PreAccident Investigation Podcast PAPod 559 - Exploring the Evolution of Safety Leadership with Tom Krause
Aug 16, 2025
In a dynamic discussion, Tom Krause, founder of Behavioral Science Technology and a pioneer in behavioral-based safety, shares insights on the evolution of safety leadership. He emphasizes how leadership decisions directly shape workplace safety culture and outcomes. The conversation touches on the relevance of W. Edwards Deming's principles and critiques traditional safety models. They explore the crucial link between leadership and organizational culture, alongside the exciting yet risky intersection of AI and safety practices. Krause's transformative ideas illuminate the future of safety leadership.
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Behavioral Safety Was A Necessary Step
- Behavioral-based safety spread widely and made organizations focus on individual worker behavior as the main lever for safety.
- That focus was a necessary maturity step but later revealed limits when addressing catastrophic events.
Long Friendship And A Safety Legacy
- Tom Krause founded BST in 1979 and helped popularize behavioral-based safety globally.
- Todd and Tom have been friends for decades and reconnect often in Santa Fe, reflecting long collaboration.
Trace Fatalities Back To Leadership Decisions
- Fatalities often trace back to prior leadership decisions rather than only frontline errors.
- Mapping decisions backward reveals how earlier choices removed worker agency and set the stage for serious events.
