Safety Labs by Slice

Safety is a Team Sport

Aug 7, 2023

Former OSHA compliance officer turned safety educator Dr. Todd Loushine discusses the importance of civil discourse in safety, promoting open-mindedness, mentorship, and collaboration among safety professionals. He emphasizes the value of soft skills, practical experiences, and continuous learning in developing successful safety practitioners. Todd envisions a future of innovation, job satisfaction, and worker well-being in the safety profession.

57:36

Creator website

Episode guests

Todd Loushine

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Formal safety education involves developing essential skills beyond obtaining a degree.

Balance between technical knowledge and interpersonal skills is crucial in safety education.

Continuous learning and adaptation are essential for enhancing safety practices in the evolving safety profession.

Deep dives

The Value of Formal Safety Education

Formal safety education has been a topic of debate in the safety profession. While some believe that real-world experience is where the true learning begins, Todd Luchein, an associate professor in Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety, offers a different perspective. He emphasizes that formal safety education is not just about obtaining a degree but is a process that involves developing essential skills like time management, learning techniques, and problem-solving abilities. Luchein stresses the importance of practical application and continuous skill development beyond classroom learning.

Intro

2min

Importance of Formal Safety Education and Skill Development

10min

Balancing Technical Knowledge and Interpersonal Skills in Safety Education

4min

Challenges and Trends in Student Learning Approaches from High School to University

5min

Prioritizing Civil Discourse in Safety

7min

Promoting Open-minded Discourse in Safety Professional Fields

28min

Connecting with the Host and Promoting Civil Discourse

2min

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