Critical Steps in Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Tony Muschara, a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) specialist and owner of Mushara Error Management Consulting.

He’s also the author of several Safety books, including ‘Risk-based Thinking’, and its follow-up ‘Critical Steps’ - which is the main focus of this fascinating interview.

Tony begins by exploring the role of an EHS professional and reveals his strongly-held views on where responsibility for workplace Safety lies within an organization.

He then describes the 4 elements of risk-based thinking (anticipate, monitor, respond and learn), before sharing his recent research into the importance of critical steps in Safety management.

Safety professionals will learn what they are, how they can be identified and what can be done to ensure they are completed successfully - first time and every time - to avoid significant harm.

This discussion is packed with wisdom from Tony’s distinguished career in Safety, including why aiming for excellence isn’t always good enough, when to think slow, how to fail safely, and his mantra: “If you don’t have doubts, you haven’t been paying attention”.

Your approach to Safety will definitely be enhanced by paying attention to this interview!

Find out more about Tony’s work: Muschara

Books recommended by Tony:

Managing the Risk of Organizational Accidents and Organizational Accidents Revisited by James Reason

Operational Risk Control by Derek Viner

Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity

By Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe

Organizing for Safety by Andrew Hopkins

Engineering a Safer World by Nancy Leveson

Tony Muschara on LinkedIn:

Tony Muschara | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find out more: www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Importance of Interpersonal Skills in Safety Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Stephan Wiedner, an entrepreneur on a mission to abolish apathy in the workplace. He’s the cofounder of Noomii.com, the web’s largest network of independent life coaches and Skillsetter.com, a platform similar to a flight simulator for practicing interpersonal skills.

Safety management relies on trust, persuasion, and approachability, yet EHS professionals may not have been taught these skills during their training. In fact, there’s a common conception these qualities are inherent and can’t be taught.

Stephan presents an upbeat and convincing case for why Safety professionals can - and should - develop their interpersonal skills.

He explains that the key to improving nebulous concepts, such as empathy, is to break them down into specific learnable practical skills.

Stephan teaches HSE professionals how this is done - with a strong emphasis on the importance of psychological safety - while dispelling ongoing misconceptions about interpersonal skills.

Find out more about the foundational academic research undertaken by Tim Anderson investigating the impact of interpersonal skills:

A prospective study of therapist facilitative interpersonal skills as a predictor of treatment outcome

The books recommended by Stephan:

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise: Amazon.com: Ericsson, Anders, Pool, Robert

Stephan Wiedner on LinkedIn:

Stephan Wiedner | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Humanizing Safety Rules

Safety Products Global — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Christian Hunt, author of 'Humanizing Rules' and founder of Human Risk, a consultancy and training firm that brings behavioral science to ethics & compliance.

Christian helps Safety practitioners understand and minimize their exposure to human risk, and he begins by explaining why he wrote his latest book.

Packed with entertaining anecdotes, this lively conversation explores the 3 key drivers of human behavior and introduces a simple framework (‘HUMANS’) that will help EHS professionals evaluate and design behavioral interventions (e.g. a new rule or communication program).

Throughout the interview, Christian emphasizes the importance of looking at things from the workers’ perspective - who are humans, not robots:

“Think not about what we would like people to do, but what they're likely to do.”

In this action-packed episode, we also learn 6 golden rules of compliance, including ‘Compliance is an outcome, not a process’, and ‘Just because you can doesn’t mean you should’.

This was Christinian’s second appearance on our podcast (his first was episode 4), and we hope he returns for a third time!

Find out more about Christian’s work:

Human Risk | Make your compliance programme more effective

Christian’s new book: ‘Humanizing Rules’:
Humanizing Rules: Bringing Behavioural Science to Ethics & Compliance

Christian’s Podcast:

The Human Risk Podcast

Books recommended by Christian:

“Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman –

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374533555

“Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen” by Zoe Chance – https://www.amazon.com/dp/198485433X

Christian Hunt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humanrisk/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Safety Lessons From High-Reliability Organizations

Safety Products Global — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Jodi Goodall, a High-Reliability Organization (HRO) expert who’s been in the safety profession for 20 years. Her operational experience spans mining, defense, explosives, heavy maintenance and logistics, and she’s currently head of organizational reliability at Brady Haywood, a consultancy in Brisbane.

Jody’s approach to Safety is based on systems thinking and the practices of HROs - and she begins this enlightening interview by explaining what strategies and organizations this acronym covers.

She walks EHS practitioners through the 5 characteristics of HROs, using practical examples of how they can enhance workplace safety:

Preoccupation with failure
Reluctance to simplify
Sensitivity to the operations
Commitment to resilience
Deference to expertise

Jodi explains that HRO is dotted throughout all the current safety theories and calls for HSE professionals to focus on practices, not academia and recognize that we’re all heading in the same direction.

She believes there’s too much investment in traditional Safety approaches and encourages the profession to welcome failure, trust the workforce, and be less judgemental and more helpful.

Find out more about Jodi’s work:

Brady Heywood | Complex Systems Thinking

Jodi recommends the work of Andrew Hopkins:

Amazon.com: Andrew Hopkins: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle

And this book about the US Nay culture:

Extreme Operational Excellence: Applying the US Nuclear Submarine Culture to Your Organization eBook : DiGeronimo, Matt, Koonce, Bob: Amazon.com: Books

Jodi Goodall on LinkedIn:

Jodi Goodall | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Evolution of Safety Education

Safety Products Global — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Pam Walaski, Senior Vice President of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), who uses her considerable experience to teach the next generation of HSE practitioners.

Pam shares her insightful views on the current state of safety education. She highlights the key gaps, limitations and challenges and explains which elements need to evolve.

Safety professionals will also learn about Pam’s personal journey from “safety cop” mentality to seeing workers as the solution rather than the problem. This mindset shift has significantly influenced her approach to safety education, and rapport, empathy, respect, and dignity are key themes in this compassionate interview.

Pam helps EHS professionals to stop thinking in terms of “right” and “wrong” and instead focus on learning, evolution and being open to change.

Pam recommends these online resources for Safety practitioners:

Safety Differently – Innovative and critical safety thinking

Human and Organizational Performance | HOP Hub

Authors recommended by Pam:

Todd Conklin, Sidney Dekker and Rosa Antonia Carrillo

Pam also suggests listening to these podcasts:

PreAccident Investigation

The Safety of Work

Pam Walaski on LinkedIn:

Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Total Worker Health

Safety Products Global — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr L. Casey Chosewood, Director of Total Worker Health (TWH) at the American National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr Chosewood provides a comprehensive overview of the origins and purpose of the TWH initiative - an emerging discipline that he hopes will change the way Safety professionals practice.

In this uplifting interview, he discusses his role in promoting the protection and improvement of workers' health, safety, and wellbeing through research, intervention, development and partnerships.

Casey discusses the key workplace safety initiatives his team is implementing and shares essential tools for EHS practitioners who want to learn more about TWH.

Total Worker Health isn’t just focused on helping organizations keep their workforce safe. Additionally, it aims to improve workers’ health and wellbeing. Dr Chosewood explains how this benefits everyone - including wider society - and shares his inspiring vision for people to go home from work healthier than they arrived.

Learn more about Total Worker Health:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/totalhealth.html

To contact Casey and his team:

twh@cdc.gov

The TWH Essential Guide:
Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Approaches | NIOSH | CDC

The NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire:

Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ) | NIOSH | CDC

Dr L. Casey Chosewood on LinkedIn:

L. Casey Chosewood, MD MPH | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Why Safety Needs Rebranding

Safety Products Global — Mon, 29 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with James MacPherson, the straight-talking host of the influential podcast and YouTube channel, ‘Rebranding Safety’, who also recently founded his own consultancy, ‘Risk Fluent’ (with his wife).

In this unrestrained interview (with some colorful language), James leaves Safety professionals with no doubt about how the profession can improve itself.

After describing his journey, he dives straight into his forthright views about Safety’s image problem and the “bickering” about Safety theory.

James is never afraid to challenge traditional approaches to Safety, but he also challenges the ‘labeling’ of alternative views and clearly defines the role he’d like academics to play.

He doesn’t hold back in his damning assessments of Safety Associations and HSE training and shares his concerns about the prevalence and impact of “Trickle-down Safety’.

James completes his passionate appraisal of the Safety world by urging EHS practitioners to embrace AI, focus on critical thinking and calm down!

Find out more about James’ work:

Risk Fluent Ltd - Health, Safety and Culture consultant

His ‘Rebranding Safety’ podcast and Youtube channel:

Rebranding Safety on Apple Podcasts

Rebranding Safety | Podcast on Spotify

Rebranding Safety - YouTube

James highly recommends these other podcasts for Safety practitioners:

The Safety of Work

Podcast - The World of Work Project

Cautionary Tales | Tim Harford

…and the following books:

The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

By Amy Edmondson

Rebel-Ideas

By Matthew Syed

James MacPherson on LinkedIn:

James MacPherson | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Safety Professionals’ Role in ESG

Safety Products Global — Mon, 22 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Nicolai Massyn, a corporate compliance and risk management expert who’s founded several companies focused on EHS compliance tech, regulatory tech, and consulting services. Nicola is also a successful writer and has recently co-authored: ‘The Safety Professional’s Role in Environmental, Social & Governance Initiatives’ (with Linda Martin).

Nicolai opens this fascinating conversation with a comprehensive overview and brief history of all the initiatives included in the Environment, Social and Governance elements of ESG.

He then explains where Safety and ESG converge and why Safety professionals are so well-placed to manage ESG going forward.

We also learn why ESG training is essential for forward-thinking EHS professionals and where to start your learning journey.

Nicolai believes that digitization will greatly help practitioners of safety assume ESG responsibilities and encourages you to embrace the exciting opportunities this will present - after all, ESG is here to stay!

The Safety in ESG article Nicolai co-authored with Linda Martin:

f1martinmassyn_0323.pdf (assp.org)

Nicolai Massyn on LinkedIn:

Nicolai Massyn | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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The Impact of Technology on Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 15 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Cameron Stevens, a technologist and a Chartered Health and Safety professional who’s worked in the OHS profession for over 15 years developing expertise in transforming organizations with his unique approach.

Cameron works at the intersection of technology and safety, and in this fascinating discussion, he helps EHS professionals understand how safety tech will impact their roles.

After reflecting on current perceptions about technology, Cameron explains why Safety professionals are perfectly placed to be the concierges who help bridge the gap between tech specialists and frontline workers.

He discusses the opportunities AI offers the profession but also explores the current limitations and ethics of safety data and why some safety professionals may be reluctant to adopt new tech.

Cameron’s interview is a call to action for EHS practitioners to develop an innovation mindset and be curious about the benefits of adopting new tech.

Find out more about Cameron’s work:

https://hseq-academy.com/pocketknife-group/

Cameron Stevens on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronmstevens

Additional resources recommended by Cameron:

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Klaus Schwab

Deep Tech: Demystifying the Breakthrough Technologies That Will Revolutionize Everything (Audio Download): Eric Redmond, Patrick O’Connell

International Labour Organization

About Work to Zero - National Safety Council

Cameron Stevens on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronmstevens

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

A Human-Centric Approach to Safety Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 08 May 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Tim D'Ath, an experienced Head of Safety & cultural transformation leader of high-performing teams in both corporate and high-risk environments. He specializes in the psychology of safety and explains to HSE professionals how they can bring a more human-centric approach to safety management.

Regulations and humanity often seem at odds, and this friction is probably most apparent in high-compliance industries - where Tim has had great success implementing progressive safety programs and psychosocial wellbeing strategies.

He shares his 4 principles of designing safety management systems and explains that compliance is a byproduct of getting things right. A key theme is workforce engagement, and he provides practical tips on how safety professionals can crowdsource and co-design solutions that interpret regulations into relatable formats for the worker.

Tim reflects on current mainstream approaches to safety and voices his frustration at various elements, including imposing solutions on workers, lag indicator metrics, BBS programs, and Zero Harm initiatives. However, this is an uplifting interview with plenty of advice for disillusioned safety practitioners and many reasons to be optimistic about the future of safety.

Tim could not recommend Clive Lloyd’s best-selling book highly enough:

Next Generation Safety Leadership: From Compliance to Care: Lloyd, Clive: 9780367509538: Amazon.com: Books

Tim D'Ath on LinkedIn:

Tim D'Ath | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Learning From Normal Safety Work

Safety Products Global — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brent Sutton, safety author, consultant and podcaster. Well regarded as a safety coach, he takes organizations on a learning journey to understand how people are seen as the solution so everybody benefits without replacing your existing health and safety system.

Brent actively advocates for doing safety when both workers and the organisation learn and improve, and he begins by explaining why HSE professionals need to shift from learning through accidents to learning through normal work.

Listeners will learn the importance of variability, comlexity and coupling in in safety systems and the difference between weak and strong signals as Brent reveals how “death hides in normal work”.

He shares a simple technique - the 4 Ds - to help safety professionals instigate meaningful conversations with the frontline and explains how making space for post-work reflection can significantly improve workers curiosity, resilience and overall workplace safety.

Increased reflection is a key theme of this thought-provoking interview where Brent isn’t afraid to challenge existing safety practice. He questions the over-reliance on contextless data, observations without engagement and even suggests that workers should lead safety initiatives, with the organization supporting them.

Forget everything you’ve been taught about safety management and let Brent show you new ways to support the frontline and allow them to lead in understanding and managing the adaptability of the work they do every day.

Find out more about Brent’s work:

Home | Learning Teams (learningteamscommunity.com)

Download Brent’s ‘Learning From Everyday Work’ White Paper:

Everyday Learning | Learning Teams (learningteamscommunity.com)

Brent’s podcast:

The Practice of Learning Teams (bcast.fm)

Brent Sutton on LinkedIn:

Brent Sutton | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How To Enhance Safety Inclusion

Safety Products Global — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Liz Wilson, a behavioral scientist, organizational transformation expert, podcast host, and founder of Include Inc - a consultancy focused on improving workplace inclusion.

Safety professionals are naturally inclusive in their pursuit of creating safety for everyone, but exclusion can unintentionally occur even when we're doing our best to include. Dr. Liz has extensively researched inclusion and shares her practical findings to help make inclusivity part of workplace safety.

After defining inclusion and highlighting the serious risks of ignoring this fundamental organizational approach, Dr. Liz gives an overview of 'The 8-Inclusion Needs of all People' framework she's developed.

She explains why Access, Space, Opportunity, Representation, Allowance, Language, Respect, and Support are all crucial elements to ensure co-workers are included and gives real-life examples of how they impact the workplace.

Furthermore, Dr. Liz demonstrates why The 8 Needs provides a practical approach for HSE professionals to improve inclusion and workplace safety.

Dr. Liz's authentic, honest, and pragmatic outlook shine throughout this engaging and powerful podcast - which every safety practitioner needs to include in their essential listening list.

Find out more about Dr. Liz’s work and her podcast:

Include with Dr. Liz - Home (theincludeinc.com)

Her journal article, The 8-Inclusion Needs of All People:

View of The 8-Inclusion Needs of All People: A Proposed Framework to Address Intersectionality in Efforts to Prevent Discrimination (ijssrr.com)

Dr. Liz Wilson on LinkedIn:

Dr. Liz Wilson | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

What Is the Role of a Safety Professional?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr David Provan, an award-winning safety researcher who investigated the role of safety professionals. David is also the CEO of Forge Works, founder of Safety Futures, and host of ‘The Safety of Work’ podcast.

David begins by explaining why it’s important to define the role of the HSE professional and what role scientific research plays in the safety profession.

He then shares the main factors that shape the role of a safety professional, which he’s categorized as: institutional, relational, and individual.

David discusses the limited decision-making authority held by safety leaders and how they can move from a position of challenging to influencing to improve workplace safety.

A key part of David’s research was exploring the identity of a safety professional. He discovered real tensions playing out in the mindset of safety people, concluding that the identity is confusing and paradoxical!

David’s enlightening research findings are essential listening for EHS practitioners, and he also shares his ‘scary’ conclusions after studying the activity of HSE professionals. Do you agree you spend too much time on safety work rather than initiatives directly contributing to the safety of work?

This high-impact interview will get you thinking deeply about why and how you do what you do as a safety professional.

Find out more about David’s Safety Consultancy work:

Forge Works and Safety Futures

The podcast David co-hosts:

The Safety of Work

David’s recommends Paper Safe by Greg Smith

https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Safe-triumph-bureaucracy-management-ebook/dp/B07HVRZY8C

David Provan on LinkedIn:

David Provan | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Relationship-Centered Safety Leadership

Safety Products Global — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Rosa Carrillo, a safety leadership and culture expert who’s also a highly acclaimed author. Her book, ‘The Relationship Factor in Safety Leadership’, is hailed by Edgar Schein as required reading to understand the foundations of "safety culture".

After explaining why she wrote this book, Rosa shares her 8 principles of Relationship-Centered Safety Leadership. Psychological safety underpins everything, and we learn how to achieve ‘true communication’ and why inclusion must precede workplace accountability.

Rosa focuses on the importance and interdependence of innovation, resilience, inclusion, and accountability and discusses how leaders' expectations impact workers’ contributions.

Trust is a constant theme throughout this compassionate discussion, and Rosa explains why this quality will help Safety professionals more than policies.

Rosa also introduces the concept of drift and its implications for safety management before highlighting the importance of continuously checking your beliefs, assumptions and biases.

One of the key messages is everything starts with relationships. Rosa elegantly shows us that relationships influence emotions, feelings, and beliefs - which determine safety decisions and ultimately, culture.

To find out more about Rosa’s work, visit:

https://carrilloconsultants.com/

Rosa’s recommended reading:

Pre-accident investigations by Todd Conklin

https://www.amazon.com/Pre-Accident-Investigations-Todd-Conklin/dp/1409447820

The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' by Sidney Dekker:

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/dp/1472439058

Next Generation Safety Leadership by Clive Lloyd:

https://www.amazon.com/Generation-Safety-Leadership-Clive-Lloyd/dp/0367509563/

Rosa Carrillo on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosaantoniacarrillo/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Speaking IN instead of UP to improve workplace safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Laurin Mooney, founder of ‘Speaking IN®’, which provides a model and method to help organizations overcome the challenges of employees who don't speak up, and leaders who don't listen. Using her expertise to translate modern safety concepts into straightforward language, Lauren makes learning safety enjoyable and actionable.

Lauren begins this uplifting conversation by highlighting why ‘Speaking Up’ is “the winner when it comes to failing strategy at a workplace.” She explains that the approach is based on faulty assumptions, aimed at the wrong people and works against human nature.

Rather than just criticizing existing strategies, Laurin has created an alternative: ‘Speaking IN®’ - and she explains why this approach is more effective at improving workplace safety. It considers the big picture, directs attention to people who can make change, refocuses on purpose, uses language helpfully, and it’s fairer.

There are 4 core principles underlying ‘Speaking IN’, and Laurin gives an overview of the importance of each: Intentionally, Including, Inviting & appreciating and Diverse perspectives.

Using real-life case studies, Lauren also outlines the practical steps safety professionals can take to shift towards a ‘Speaking IN’ culture.

Laurin’s passion for helping workers, safety systems, and organizations thrive is evident throughout this engaging interview, as she genuinely believes that “healing the employee experience is one of the fastest and most effective ways to heal the world”.

Find out more about Laurin’s work:

Speaking IN

Books/papers recommended by Laurin:

The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

By Amy Edmondson

Managing the Unexpected: Assuring High Performance in an Age of Complexity

By Karl E. Weick

Sensemaking: Framing and Acting in the Unknown

By Deborah Ancona

Speaking IN on LinkedIn:

Speaking IN: Overview | LinkedIn

Laurin Mooney on LinkedIn:

Laurin Mooney BSN MS

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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How To Reduce Safety Clutter

Safety Products Global — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Drew Rae, an Associate Professor in the Safety Science Innovation Lab at Griffith University, who co-authored a research paper named; ‘Safety clutter: the accumulation and persistence of ‘safety’ work that does not contribute to operational safety.’

We all know that excess safety procedures, documents, roles and activities cause organizational issues, so Drew helps HSE professionals understand the leading causes and key solutions.

After briefly outlining his research methods, Drew explains why safety clutter (a term he coined) exists, and we learn why adding new safety activities is much easier than removing them.

He then reveals how we can identify different types of clutter, including duplication, generalization, and over-specification, and how they can be managed more effectively.

Drew describes how the word “clutter” was carefully chosen to make discussions about this workplace problem easier, and he provides great practical advice on starting conversations about decluttering. He also shares the crucial question HSE professionals can ask co-workers to identify the main pain points.

A key learning is that safety clutter is surprisingly difficult to reduce - despite apparent absurdities. Therefore, limiting new safety activities is easier than removing existing ones. This rational and insightful interview will give safety professionals many sensible decluttering solutions.

Drew’s safety clutter paper:

Safety clutter: the accumulation and persistence of 'safety' work that does not contribute to operational safety (griffith.edu.au)

Drew’s safety podcast:

The Safety of Work

Drew Rae on LinkedIn:

Drew (Andrew) Rae | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Effective Safety Committees

Safety Products Global — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dave Rebbitt, a safety leader, consultant, and prolific author. The subject of his best-selling book, ‘Effective Safety Committees: A Practical Guide’ forms the basis of this engaging and compassionate interview.

Dave developed the concept of “Intelligent Safety” and explains what this means and why it’s especially necessary in this era of static or rising workplace fatalities. He encourages safety professionals to look beyond manuals and training and truly explore whether systems are working and risk is effectively managed.

Despite safety committees being a legal requirement in most G8 countries, Dave believes they could have a much more positive impact. He clearly defines the purpose, functionality, and benefits of effective safety committees, while highlighting the key red flags.

It’s not easy to measure the effectiveness of safety committees, but Dave provides some top practical tips and shares his views on the role of HSE professionals within the committee.

Dave also discusses the importance of Terms of Reference and good communication and helps us overcome common issues, such as complex structures, committee overwhelm and finding consensus.

Throughout this thought-provoking conversation, Dave highlights the need for respect and genuine care for the well-being of co-workers. He ends with some great advice to help safety professionals shake off the ‘judgemental safety cop’ stereotype.

Dave’s book about safety committees:

https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Safety-Committees-Practical-Guide/dp/172086084X

Learn more about Dave’s work by visiting:

Rarebit Consulting

Dave Rebbitt on LinkedIn:

Dave Rebbitt, MBA, CRSP, C. Tech, CD | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Managing Complexity in Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Bob Edwards, a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) coach, who has a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc in Advanced Safety Engineering Management. Bob is also the co-author of ‘Bob's Guide to Operational Learning’ and a member of The Hop Hub, a consortium that guides people on their HOP journey.

HOP considers how humans and organizations interact to accomplish work. It's a thought process that allows us to build more error-tolerant systems and teaches us that expecting perfection from workers, processes or procedures is not realistic.

In this thought-provoking interview, Bob helps safety professionals explore the complex nature of work and learn how to gain a deeper understanding of their operations.

He explains why modern work is so complex with a multitude of constantly adapting interconnecting interactions and reminds us that humans aren’t just reliable machines.

Bob suggests leadership doesn’t usually appreciate this complexity as they focus on high-level metrics and urges HSE professionals to be more open about the actual context underlying these numbers.

He reveals the limitations of simplification, the 5 Whys, making predictions and trying to fix everything. And highlights the virtues of listening, curiosity, respectful relationships, psychological safety and learning from success (as well as failure).

HOP is often accused of lacking accountability, and Bob addresses this challenge and explains how HOP will actually increase co-worker responsibility and commitment.

Using many real-life examples of the benefits of operational learning, Bob teaches us that understanding complexity coupled with collaboration, empathy and mutual respect can create more reliable and resilient workplace safety.

Find out more about Bob’s work and HOP:

Human and Organizational Performance | HOP Hub

To contact Bob directly:

hop_coach@outlook.com

The book Bob co-authored:

Amazon.com: Bob's Guide to Operational Learning: How to Think Like a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Coach: 9798579532077: Edwards, Bob, Baker, Andrea: Books

Authors recommended by Bob:

Amazon.com: Todd Conklin: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle

Home - Sidney Dekker

Erikhollnagel.com

Edgar Schein - Wikipedia

Bob Edwards on LinkedIn:

Bob Edwards | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How To Improve Safety Training

Safety Products Global — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with safety, training and development consultant Cameron Hacault, CEO of Haland Learning, who directs the design and implementation of safety courses and instructor training.

Cameron is on a mission to make safety training NOT suck, and he shares expert advice to help HSE professionals deliver effective learning that’s practical, understandable, and applicable.

The purpose of training should always be co-worker safety, and Cameron explains why it should never be driven by organizations wanting to cover themselves in the event of accidents. Therefore, it’s no surprise he urges HSE professionals to focus on the learners when designing safety training.

Cameron strongly believes that training needs to be based on dialogue, not monologue and gives guidance on how to avoid “shoveling safety at people”’ and treating them like ‘inanimate objects’.

He gives many practical tips on making learning sessions more engaging and explains why questions and curiosity are crucial components to delivering effective safety messages.

Every element of safety training is covered: the importance of the learning environment, online course, trainer competencies and common pitfalls. Cameron’s interview is exactly like his courses - highly practical, easily understandable, and totally applicable.

Find out more about Cameron’s work:

Workplace Safety Training Provider - OHS Training Courses

Cameron recommended the Thiagi Group as a great resource for further information about training concepts and philosophies:

The Thiagi Group

Cameron Hacault on LinkedIn:

Cameron Hacault 🏳️‍🌈 | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Leading From the Middle To Enhance Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mikel Bowman, a consultant who focuses on leadership development and organizational culture. He’s a former senior Safety Director with over 20 years experience in the mining industry, who also has a background in counseling.

Mikel applies his in-depth experience of human relationships to the safety arena and helps HSE professionals overcome polarization, improve safety and change cultures by ‘leading from the middle’.

He explains how and why you can lead from the middle at any level within your organization. Loving, nurturing and encouraging your co-workers can help engage and empower them to start taking ownership of their own safety and the safety of others.

Using many real-life stories from his safety career, Mikel discusses the importance of balance between data and relationships for EHS professionals and how they can become facilitators rather than dictators.

He believes you can improve both production and safety at the same time and urges the profession to abandon its pursuit of perfection that creates mission statements, such as ‘zero harm’.

In a rousing call to action, Mikel declares that safety practitioners have the opportunity to change mindsets and cultures by leading with integrity and compassion. He describes them as superheroes with the power to inspire worker engagement and empowerment, improving workplace safety and revolutionizing people’s lives!

Find out more about Mikel’s work:

Bowman Legacy University

Mikel recommends any leadership books by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin:

Books - Jocko

He also suggested two books on leadership by John C. Maxwell:

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Workbook 25th Anniversary Edition

The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization

Follow Mikel on Instagram:

Mikel Bowman (@mikelbowman243)

Mikel Bowman on LinkedIn:

Mikel Bowman | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Connected Conversations For Safer Workplaces

Safety Products Global — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Angelina Badri, the founder of the Universal Safety Wellness consultancy. Her holistic approach and genuine care for people empower leaders and frontline workers to reduce incidents and achieve workplace safety excellence collaboratively.

In this compassionate interview, Angelina describes how working with individuals can solve systemic safety issues, with connected conversations being the key to success.

Unusually for a safety consultant, she focuses on frontline workers, and Angelina explains to safety professionals how they can improve workplace safety through meaningful, honest and respectful conversations.

Using many real-life examples from her 15 years in safety, Angelina explores the importance of individual habits and motivation, communicating priorities and information, and celebrating the process as well as the outcome.

She demonstrates the power of connected conversations and gives practical guidance on building these into your daily work lives. Angelina helps turn uncomfortable conversations into good conversations and reveals the best time to make these interventions.

Her passion and care shine throughout this empowering episode as she urges safety professionals to maximize the power of storytelling. Angelina connects effortlessly with her audience and tells powerful stories throughout.

Find out more about Angelina’s work:

https://universalsafetywellness.com/

The book recommended by Angelina:

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996

Angelina Badri on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelina-badri-782a9520

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at https://sliceinc.myshopify.com/

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

What Safety Professionals Can Learn From Marketing

Safety Products Global — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with coach, speaker and podcast host Andrew Barrett, the founder of Safety On Tap, a consultancy specializing in the development and growth of Health and Safety leaders.

Andrew has created an evolving model of marketing for Health and Safety, and in this fascinating interview, he explains how this model works and what EHS professionals can learn from marketing to improve their effectiveness.

He takes key marketing concepts - such as customers, products, services, matching needs, ensuring appropriate fit, transactions, feedback, consultation and engagement - and applies them to workplace safety.

Andrew explores who safety professionals’ customers are and highlights the potential conflict between the needs of frontline workers and leadership. Regardless of everything that HSE practitioners are doing, a great starting point to develop a marketing approach to safety is asking: who are you trying to help, and what problems do they have?

Getting feedback and consulting with internal customers is a great way to co-create safety initiatives that end-users will want to adopt - rather than have to adopt. Andrew shares great practical advice on the best ways of achieving these goals and ensuring that safety management products and services are a good fit.

Andrew highlights the importance of validating the adoption and effectiveness of safety programs and gives top tips on how to do this efficiently. He also challenges HSE professionals to give more consideration to ongoing service and support post-implementation.

A deeper understanding and engagement with humans and relationships underpin the entire model. This is a highly engaging discussion, and Andrew makes a great case to understand how marketing can help Health and Safety.

Find out more about Andrew’s work by visiting:

Professional development for health and safety leaders (safetyontap.com)

Andrew’s Podcast, Safety on Tap:

Episodes - Safety on Tap

Marketing experts recommended by Andrew:

Dan Pink - https://www.danpink.com/

Seth Godin - Seth's Site (sethgodin.com)

Andrew Barrett on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-barrett-learning-coach

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

PPE for Women

Safety Products Global — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Amy Roosa, a senior risk control specialist at Gallagher. She has 18 years of safety experience and has founded the Iowa Women in Safety conference and The Safety Rack, an organization that advocates for proper PPE and workwear for women in trades.

Amy is passionate about securing appropriate PPE for women in the workplace and begins by uncovering the underlying reasons behind this issue. She gives some all-to-common real-life examples of ill-fitting equipment and workwear for women and highlights how this impacts individuals, safety managers and entire organizations.

Unfortunately, women may be less likely to highlight these issues, and Amy explores why this is the case and what safety managers can do to ensure women have access to what they need on-site.

Amy demonstrates how inappropriate PPE can damage women’s psychological safety at work and impact organizations’ retention of female talent.

However, she is pleased with the progress being made and shares encouraging stories of women starting their own PPE manufacturing companies and explains what male co-workers can do to help.

…And don’t miss the colorful discussion about pink PPE!

Find out more about The Safety Rack on YouTube:

The Safety Rack - YouTube

And Instagram:

The Safety Rack (@thesafetyrack) • Instagram photos and videos

Where Amy tests and reviews women's PPE clothing.

Amy Roosa on LinkedIn:

Amy Roosa | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Opportunities To Enhance the Safety Profession

Safety Products Global — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Amanda Clements, Group HSE manager for strategy and wellbeing at Marowak. She’s also the founder and CEO of The Collective Lab, a digital community focused on creating the future of workplace safety. Amanda has 18 years experience in Health and Safety roles for high-risk industries and holds a Master’s in Safety Leadership.

Amanda explains that workplace safety is relatively “immature” when compared to other professions, such as accountancy. She immediately identifies a greater focus on qualifications and non-technical skills as opportunities to develop the industry.

She also highlights gaps, such as a lack of holistic learning and connectivity between safety professionals. Her research uncovered that HSE practitioners feel isolated and undervalued, and Amanda provides evidence-based solutions to these global issues.

Collaboration is key, and Amanda explains how connecting HSE with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance opportunities and risks) can advance organizational performance and employee wellbeing.

Amanda is adamant that safety professionals should offer much more value than just minimizing harm, and she advocates listening and inquiry as essential skills, enabling HSE practitioners to advance the profession.

Find out more about Amanda’s work by visiting:

Amanda Clements – Helping great teams do extraordinary things

Amanda highlighted - Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214506

She also recommended the Organizational Psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant:

Adam Grant – Books, Podcast, TED Talks, Newsletter, Articles

Amanda Clements on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/creating-thriving-workplaces

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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The Power of Coaching To Improve Your Safety Leadership Skills

Safety Products Global — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Clifford Morgan, an organizational psychologist and leadership expert with over 15 years of service in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Clifford is passionate about enhancing performance and the fulfillment of leadership potential, and in this engaging interview, he focuses on how safety professionals can use coaching to become more influential in the workplace.

He starts by exploring what leadership is and explains the difference between three different approaches - directing, coaching and mentoring. Cliff then highlights the two primary leadership responsibilities. Safety performance is obviously crucial, but safety leadership capability development is also a critical longer-term consideration.

Clifford shares multiple ways EHS professionals can use coaching to influence others in the workplace. Strategic questioning - allowing people to come up with their own suggestions - can help co-workers adopt safety initiatives or improve their wellbeing and also encourage leaders to take more responsibility for safety in their areas.

You’ll learn specific coaching techniques to help get colleagues on board with your initiatives and understand the main challenges facing today’s safety leaders.

And if you love coffee, you’ll be delighted to find out why it is such a powerful tool in the workplace!

Clifford’s book, The Coaching Leader:

The Coaching Leader – Clifford Morgan

To find out more about Clifford’s work (and download the Beginners Guide to Coaching Conversations), visit:

Clifford Morgan

Other books recommended by Clifford:

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier:

COACHING HABIT: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever: Amazon.com: BUNGAY STANIER: 9780978440749: Books

Bring Out Their Best by Natalie Ashdown:

https://www.amazon.com/Bring-Their-Best-Natalie-Ashdown-ebook/dp/B00AR5SRG2

Clifford Morgan on LinkedIn:

Clifford Morgan | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How to Manage Psychosocial Risk

Safety Products Global — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mary Ann Baynton, a workplace relations specialist, consultant, speaker and author, who has been called “the godmother of psychological health and safety.” She’s the principal of Mary Ann Baynton & Associates and Director of Strategy and Collaboration at Workplace Strategies for Mental Health.

Mary is on a mission to reduce unnecessary workplace stress, distress or conflict, and in this warm and wide-ranging interview, she helps safety professionals understand the key ways they can help identify and mitigate psychosocial risk.

The starting point is an overview of Canada’s National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (which Mary helped develop). The Standard is a set of voluntary guidelines, tools and resources intended to guide organizations in promoting mental health and preventing psychological harm at work - the first of its kind in the world.

Mary then shares evidence-based approaches to help safety professionals address 10 key workplace psychosocial factors. She describes each factor’s risks, provides practical solutions, and suggests how EHS professionals can secure leadership support to implement these strategies.

You’ll learn about organizational culture, work-life balance, workplace civility and respect, change management, building trust, personal development, involvement and influence, psychologically supportive environments and managing workload stress.

For every element, Mary shares compelling evidence for adopting workplace psychological health and safety.

Mary’s consultancy:

Mary Ann Baynton & Associates Corp. – The Workplace Relations Specialists

Workplace strategies for Mental Health:

Organizational strategies (workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com)

Canada’s pioneering National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace:

National Standard - Mental Health Commission of Canada

Mary Ann is also the author of several books (Publications – Mary Ann Baynton & Associates Corp.) including:

The Evolution of Workplace Mental Health in Canada: Towards a Standard

Building Stronger Teams

Resolving Workplace Issues

Keeping Well at Work

Mindful Manager

Preventing Workplace Meltdown: An Employer’s Guide to Maintaining a Psychologically Safe Workplace (with Dr. Martin Shain)

Drive by Daniel H. Pink, the book exploring motivation recommended by Mary:

https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805/

Mary Ann Baynton on LinkedIn:

Mary Ann Baynton | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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The Key Component of Workplace Safety: Trust

Safety Products Global — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Clive Lloyd, a psychologist specialising in safety leadership and culture development and founder of GYST Consulting. He was recently named among the top five global thought leaders and influencers on health and safety and is the author of Next Generation Safety Leadership: from compliance to care.

Clive believes that trust is the most important factor in workplace safety and explains the three core skills HSE professionals must demonstrate to create trust and sustain trust.

Should trust and similar relationship-building attributes be described as “soft skills”? Clive argues they are essential leadership qualities and actually rather hard to master.

Clive shares his revised model of safety culture maturity. EHS professionals will learn the 5 different levels and how organizations can move from compliance to care by increasing trust, psychological safety and the flow of authentic information.

He explains how safety is shifting away from traditional command and control approaches and demonstrates how Behavioral Based Safety and goals such as Zero harm have damaging unintended consequences.

The central problem with these strategies is they lack trust. Clive shares practical guidance on building this quality, highlighting the power of asking questions and actively listening. This interview is well worth a listen!

Clive’s consultancy that's dedicated to creating trust and psychological safety:

Welcome to GYST Consulting

Clive’s best-selling book:

Next Generation Safety Leadership: From Compliance to Care: Lloyd, Clive: 9780367509538: Amazon.com: Books

Other books recommended by Clive:

Sam Goodman’s 10 Ideas to Make Safety Suck Less

https://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Make-Safety-Suck-Less/dp/B0BM55LMSF

Todd Conklin’s The 5 Principles of Human Performance
https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Human-Performance-contemporary-updateof/dp/1794639144

And Pre-Accident Investigations

https://www.amazon.com/Pre-Accident-Investigations-Todd-Conklin/dp/1409447820

Paper Safe by Greg Smith

https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Safe-triumph-bureaucracy-management-ebook/dp/B07HVRZY8C

The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson:

https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Organization-Psychological-Workplace-Innovation/dp/1119477247

Clive Lloyd on LinkedIn:

Clive Lloyd | LinkedIn

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Subaquatic Safety Lessons

Safety Products Global — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Gareth Lock, the owner of The Human Diver, an organization that improves the safety and performance of divers through an understanding of human error. Gareth’s safety career spans over 20 years, and he uses his experience in managing high-risk operations to help HSE professionals improve workplace safety.

After sharing his fascinating journey from flying in the sky to diving underwater, Gareth explains why attributing accidents to human error actually hinders learning. He also recommends managing uncertainty rather than risk (numerical probabilities that can’t account for human reliability) and gives practical guidance on how to make this shift.

A key focus of this fascinating interview is the importance of safety pre-briefs, debriefs and validating plans through training: “It’s much better to sort problems on the surface before you go into water”.

Gareth introduces the concept of inclusive ‘learning reviews’ that uncover a safety event’s rich context and ‘second stories’. They help EHS professionals move past the immediate cause and blame to understand and address the complex combination of converging factors.

An underlying theme to Gareth’s interview is the need for organizations to shift from a blame culture to a ‘just culture’ - where the workforce feels psychologically safe to speak out, and leadership recognizes that human error is inevitable.

Gareth is as passionate about safety as he is about diving, and his insight applies to any environment where people are involved.

Find out more about Gareth’s company, The Human Diver:

https://www.thehumandiver.com/

The Human Diver’s YouTube channel with over 30 video resources:

The Human Diver - YouTube

Watch “If Only”, Gareth’s documentary about a tragic and avoidable diving accident:

If Only... (thehumandiver.com)

Gareth Lock on LinkedIn:

Gareth Lock | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Women in Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with experienced Safety Director Stephanie Benay, one of Canada’s foremost HSE experts and current Governor of the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals.

Stephanie reflects on her 25-year journey as a female safety professional. She describes what the safety world was like for women a quarter of a century ago and explores how the workplace safety environment has changed over the last few decades.

Despite improvements over time, gender inequality persists within the safety industry, and Stephanie reveals where, how and why these barriers for women are still prevalent.

In this raw interview, Stephanie doesn’t shy away from discussing uncomfortable truths such as female harassment in the workplace. However, her rise to senior leadership is an uplifting story that will inspire safety professionals across all demographics.

Stepanie also shares fantastic safety leadership tips and stresses the importance of change management skills and developing financial acumen. She urges HSE professionals to believe in yourself, have courageous conversations and, most importantly: be curious.

The American Society Of Safety Professionals 2019 report entitled Women and Safety in the modern workplace:

Assp_women_and_safety_report_0419.pdf

The 3 books recommended by Stepanie:

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield:

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: Amazon.com: Chris Hadfield: 9781447257103: Books

How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Women-Rise-Habits-Holding/dp/1847942253

Bent Out of Shape by Karen Messing:

https://www.amazon.com/Bent-Out-Shape-Solidarity-Womens/dp/1771135417

Women in Occupational Health and Safety Society’s website:

WOHSS – Women in Occupational Health & Safety Society

Stephanie Benay on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephbenay

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How Bullying Impacts Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Gary Namie, a social psychologist widely regarded as North America’s foremost authority on workplace bullying. Along with his wife, he’s the founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute, and they’ve also co-authored multiple books and academic articles addressing this issue.

Gary begins this powerful interview with a very impactful definition of workplace bullying. He explains why this “disgraceful and embarrassing human condition” exists and, perhaps more alarmingly, describes how institutions actually allow it to perpetuate.

Dr Namie feels very strongly that HR has failed to address bullying, so issues a rallying call to safety professionals to use their hazard identification expertise to end the prevalence of workplace bullying.

He’s encouraged by OHS professionals’ adoption of psychosocial safety management and believes that post #metoo media attention on toxic workplace environments will help raise the profile of bullying prevention.

Gary passionately discusses both the individual and organizational negative consequences of workplace bullying and gives safety professionals practical guidance on how they can help solve this issue. Despite sharing some optimism about the future, he leaves us with no doubt about the severity of this problem.

To contact Dr Gary Namie or learn more about his mission to eradicate workplace bullying, visit:

Home - Workplace Bullying Institute

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What Does Safety Culture Mean?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Tristan Casey, an organizational psychologist specializing in safety leadership and organizational culture, who understands how to generate research with practical impact.

Safety culture is a very broad and all-encompassing term - which causes much confusion. Tristan reveals the origins of this lack of clarity and shares three theoretical perspectives on what safety culture means. It can be a mirror, a map, and a measure, but Dr Casey outlines how these different approaches can form a coherent, sequential and practical framework to systematically improve workplace safety.

Tristan recognizes criticism that safety culture is no different from organizational culture but believes the distinction is useful because it makes workplace safety more tangible and allows organizations to move forward with a shared understanding of what safety and culture mean together.

He shares the practical dos and don’ts of safety culture, explains why clear definitions and feedback loops are so important, and considers the future of safety culture research.

Finally, he addresses a key challenge of how to make safety research more useful for practitioners, stressing the importance of closer partnerships between industry and academia.

Tristan’s deep dive into safety culture brings much-needed clarity and makes it a far more useful concept for safety professionals.

You can learn about Dr Casey’s safety culture research findings in chapter 19 (“Rolling up our sleeves and pulling up our socks: a critical review of safety culture definitions and measures, and innovative ways to move the field forward”) of the Handbook of Research Methods for Organisational Culture:

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Handbook_of_Research_Methods_for_Organis/

Dr Tristan Casey on LinkedIn:

Dr. Tristan Casey | LinkedIn

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Implementing New View Safety Methods and Philosophies

Safety Products Global — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Moni Hogg, a Senior HSE professional, safety trainer and conference speaker who specializes in the Safety Differently. She focuses on cutting-edge safety approaches to enable creative, innovative and efficient culture transformation.

Mary has literally written a handbook on implementing New View Safety, and she shares the key ideas underpinning this approach while providing practical guidance to EHS professionals looking to build and improve their safety programs.

She tells her story of discovering and exploring New View Safety and outlines the essential paradigm shifts required to embrace these contemporary safety methodologies and philosophies.

Mary introduces us to new concepts, including “weak signals”, “learning teams” and “freedom frameworks”. However, she also highlights challenges, such as measuring success, accountability, leadership buy-in, and the timeframe required to see positive results.

Transitioning to New View Safety is not a quick or simple journey - but it’s exciting, and you will learn so much. This interview is a great starting point!

Moni’s book (The New View Safety Handbook: a step-by-step roadmap to introduce contemporary safety methods) is due to be published in 2023 - so connect with her on LinkedIn for further details:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/moni-hogg-4a55012b/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Why Safety Needs More Fun and Connection

Safety Products Global — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Stephen Harvey, an operations-focused HSE professional who takes a pragmatic approach to risk. Currently senior health and safety partner with Origin Energy, he shares his extensive experience of embedding contemporary safety practices and positively impacting organizational safety culture.

Steve believes safety management is too boring, and he’s on a mission to infuse more fun and connection into the industry.

He’s passionate about developing relationships with frontline workers and helps safety professionals become a conduit between the office and the field. Steve believes in the power of humor and stories and explains how his hobby - standup comedy - has made him a more effective HSE professional.

Language is very important to Steve, and he demonstrates how the words you use can change your organization's safety culture. At the same time, he feels safety data is over-relied upon and highlights the importance of collecting the stories (qualitative research) underlying the metrics to uncover actual safety performance.

Another key focus for Steve is unpacking the safety bureaucracy that slows people down, and he has great advice on making checklists more relevant.

Steve has an alter ego on Instagram - Safetybhoy, and he explains how embracing social media can make safety more interesting and start new conversions. It’s a fun interview, full of great stories and you won’t regret connecting with Stephen Harvey!

The book about checklists(!) that Steve recommended:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/B07MMNM9Z5

Sidney Dekker’s seminal safety book that Steve encourages HSE professionals to read:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/dp/1472439058

Steve also recommends this non-safety book - The Ministry of Common Sense:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ministry-Common-Sense-Eliminate-Bureaucratic/dp/B08P3VW75D

The podcast recommended by Steve:

Rethinking Safety ⚠️ on Apple Podcasts

Safetybhoy on Instagram:

Stephen Harvey | Safety (@safetybhoy) • Instagram photos and videos

Stephen Harvey on LinkedIn:

Stephen Harvey | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Thoughts From a Safety Outlaw

Safety Products Global — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with US Navy veteran James Junkin, CEO of international safety consultancy Mariner-Gulf Consulting and Services, who’s worked in the oil industry since 1995 and is an advisory board member for the American Society of Safety Professionals.

James isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers and shares his no-nonsense thoughts on all things safety in this entertaining interview:

“It seems like every other day, we’re getting a new theory on workplace safety. Let me tell you my theory on workplace safety. It’s about identifying hazards and implementing controls!”

From stating that he doesn’t want to see another safety theory to lambasting the lack of mental health training for EHS professionals, James doesn’t hold back on his views.

In this passionate discussion, he covers all of the hot topics in safety today. He does this from a genuine love for his profession and a positive desire to enhance workplace safety.

What can be done to enhance safety education, salaries and conferences? How can safety professionals become more effective, and where can organizations improve? James has the answers to all these questions.

He also explores the difficult subject of dealing with workplace injuries and fatalities, highlighting the lack of support safety professionals receive to mitigate PTSD and how this must be addressed.

This conversation with James is fast-paced and wide-ranging, but he is always focused on one goal: taking care of people.

James recommends Dr Linda Martin’s podcast, “The Safety Struggle”:

The Safety Struggle Podcast — Dr. Linda F. Martin

And “Psych Health and Safety” - Dr I. David Daniels’ podcast:

Psych Health and Safety Podcast USA

He also suggests reviewing the resources on the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) website to deepen your knowledge:

ASSP - American Society of Safety Professionals | ASSP

James Junkin on LinkedIn:

James Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, ASP, CSHO | LinkedIn

James’ international boutique Risk Management and Occupational Safety and Health Consulting firm:

Home - Mariner-Gulf

The Rise of the Chief Psychological Health Officer

Safety Products Global — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with David Heap, a leading organizational and coaching psychologist with over 30 years of professional experience. He's a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a BSc in Psychology and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

David helps safety professionals understand why organizations are increasingly adding a Chief Psychological Health Officer (CPH) to the boardroom. He explains how approaches to workplace mental wellbeing have changed over recent years - especially since the global pandemic.

But how does this affect safety management? David explores where a CPH could sit within an organizational structure and which backgrounds are best suited for this role. He argues workplace psychological health and safety should be an inter-departmental concern and that the appointment of a CPH shouldn’t diminish collective responsibility.

David insists that workplace mental wellbeing initiatives (including appointing a CPH) should result from genuine concern for the workforce - and not be attention-grabbing activities defunded in 18 months.

He wants organizations to holistically assess the workplace environment to prevent poor psychological health and focus on boosting positive wellbeing in the workforce. Proactivity at a systematic level is crucial - and safety professionals can play a key role in this transition.

David’s coaching consultancy:

https://www.insightmc.com.au/

The National Workplace Initiative in Australia:

National Workplace Initiative | Have Your Say - National Mental Health Commission

David Heap on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidheap/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Recruiting and Building Effective Safety Teams

Safety Products Global — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with former Marine Michael Flynn, Corporate Safety Director of Barnard Construction, who’s held safety roles in construction since 1995.

Hiring in the safety profession is a crucial process for any leader looking to build an effective safety team. At the same time, new safety professionals need to know what skills are required to attract potential employers. Mike can help safety professionals at either end of the spectrum. He’s been recruiting and developing safety teams for decades.

Mike explains why soft skills are particularly important for safety managers. He believes that teaching the technical elements of safety is relatively straightforward. Therefore, he encourages recruiters and candidates to focus on areas such as relationship-building and communication.

He gives top tips on where to look for candidates, how to spot potential and what questions to ask during the interview process.

In the second part of this engaging interview, Mike focuses on building effective safety teams. He recommends concentrating on team members’ strengths and explains why role fit is so important in safety management.

Ultimately, he reveals that the secret to success in workplace safety is caring about your people. And Mike has cared for a lot of co-workers over the last 30 years.

Mike recommends the author Malcolm Gladwell, author of five New York Times bestsellers - The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath.

Malcolm Gladwell – Home | Malcolm Gladwell (gladwellbooks.com)

Another book Mike suggests is Dr Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese:

Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life: Amazon.co.uk: Johnson, Dr Spencer: 8601404197116: Books

Finally, Mike also recommended Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek:

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't: Amazon.co.uk: Sinek, Simon: 9780670923175: Books

Michael Flynn on LinkedIn

Michael Flynn, RSP® | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

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Helping Safety Managers Move From Surviving to Thriving

Safety Products Global — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Subena Colligan, former safety leader in the US Air Force and Kimberly Clark, who is now an EHS transformation coach and consultant. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Occupational Health and Safety, is the vice chair of the board for Global EHS Credentialing and founded her business, S. Coligan Coaching in 2021.

Subena has experienced burnout firsthand and now dedicates her worklife to helping safety professionals move from surviving to thriving. She shares her personal experience of burnout and provides practical tips on prevention and recovery - at both an individual and organizational level.

She believes that the safety profession is especially susceptible to burnout because HSE professionals are so selfless, often don’t consider themselves as employees and have limited opportunities to work from home.

Subena describes the six different causes of burnout and stresses the importance of organizations focusing on prevention. She highlights the benefits of agile strategies to help team members thrive and introduces the concept of an energy inventory to maximize positive workplace experiences.

Safety professionals are urged to prioritize their own wellbeing and not work too many hours - it’s the quality - not quantity - that matters!

The self-leadership book recommended by Subena:

The Four Agreements — don Miguel Ruiz

The book on strategy Subena recommends:

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters: Amazon.co.uk: Rumelt, Richard: 9781781256176: Books

Subena’s coaching consultancy:

Management Consulting for EHS Transformation - subenacolligan

Subena Colligan on LinkedIn:

(4) Subena Colligan, CIH, CSP | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How to Manage Psychosocial Risks in the workplace

Safety Products Global — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Jason van Schie, a psychological Health and Safety expert, qualified psychologist, podcaster and Managing Director of People Diagnostix - a health technology company.

Jason explains that psychosocial risk covers anything in the design or management of work causing employees stress e.g. ongoing unreasonable deadlines or witnessing a traumatic accident.

Safety professionals are given a brief history of workplace mental health awareness - which is now being taken much more seriously and thankfully focuses on prevention rather than cure. Jason explains the key reasons behind this shift in approach and shares the benefits of managing psychosocial risk.

A new standard, ISO 45003, implies that mental health should be managed like any other health and safety risk. Jason reviews this standard and explores what this means for the safety profession. He suggests that HSE professionals should take the lead in psychosocial risk assessment - so workplace mental health isn’t confined to HR.

Jason provides practical guidance on how to monitor and manage psychosocial hazards, with a strong focus on utilizing technology and keeping things simple.

You may be relieved to hear Jason doesn’t believe EHS professionals need to become psychologists(!) - but he does advocate the development of compassion.

Jason’s Psych Health and Safety Podcast:

Psych Health and Safety Podcast

The 45003 Academy - where you can access free resources to understand and adopt the global ISO 45003 standard:

ISO 45003:2021 Psychological health and safety at work FREE resources training pdf

Safe Work Australia’s Model Code of Practice recommended by Jason:

Model Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work | Safe Work Australia

Jason’s health technology company, People Diagnostix:

FlourishDx - Psychological Health, Safety and Wellbeing Software

Jason van Schie on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonvanschie

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Learning Review: How to Improve Safety Investigations

Safety Products Global — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Ivan Pupulidy, an international speaker and consultant focused on Risk, Safety, Aviation, Wildland Firefighting and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). He spent over two decades in the US Forest Service, culminating in a promotion to Director of the Office of Innovation and organizational learning.

Accident investigation techniques have remained static for many decades, yet complexity is increasing. and workplaces are not necessarily safer.

Therefore, Ivan introduced an alternative approach: The Learning Review.

Unlike other accident protocols, it’s designed to understand human actions in complex adaptive systems. Ivan explains how to conduct a learning review in the workplace and why it helps HSE professionals improve safety cultures.

He describes the transition from a frame of unhelpful judgment to positive understanding of the accident, where the system - not individuals - is the key focus of the review.

Ivan explains the importance of humble inquiry, “complex narrative”, focus groups, inclusivity and engagement, new safety review terminology and “learning products”.

It’s a fascinating journey of cultural change, innovation and organizational learning - that ultimately enhanced safety in the US Forest Service.

The university program where Ivan teaches:

School of Engineering – Advanced Safety Engineering and Management | UAB

Ivan and his wife’s consultancy business:

What is Dynamic Inquiry?

Dr Ivan Pupulidy on LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/ivanpupulidy

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Why Authenticity Is Crucial for Effective Safety Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Chris Moulden, Vice President of HSE at Primoris Services, who’s a certified safety management specialist and Canadian-registered safety technician.

Chris prides himself on working with integrity, passion, and a value-driven cultural mindset and uses his leadership skills to help create proactive, sustainable safety-conscious workplace environments.

Many safety professionals discuss the importance of developing trust with employees and management, but Chris believes authenticity is the essential building block.

The term is currently a marketing buzzword, so Chris helps us understand exactly what authenticity in the workplace means. He explains how fear is generally the root cause of inauthentic behavior and why it’s so important to avoid disingenuous safety talk.

Chris explores how to develop authenticity and how you can demonstrate authentic safety leadership in the workplace. He regards HSE professionals as the ultimate team players with crucial roles to play within organizations. But Chris knows this isn’t easy - as he acknowledges; “with great power comes huge responsibility”.

Christopher L. Moulden on LinkedIn:

Christopher L. Moulden, SMS, CHST | LinkedIn

Authors recommended by Chris:

Todd Conklin (Human and Organizational Performance)

Amazon.co.uk: Todd Conklin: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle

Eckhart Tolle (Self-development)

Home - Eckhart Tolle | Official Site - Spiritual Teachings and Tools For Personal Growth and Happiness

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Workplace Safety is for Everyone

Safety Products Global — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr I. David Daniels, a safety consultant and certified safety director, who holds a Ph.D. in occupational health and safety.

David is passionate about keeping everyone safe - not just the designers of workplace systems. He doesn’t blame anyone for currents oversights that put some sections of society at greater risk of injury. Instead, Dr Daniels attributes these safety system gaps to a historical lack of diversity.

He urges HSE professionals to foster open and inclusive safety cultures. Everyone should input into workplace safety, and no interest groups should be afraid to raise their concerns.

Dr Daniels stresses the importance of always asking the entire workforce for feedback, and focusing on the system - not blaming people - when safety incidents occur.

He maintains that everyone has the right to feel safe at work and challenges why some organizations appear more concerned with equipment than workers.

David encourages EHS professionals to focus on safety goals, constantly check the system, and find the right balance between management and the workforce. Safety success is a journey, not a destination, that requires genuine caring rather than fake workplace safety.

Find out more about Dr Daniels’ workplace safety consultancy, ID2 Solutions:

Home - ID2 Solutions, LLC (idaviddaniels.com)

Listen to Psych Health and Safety - David’s podcast:

Psych Health and Safety Podcast USA (psychhealthandsafetyusa.com)

Email Dr Daniels:

david@id2-solutions.com

Follow Dr I. David Daniels on LinkedIn:

I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS | LinkedIn

Learn more about The National Association of Black Compliance and Risk Management Professionals:

NABCRMP - Black Compliance Professionals | Unite. Lead. Inspire

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Understanding the neuroscience of habits to improve safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Cristian Sylvestre, founder and managing director of training consultancy HabitSafe and author of Third Generation Safety: The Missing Piece.

Cristian is passionate about applying the latest neuroscience and behavioral research to help individuals and organizations be safer - and refers to this cutting-edge approach as Third-Generation Safety.

He argues that we’re overlooking the latest brain science, which tells us the subconscious mind drives 95% of our behavior. For Cristian, this is the critical piece missing from safety management because HSE professionals currently only use a conscious-mind approach.

Third-generation safety seeks to work with biology to ingrain safer habits in the workforce’s subconscious through repetition. Cristian explains this is the best way to overcome rushing, frustration, fatigue and autopilot - the four subconscious brain modes that cause 90% of workplace incidents.

Cristian delivers a whole-hearted appeal for a whole-brain approach to workplace safety management.

Find out more about Cristian’s safety training consultancy, HabitSafe:

https://www.habitsafe.com.au/

Cristian’s book, Third Generation Safety:The Missing Piece:

https://www.habitsafe.com.au/the-book

Cristian’s podcast, Safety Frontiers:

https://www.habitsafe.com.au/safety-frontiers-podcast

Cristian Sylvestre on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristiansylvestre/

The two books recommended by Cristian:

The Brain: The Story of You by David Eagleman:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brain-Story-You-David-Eagleman/dp/1782116583

Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behave-Biology-Humans-Best-Worst/dp/009957506X

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Embracing New Approaches to Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Stephen Scott, a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) consultant and speaker who spent three decades at Alcoa, the aluminum giant that famously decided to focus on safety over profits.

Stephen had a realization that pursuing zero incidents was actually harming workplace safety. He argues this approach encourages organizations to cover up mistakes and focus too much on metrics. Furthermore, it actively discouraged the workforce from raising safety events, and EHS professionals missed out on crucial feedback to create safer workplaces.

After a series of fatalities, Stephen knew that something had to change. He tells the story of how HOP and then Critical Risk Management (CRM) were slowly embedded into Alcoa.

Once the organization had embraced principles such as error is normal, people make mistakes and blame fixes nothing, the safety culture started to improve. They then shifted focus from trying to prevent all the high-frequency, low-consequence events to managing critical risks that could lead to serious injuries or fatalities.

It wasn’t a straightforward journey, but Stephen shares real-life stories and practical guidance to help safety professionals embrace new approaches to workplace safety.

Stephen Scott on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-scott-65059a9/

Todd Conklin’s podcasts recommended by Stephen::

PreAccident Investigation:

https://preaccidentpodcast.podbean.com/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Making Safety Suck Less

Safety Products Global — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Sam Goodman, safety consultant, author, podcaster and Human Organizational Performance (HOP) expert.

Sam is convinced that upfront and honest conversations are needed to cultivate safety improvement. He believes the profession has stagnanted for too long and EHS professionals are often overworked and undervalued.

After nearly walking away from safety, he realized that different approaches could make a big difference. A key starting point is redefining the role of an HSE professional and moving away from a “Safety - fix it!” mentality in the workplace.

He uses HOP principles to reassess reporting structures and create the right balance, alignment and expectations between safety practitioners and senior leaders. He also explores how seasoned pros and newbies can come together to take safety forward.

Sam shares his forthright opinions on safety education, recruitment, professional associations, conferences.and social media activity. However, he’s always constructive and remains positive about the future of safety, as encapsulated by his professional motto: “if you work hard and do right by people, the sky's the limit.”

Find out more about Sam’s work:

The HOP Nerd | Sam Goodman | Human and Organizational Performance

Sam’s Podcast:

The HOP Nerd | Sam Goodman | Podcast

Sam’s books:

Amazon.com: Sam Goodman: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Sam Goodman on LinkedIn:

Sam Goodman | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Using Multiple Safety Theories to Implement Critical Risk Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Josh Bryant, a General Manager of People, Risk and Sustainability who’s worked in the mining industry for over 20 years and implemented an award-winning critical risk management system.

Josh has always been open to different workplace safety frameworks and uses scientific reasoning to decide which elements to adopt or reject. He’s not tied to any particular theory, and gives HSE professionals a great overview of his journey of exploration, combining different approaches to safety management.

There are a lot of safety theories, frameworks and ideas, and it can be confusing for EHS professionals looking to implement the best solutions for their organization. Josh demystifies Safety-I, Safety-II, Safety Differently and Human and Organisational Performance (HOP). He explains how these approaches can be combined and tells us why he came to focus on critical risk management.

Josh maintains that flexibility and curiosity are crucial qualities for HSE professionals who should always practice humble inquiry regardless of your approach to workplace safety.

Josh Bryant on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshbryant1

Books recommended by Josh:

The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' by Sidney Dekker:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/dp/1472439058

Workplace Fatalities by Todd Conklin:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Workplace-Fatalities-Discussion-Fatality-Reduction/dp/1546979654

Bob's Guide to Operational Learning by Bob Edwards and Andrea Baker:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bobs-Guide-Operational-Learning-Organizational/dp/B08QRYT5QN

Podcasts recommended by Josh:

PreAccident Investigation:

https://preaccidentpodcast.podbean.com/

The Safety of Work:

https://safetyofwork.com/

Rebranding Safety:

https://podcasts.bcast.fm/rebranding-safety

Safety on Tap

https://www.safetyontap.com/episodes/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Impact of Wellbeing on Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Jason Anker, an author, motivational speaker and consultant who was made a Member of the British Empire in 2015 for his contributions to the world of health and safety.

Jason was paralyzed from the waist down due to an avoidable accident on a construction site in 1993 when he was just 24 years old. He only started speaking about this devastating incident in 2009 and now openly shares his experiences to show EHS professionals how important wellbeing is to workplace safety.

Jason is convinced he would have made different decisions leading up to his accident if he was in better mental shape - that would have kept him safe. He discusses how organizations can focus more on common wellbeing issues and create environments that break the stigma of mental health - where it’s ok to speak up.

In this inspiring interview, Jason explains what individuals and organizations can do to improve wellbeing. He believes safety is a byproduct of a positive working environment and that people should always come before rules and regulations.

Jason’s book, Paralysis to Success: Bouncing Back from Adversity

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PJVS7ZP

Jason Anker and Tim Marsh’s workplace health and safety consultancy business:

https://ankerandmarsh.co.uk/

Find more inspiring speakers and survivors of accidents on Proud 2B Safe:

https://www.p2bs.org/

Jason Anker on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonanker

The Past, Present and Future of Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Scott Gesinger, an experienced safety director and author of The Fearless World of Professional Safety in the 21st Century.

Scott guides safety professionals on a high-level tour of the past, present and future of workplace safety. He begins with the origins of modern safety practices, which emerged after a high-profile disaster in 1911 that was widely publicized across new media channels.

We discover the impact of pioneers such as Heinrich and Deming on safety management, but Scott also explains how fundamental biases and complacency have harmed the profession. It became far too easy to blame individuals and ignore wider systemic safety issues, and EHS professionals became too focused on near misses that could never cause serious harm.

Scott encourages current HSE professionals to remove subjectivity from accident causation, adopt a sandwich approach to safety management with equal emphasis on co-workers and management, and focus on designing processes for humans.

Looking forward, he believes technology, diversity and empathy are key to ensuring that safety remains a relevant scientific and engineering profession that doesn’t get overtaken by other disciplines.

Scott’s book - The Fearless World of Professional Safety in the 21st Century:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fearless-World-Professional-Safety-Century/dp/1138036560

Scott Gesinger on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-gesinger-a6666713/

Jaws - the film Scott recommends all safety professionals should watch:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How To Enhance Safety With a Stop Work Culture

Safety Products Global — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Rey Gonzalez, a consultant and coach who provides expertise on sustainable performance improvement and human error reduction. He's worked in high-risk industries for over 40 years and has spent most his professional life working to improve safety through ehancing human performance.

Rey explains why empowering co-workers to stop work when they sense risk is such a powerful tool to create a positive safety culture. However, he shares the key reasons why this option is often under-utilized and helps safety professionals ensure this initiative is successfully adopted.

Additionally, he has identified the key role triggers play in predicting safety incidents and explains how you can educate your co-workers to spot these warning signs and reduce risk.

Rey strongly advocates empowering people to proactively contribute to safety management and outlines (with practical tips) the key role HSE professionals play in fostering a psychologically safe workplace.

To find out more about Rey’s work, consultancy (Human and Organizational Performance Enhancement), and online training programs (High Reliability Training) visit:

https://hopeconsultingllc.com/

and

https://www.trainhro.com/

Rey Gonzalez on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachreygonzalez/

The books recommended by Rey:

Managing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty

by Karl E. Weick and, Kathleen M. Sutcliffe

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Managing-Unexpected-Resilient-Performance-Uncertainty/dp/0787996491

Still Not Safe: Patient Safety and the Middle-Managing of American Medicine

by Robert L. Wears and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Still-Not-Safe-Middle-Managing-American/dp/B088C3QGHC

Risk-Based Thinking: Managing the Uncertainty of Human Error in Operations

by Tony Muschara

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Risk-Based-Thinking-Tony-Muschara/dp/113830249X

Critical Steps: Managing What Must Go Right in High-Risk Operations

by Tony Muschara, Ron Farris and Jim Marinus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Critical-Steps-Managing-High-Risk-Operations/dp/1032115076

The Safety Profession: Where are We and Where Do We Go From Here?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Logan F. Martin. Logan has over 30 years of experience in occupational safety management across multiple industries and holds a Doctorate in Occupational Health and Safety. Additionally, she owns a successful consulting business, hosts a regular podcast, and is a sought-after speaker at safety industry events.

Dr Martin combines her extensive practical experience and academic knowledge to unpick the great safety theory debate. She’s not interested in which academic approach is right or wrong. Linda just wants safety professionals to focus on saving lives.

She believes that safety management has been overcomplicated by discussions about theory, with the subsequent rift between pseudo academics and boots-on-the-ground practitioners causing serious harm.

Linda urges HSE professionals from all sides of the debate to meet in the middle and take the practice of safety to a more effective level.

To find out more about Logan’s work and consultancy, visit:

https://www.lfmartinllc.com/

Dr Logan F. Martin on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmartinsafety/

Increasing the Influence of Safety Across Your Organization

Safety Products Global — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Deborah Barrett, an Ethics, Compliance & Operations Executive who holds a Master's Degree of Science in Business Ethics and Compliance.

Deborah uses her extensive experience working in corporate settings to help EHS professionals avoid getting lost in complex enterprises. It can be easy to become just another number in large organizations, especially if you are a new starter or remote working is widespread.

She shares extensive practical guidance on how to increase the visibility of safety across your organization. Securing executive support, strategic networking, committee participation, and effective presentations are just some of her recommendation she explores.

Deborah encourages HSE professionals to focus on promoting the benefits of safety and finding natural allies within your company to help achieve your objectives. Not only will this raise the profile of safety management - it will also enhance your career development.

Deborah Barrett on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-barrett-9552888/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Art of Effective Safety Training

Safety Products Global — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Susanne Bahn, co-founder of Tap into Safety - a safety training consultancy. Susanne’s PhD specialized in Health and Safety Management, and she worked as a safety consultant for 15 years.

Dr. Bahn combines her practical experience and academic knowledge to explore a key activity for EHS professionals - safety training. Her mission is to make training more palpable for the end-user while helping organizations deliver more efficient, effective and compliant safety information.

Susanne wants HSE professionals to move away from “death by PowerPoint” and adopt flexible approaches to safety training based on the specific scenario, the audience’s needs, and available technology opportunities.

She provides practical advice on how to choose appropriate learning approaches for specific safety training situations and emphasizes the importance of micro-learning, consistency, simplicity and regularity.

Dr. Bahn discusses the multiple benefits (and common pitfalls) of online learning and explains why using the right language and tone of voice is crucial to ensure your messages are delivered effectively to lay the foundations for a strong safety culture.

You can find out more about Susanne’s work and her company, Tap into Safety by visting:

https://tapintosafety.com.au/about-us/

Dr. Susanne Bahn on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-susanne-bahn-13383318

The podcasts - Safety on Tap and Safeopedia - recommended by Susanne:

https://www.safetyontap.com/episodes/

https://feeds.captivate.fm/safetywithpurposepodcast/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Writing Effective Safety Procedures

Safety Products Global — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Bridget Leathley, a freelance health and safety adviser, writer, instructional designer, trainer and auditor. She's also a Chartered Fellow with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health and an Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society.

Bridget highlights the importance of well-written and clearly communicated safety procedures - and how they represent “quick wins” for HSE professionals.

Major safety initiatives are often unrealistic for EHS professionals due to budget restraints. However, simply assessing and improving your safety procedures can significantly improve your organization’s safety performance.

Bridget offers many practical tips (with real-life examples) on how you can write better procedures, including: starting with the safety objectives, involving co-workers, using simple language, avoiding ambiguity, and including imagery.

She shares guidance on how often EHS professionals should revisit procedures and considers the role of multi-media in current and future safety management.

Bridget is passionate about getting organizations to adopt technology to keep people safe and healthy - but explains that the needs of the audience and the task should always drive how safety procedures are presented to co-workers.

You can find out more about Bridget’s work and her company, The Safer Choice by visting:

https://thesaferchoice.co.uk/

Bridget Leathley on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetleathley

The book recommended by Bridget:

A Guide To Task Analysis by Barry Kirwan

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How Storytelling Can Play a Key Role in Safety Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mary Stine, an EHS director, consultant and storytelling expert.

Mary combines her safety experience with her passion for telling stories to help HSE professionals leverage the power of narrative.

She explains why storytelling is so compelling for humans and how this can be harnessed to help organizations improve safety performance.

Mary discusses many elements of storytelling, including neuroscience, structure, timing, knowing your audience, and the key skills you need to create compelling narratives.

She stresses the importance of transparency, self-awareness, proficiency and authenticity when communicating in your workplace - and explains why listening is also key to collaborating with co-workers to improve organizational safety.

You can learn more about Mary’s work with the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and WISE (Women in Safety Excellence) online at:

https://sj.assp.org/

Mary Stine on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rocketscience06/

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 tips on how to write a short story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmVcIhnvSx8

The books recommended by Mary:

Leadership from the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life by Kevin Cashman:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leadership-Inside-Out-Becoming-Leader/dp/1576755991

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Speed-Trust-Stephen-Covey-2006-08-01/dp/B01K3JXQVC

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Gray Areas of Ethical Decision-Making in Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Bettina Palazzo, a business ethics expert who is the founder of the consultancy: Palazzo Ethics Advisory.

Bettina applies her extensive academic and practical knowledge of ethics to workplace safety.

She helps EHS professionals unpick the psychological dynamics that lead to unethical behavior and explains why workplace safety decision-making is not always black and white.

Her inclusive approach to safety management contains great advice on communicating with co-workers, including starting with the “why”, focusing on individual needs, using jargon-free narrative, and avoiding parent mode.

Bettina also highlights the importance of ensuring your leaders role model good safety practice and create speak-up safety cultures.

To find out more about Bettina’s consultancy, visit:

https://bettinapalazzo.com/

Bettina Palazzo on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettina-palazzo

The Leadership Embodiment book recommended by Bettina:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leadership-Embodiment-Stand-Change-Think/dp/1492946699

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Why Investigations Should Play a More Significant Role in Safety Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mark Alston, a risk management and safety expert who is the founder of Investigations Differently consultancy.

Mark helps HSE professionals understand why safety investigations can be too narrowly focused and only result in blame rather than benefits.

Fortunately, he shares helpful advice on how you can implement better investigations in your workplace. Mark encourages EHS professionals to move away from a top-down approach and instead harness co-workers as part of the solution to deliver systemic risk reduction.

He argues that safety investigations are great opportunities to enable organizations to learn critical information from their people about how work is actually completed. Furthermore, Marks shows you how this can be used positively to improve overall safety performance.

To find out more about Mark’s consultancy, visit:

https://investigationsdifferently.com.au/

Mark Alston on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alstonmark/

The three books recommended by Mark:

Pre-accident investigations by Todd Conklin

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pre-Accident-Investigations-Todd-Conklin/dp/1409447820

The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' by Sidney Dekker:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/dp/1472439058

Paper Safe by Greg Smith:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paper-Safe-triumph-bureaucracy-management-ebook/dp/B07HVRZY8C

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Causes of Safety System Failure and How You Can Prevent It

Safety Products Global — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Chris Clearfield, a coaching consultant, speaker, and co-author of “Meltdown: Why our systems fail and what we can do about it”.

Chris studies disasters, and his research into systems failure provides many valuable lessons for EHS professionals who rely on systems every day to maintain safety.

He explains how understanding system complexity and coupling (the amount of slack) can help HSE professionals keep their safety systems out of “the danger zone” and prevent accidents.

Also, he highlights how improving systems - so they provide more feedback - is key to making better safety decisions.

Using real-life disasters such as Deepwater Horizon, Chris provides lots of practical advice on implementing HSE change and creating more curious, experiential and inclusive safety cultures.

To find out more about Chris’ work, visit:

https://www.chrisclearfield.com/

Chris Clearfield on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisclearfield/

Chris’ book, “Meltdown: Why our systems fail and what we can do about it” - Financial Times' best business book of the year, 2018:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meltdown-Systems-Fail-What-About/dp/1786492245

Is New View Safety More Effective Than Traditional Approaches?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 30 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Elisa Lynch, an HSE manager in the construction industry and frequent guest on safety podcasts, who has strong opinions and uses strong language.

Elisa’s early career in EHS was very Traditional Safety oriented - sometimes referred to as Safety-1 or Command and Control Safety. However, more recently she’s directly experienced New View Safety, also known as Safety-2 or Safety Differently.

Regardless of terminology, it’s common for members of the HSE community to align themselves with one of these two orientations.

However, Elisa’s analysis and observations have coninced her it’s too simplistic to claim one safety approach is more effective than the other. She explains why HSE professionals needed fresh ideas while asserting that abandoning traditional approaches to safety would be counter-productive.

Elisa strongly believes New View Safety builds on Traditional Safety but definitely doesn’t replace it. Instead, EHS professionals just need to focus on the most appropriate ways to improve safety outcomes and set people up for success.

Elisa Lynch on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisalynch/

The online community for HSE professionals Elisa attributes for accelerating her safety learning and passion:

https://www.projectmollitiam.com/

Elisa also highly recommends Paper Safe by Greg Smith:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paper-Safe-triumph-bureaucracy-management-ebook/dp/B07HVRZY8C

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How Human and Organizational Performance Can Help Safety Professionals

Safety Products Global — Mon, 23 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Andrea Baker, a human and organizational performance (HOP) expert and consultant, and former safety professional who has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Andrea advocates a paradigm shift in our approach to HSE. She recognizes safety as an emergent property of the larger industrial system and explains that good performance is not the absence of inevitable human errors - but the presence of appropriate prevention and mitigation.

Combining psychology, sociology, and system design, Andrea explores why humans make mistakes and errors, and why safety systems are not predictable and will never be perfect. She emphasizes the importance of EHS professionals engaging with co-workers and provides practical advice on influencing their adoption of new safety procedures.

Andrea encourages HSE professionals to stop looking for faults in people or safety systems and become more interested in learning about how you want to be working in safety error reduction.

You can find out more about Andrea’s work by visiting:

https://www.thehopmentor.com/

To help with your HOP journey, a group of experts, including Andrea, have pooled their resources in the HOP hub:

https://www.hophub.org/

Andrea has co-written a book called Bob's Guide to Operational Learning: How to Think Like a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Coach:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bobs-Guide-Operational-Learning-Organizational/dp/B08QRYT5QN

Andrea Baker on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-baker-448832148/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Impact of Stress on Workplace Health and Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 16 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Martha Grajdek, an industrial organizational (IO) psychologist, researcher, executive coach, speaker and author who’s been advising on stress management and leadership for over two decades.

Combining science with a holistic approach, Martha explains what IO psychology is and how it can help HSE professionals improve health and safety in the workplace.

She is an expert in work-related stress and shares her knowledge in identifying and managing this issue. Martha recognizes that stress is particularly significant for EHS professionals. It can seriously compromise their safety management initiatives, and HSE professionals have very stressful roles.

Therefore, Dr Grajdek provides helpful guidance throughout her interview on the steps you can take to manage stress across your organization and within yourself - with a key focus on self-care.

Martha has used her expertise and experience to create a course in stress management:

https://mgbs-global-llc.mykajabi.com/store

To find out more about Dr Grajdek’s work, visit her website:

https://drmarthagrajdek.com/

Martha Grajdek on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-grajdek-phd-mba-9234137/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Who is Ultimately Accountable for Safety?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 09 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brye Sargent, a professional workplace safety coach and trainer with over 20 years of safety management experience across multiple industries.

Brye believes that EHS professionals are undervalued in the workplace and should receive far more support implementing safety programs from frontline supervisors and managers.

Furthermore, because safety impacts all areas of an organization and has such wide-ranging benefits, she argues that HSE professionals should be seen as a member of the executive management team.

Brye shares great practical tips on making this a reality and achieving safety accountabilty, including how to encourage co-worker involvement, compromise with operations, and collaborate with leadership.

Her coaching business is called The Safety Geek, she hosts a podcast and YouTube channel and offers online safety management resources and courses to up-and-coming EHS professionals.

Brye Sargent on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brye-sargent/

The Safety Geek website:

https://thesafetygeek.com/

The Safety Geek podcast:

https://thesafetygeek.com/category/podcast

The Safety Geek Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/SafetyGeek

Download her five step infographic on accountability:

https://thesafetygeek.com/slice

The book that Brye refers to in her interview is:

The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller

The Benefits of Community in Safety Management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 02 May 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with David Sarkus, safety speaker, consultant, coach and author, who has been recognized by ISHN as one of the top 50 leaders in his field.

David first started exploring the role of community in safety management during the 1990s, and this subject has been a primary focus of his career, research and writing ever since.

Based on the simple principle that developing a sense of community helps people care more about each other and what they do, he realized community could play a vital role in keeping everyone safe in the workplace.

David later identified five key drivers of community in the workplace. He walks EHS professionals through each of these - mission, diversity, openness, fairness, and consensus - and uses high-profile examples to demonstrate how they can either build or erode safety within your organization.

David Sarkus on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsarkus

You can discover more about David’s work on his website:

https://davidsarkus.com/

Or access his online safety leadership courses:

https://www.virtualdavidsarkus.com/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The Impact of Silos on Workplace Safety

Safety Products Global — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Jim Loud, a safety management consultant, sought-after speaker, and respected author with over 40 years of experience in the EHS industry.

Jim has seen many changes during his illustrious career in HSE. However, despite progressive new approaches to workplace safety, it is clear that silos still persist.

This causes organizational inefficiencies, adds unnecessary costs and crucially undermines workplace safety. So, how can EHS professionals break down safety silos?

Jim believes you can play a key role, using your relationship and influencing skills to build bridges within the organization and involving non-HSE co-workers in safety management initiatives.

Never afraid to challenge safety traditional, Jim focuses on the Deepwater Horizon disaster to show that more safety people or procedures and quick fixes don’t guarantee safety success.

Instead, EHS professionals should prioritize more collaboration with people who aren't in safety to improve the overall safety effort. Jim implores you to build relationships with people and not machinery!

Jim’s safety management consultancy is called James Loud Consulting, and he’s based in Colorado, United States.

Jim Loud on LinkedIn (where you can find a selection of his articles on safety management):

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-loud-csp-ms-mph-26357917

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Developing Successful Safety Management Systems

Safety Products Global — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 02:23:33 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Nektarios Karanikas, Associate Professor in Health, Safety & Environment at Queensland University of Technology.

Dr Karanikas truly understands the importance and complexity of safety management systems because this subject was the focus of his doctorate research.

Therefore, he is a leading authority for all safety professionals looking to maximize the effectiveness of their safety management systems.

Nektarios explains that safety management systems are far more than a directory of documents or processes and must consider the entire holistic safety environment. He shares the critical success factors and - just as importantly - the key reason why safety management systems fail.

A key theme throughout Dr Karanikas’ interview is the importance of human factors in safety management systems. You’ll discover they are not simply collections of technical processes that can be rebuilt by safety professionals using a manual. Instead, they are complex, evolving ecosystems with many variables, including culture and relationships - which cannot always be controlled.

Nektarios spent nearly two decades working in safety management in the Hellenic Air Force and holds a Master's of Science in human factors and safety assessment in aeronautics.

Dr Nektarios Karanikas on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nektarioskaranikas

Dr Nektarios Karanikas at Queensland University of Technology:

https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/nektarios.karanikas

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

How HSE Professionals can Understand the Impact of Business Models on Safety Culture

Safety Products Global — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 03:21:06 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Tanya Hewitt, a safety regulations and health population expert who is passionate about safety science and human and organizational performance.

Tanya gives safety professional’s a bird’s-eye view of organizational models and assesses the role that HSE currently plays in these business structures.

She strongly believes that old models based on command and control are no longer appropriate and shares practical guidance on how safety professionals can influence senior leadership and drive positive change.

Using compelling case studies, Tanya shows HSE professionals how to expand your influence, redefine your role and move safety up the boardroom agenda.

Tanya is currently the owner of ‘Beyond Safety Compliance’, an Ottawa based consultancy that helps organizations go beyond the minimum safety regulations and increase their overall health:

https://www.beyondsafetycompliance.ca/index.html#home

Tanya Hewitt on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-hewitt-55804529/

Tanya’s monthly ‘Beyond Safety Compliance’ webinar series:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-safety-compliance-monthly-series-registration-154099155723

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The importance of people skills in safety management

Safety Products Global — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 03:37:11 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Jerry Smith, an HSE expert with over 20 years of experience in workplace safety across a wide range of industries.

Jerry outlines why strong people skills are essential for modern HSE professionals, and shares his wisdom on inevitable challenges, such as overcoming leadership apathy towards safety and having difficult safety conversations with employees.

His starting point is always people, and Jerry’s human-centered approach to safety management focuses on qualities such as honesty, compassion, trust, empathy and continuous self-improvement. He genuinely cares - and eats, sleeps and breathes safety.

Jerry is currently HSE, Compliance & Risk Manager at Vanderlande in Australia.

Jerry A. Smith on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-a-smith-77002852

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

The end-to-end process of safety culture change

Safety Products Global — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 01:54:35 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Kym Bancroft, an organizational psychologist turned leading health and safety executive.

Kym walks EHS professionals through each stage of safety transformation to help them ensure they start in the right place, get the required buy-in, implement initiatives effectively and monitor the most important metrics.

Never afraid to challenge traditional approaches to HSE, Kym explains how she incorporates human-centered methodologies and psychological principles to drive evidence-based innovation. She covers diagnostics, implementation, evaluation and iteration and highlights the importance of decluttering, safety metrics, critical control work insights, learning teams and restorative culture.

Kym is currently the Head of HSE (Asia Pacific) at Serco and has a Masters’ in Applied Psychology and a Masters in Safety Leadership.

Kym Bancroft on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kymbancroft/

Doing Safety Differently documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gREMV6j2A4

Safety Differently in practice with Kym Bancroft:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIa7-k_y9AA

Safety on Tap podcast featuring Kym Bancroft:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5zJnEDxYQs5RreXLsdOCwi

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Mitigating Human Risk and Influencing Decision-Making through Understanding Behavioral Science

Safety Products Global — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 05:03:16 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Christian Hunt, a behavioral scientist with focus on safety.

Christian takes a deep dive into understanding human risk and how this concept helps EHS professionals become even more effective.

He reveals how humans tend to be hidden risk magnets in the workplace and shares insights into the impact of action and inaction on safety. With a sharp focus on the synergy of ethics and compliance, Christian manages to draw the line between having too many or too few constraints on co-workers. While discussing daily safety procedures, he explains why a reformative and learning culture must underpin safety management, and how EHS professionals could harness basic marketing approaches to influence people and change behaviors.

Christian Hunt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humanrisk/

Christian Hunt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/christianjhunt

The Human Risk Podcast: https://www.humanriskpodcast.com

The Human Risk Website: https://www.human-risk.com

“Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely – https://danariely.com/books/predictably-irrational/

“Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman –

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374533555

“Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen” by Zoe Chance – https://www.amazon.com/dp/198485433X

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Building Rapport as a Safety Manager

Safety Products Global — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 03:17:23 -0700

In this episode, Mary Conquest talks with Joel Neily. Joel’s background in safety management is unconventional and highlights strategies for building rapport with employees. Trust, integrity, and balanced communication are key to Joel being a respected and approachable EHS expert.

As one of the few safety experts who chose against studying at university, Joel expands on the advantages and disadvantages of his decision, how it sets him apart from his colleagues, and what he would do differently if he got the chance. Starting from trucks to transport safety, Joel has great organic insight into why talking to people is important and how to identify the people who need to be won over.

Joel Neily is the Safety and Risk Manager at Bruce Automotive Dealerships and has over 27 years of experience behind him in the field of transport and safety.

Joel Neily on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-neily-687248113/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

What is Intrinsic Stability and How Can It Transform Safety and Culture?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 04:02:06 -0800

In this episode, Mary Conquest talks with Chris Smith. Chris discusses the role of safety in an organization, elements of safety culture, leadership, trust, and effective communication in safety, amongst other topics.

Chris Smith is the author of ‘Intrinsic Stability: How Organic Leadership Breeds Excellence’ and an experienced EHS Manager and Certified Safety Professional (CSP) with a pure passion for creating excellence. Throughout his career, he has successfully developed and led continuous improvement initiatives to achieve Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) success and OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star status.

Chris Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-smith-aaa5a714/

"Intrinsic Stability: How Organic Leadership Breeds Excellence" by Chris Smith – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZJQJW3L/

In the interview, Chris mentioned resources that help improve management skills and relations in the work space, including “The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LHRM2O/

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

How Can You Make a Case for Empowering Safety Culture?

Safety Products Global — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 01:54:28 -0800

In our first episode, Mary Conquest talks with professor Tim Marsh, a leading expert in behavioral safety and occupational psychology. Tim Marsh discusses mental health, elements of safety culture, making a business case for management, situational awareness, effective communication in safety, and other topics.

Tim Marsh was one of the team leaders of the original UK research into behavioral safety in the early 1990s, and is a Chartered Psychologist and a Chartered Fellow of IOSH. He ran the open courses on Behavioural Safety and Safety Culture for IOSH for many years. He has worked with hundreds of companies around the world, including the BBC, the National Theatre and the European Space Agency, as well as the usual list of blue-chip organizations from manufacturing, utilities, food and drink, oil and gas, and pharmaceutics. He was awarded a President's Commendation by the Institute of Risk and Safety Management in 2008 and was selected as their first ever 'Specialist Fellow' in 2010.

Tim Marsh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-marsh-a24a01a/

"Talking Health, Safety and Wellbeing: Building an Empowering Culture in a Post-COVID World" by Tim Marsh -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GK16CND/

In the interview, Tim Marsh mentioned "Black Box Thinking" by Matthew Syed.

Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.com

Introducing Safety Labs by Slice

Safety Products Global — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:46:04 -0800

Episode 0. The goal of this episode is to give you some context and tell you what to expect from this podcast.

We’ve been working with safety managers for years, and we’ve learned that soft skills are core skills: they’re at the center of every successful safety implementation or initiative. We want to be a resource for safety professionals who recognize the need to continuously improve their human relationship skills.

Keep connected with us by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, or search for Safety Labs by Slice in your favorite podcast player.

Feedback or ideas for the show? Email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com