

The Safety Guru
Eric Michrowski
Real leaders leave a legacy. They capture the hearts and minds of their teams. Their origin story puts the safety and wellbeing of their people first. Great companies ubiquitously have safe yet productive operations. For those companies, Safety is an investment, not a cost for the C-Suite. It’s a real topic of daily focus. The SAFETY GURU with host Eric Michrowski, a globally recognized Ops & Safety Guru, public speaker and author explores through leader interviews how to leave a safety legacy. Your legacy success story begins now.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 17, 2024 • 30min
Episode 116 - The Neuroscience of Psychological Safety with Linda Ray
Don't miss our latest episode of The Safety Guru! Join us as Linda Ray, a seasoned expert in applied organizational neuroscience, shares her insights on the neuroscience of psychological safety. Linda delves into the 5 Social Brain Needs that are crucial for fostering a sense of belonging, connection, and engagement within teams. She provides actionable strategies for leaders to enhance psychosocial safety in the workplace, leading to improved performance and building a stronger safety culture. Tune in to gain valuable insights that can make a powerful impact on your organization!About the Guest: Linda Ray is the founder and Executive Director of NeuroCapability. Her mission is to change the world one brain at a time. With a career spanning over 25 years in applied organizational neuroscience, leadership development, and executive and team coaching, Linda is widely recognized for her pivotal contributions to the advancement of knowledge in cultivating high-performing teams across the globe, including in Australia, Asia, the United Kingdom, Greece, Dubai, and New Zealand. For more information: https://neurocapability.com.au/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 3, 2024 • 32min
Episode 115 - Looking Beyond Human Error to Improve Safety with Dr. Mark Young
We all make errors all the time. Join us for a fascinating conversation on looking beyond human error to improve safety, featuring special guest Dr. Mark Young. With profound insights into human factors and backed by solid research, Dr. Young shares the psychological mechanisms behind errors and emphasizes the importance of fostering a learning culture to enhance safety. The conversation also covers the impact of vehicle automation on safety and the critical role of fatigue risk management in safety-critical industries. Don’t miss this engaging episode!About the Guest: Professor Mark Young is a professor of human factors in transport within the Transportation Research Group at the University of Southampton and is currently the president of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF). Mark has nearly 30 years of experience working in human factors across transport modes in both academia and industry. Before joining the University of Southampton in June 2023, Mark spent 11 years working as an Inspector at the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, applying his human factors expertise to investigate railway incidents and accidents. For more information: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/62gmgv/professor-mark-young Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 19, 2024 • 37min
Episode 114 - Soaring Safely: Insights from Above the Wings to Ground Safety with Emma Henderson
Drawing from her extensive experience as an airline captain, Emma Henderson joins the show to share her pivotal insights from "Above the Wings to Ground Safety," illustrating how other industries can effectively apply key aviation safety elements. She recounts the inspiring story behind Project Wingman Foundation, highlighting its profound impact and lessons learned. Emma emphasizes the importance of peer support, civility, and an organizational culture of learning in fostering a safe culture. Join us for this engaging episode to discover how you can elevate safety in your industry. About the Guest: Emma Henderson is a multi-award-winning professional speaker, author, airline captain, and founder and CEO of Project Wingman Foundation Ltd. Until September 2020, she was one of fewer than 500 female airline captains globally, flying thousands of passengers across Europe. Emma is well versed in the transferable skills practiced daily by all pilots - teamwork, inspirational leadership, decision-making, workload management, and communication, skills honed over a decade. She delivers inspirational talks to organizations like RBS, NatWest, CAE, the MOD, the NHS, the London Insurance market, and EDF, captivating audiences with her story, compassion, and humor, motivating them to improve themselves. For more information: https://www.emma-henderson.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 5, 2024 • 36min
Episode 113 - After the Crash: Miracle Survivor's Mission for Change with Mercedes Ramirez Johnson
We invite you to join us for this compelling episode as we explore the incredible journey of Mercedes Ramirez Johnson, a miracle survivor of the 1995 airplane crash that tragically took 160 lives, including those of her parents. Tune in as Mercedes recounts her miraculous story, the critical safety issues uncovered in the aftermath, and the lessons learned from this tragedy. Listen in as she transforms her personal tribulation into a mission for change, striving to prevent future aviation disasters and ensuring no one else endures what she has been through.About the Guest: In 1995, Mercedes Ramirez Johnson narrowly survived a commercial airplane crash that killed 160 people, including her parents. She presents her proprietary Second Chance Living concept, an innovative mindset and approach with a proven track record, to organizations such as General Electric, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, NASA, Chevron, and the various branches of the US Armed Forces. Her extensive media experience includes appearances on The BBC, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Health Channel, and as a recurring guest on numerous nationally syndicated daytime talk shows on NBC and ABC. For more information: https://www.mercedesramirezjohnson.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 22, 2024 • 42min
Episode 112 - Bridging the Gap: Safety Principles from Aviation to Healthcare Safety with Niall Downey
Join us for an enlightening episode featuring our special guest, Niall Downey. As an airline captain and a doctor, Niall shares his extensive experience in both aviation and healthcare to bridge the gap between these critical industries. He explains how aviation's proven safety principles can reduce human errors in healthcare, offering compelling examples and insights. Don't miss this insightful conversation that explores the critical topic of error management and how to address it, applicable to any safety-critical industry!About the Guest: Niall Downey qualified as a doctor from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1993 and trained as a surgeon in Belfast, receiving his FRCSI in 1997. He retrained as an airline pilot with Aer Lingus in 1999 and qualified as a captain in 2010. In 2011, Niall formed Frameworkhealth Ltd, a company providing aviation-style safety training modified specifically for healthcare, drawing on his thirty-five years of experience in both industries. In 2023, Niall published his first book, ‘Oops! Why Things Go Wrong,’ which explores the increasingly topical issue of error across industry and society and, most importantly, how to address it. For more information: www.frameworksafety.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 8, 2024 • 33min
Episode 111 - Building a Strong Safety Culture through Clarity with Ann Latham
In this must-listen episode, we invited a special guest, Ann Latham, widely known as the Queen of Clarity. Ann shares the power of clarity in fostering clear communication and understanding to achieve joint commitment across your organization. She introduces her powerful insights on the disconnect principle, offering practical advice to help you build a strong safety culture through clarity in your workplace. Tune in now to gain valuable insights!About the Guest: ANN LATHAM, known widely as the Queen of Clarity, is the author of the modern classic The Power of Clarity and the new release The Disconnect Principle in addition to The Clarity Papers and Uncommon Meetings. She founded US-based consulting firm Uncommon Clarity® where her clients represented over 40 industries and ranged from organizations. Ann's advice has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Bloomberg, and Management Today, and is an expert blogger for Forbes.com. For more Inofrmation: https://annlatham.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 25, 2024 • 26min
Episode 110 - Harmony at the Table Negotiation Strategies to Elevate Safety with Keld Jensen
In this episode, we welcome Keld Jensen, a renowned expert in negotiation, to delve into a crucial yet often overlooked dimension of workplace safety—negotiation and strategic collaboration. Keld shares essential insights on how strategic negotiation can transform safety from a core value into tangible, actionable outcomes. He highlights the importance of collaboration and shared responsibility, particularly with subcontractors, to ensure that safety is prioritized in every aspect of operations. Join us now for a profound understanding of how negotiation serves as a powerful tool in enhancing safety culture, creating an environment where all stakeholders work collectively towards a safer workplace.About the Guest: Mr. Keld Jensen is an award winning international author, professor, speaker, advisor and expert in negotiations, behavioral economics and trust. He is the founder of the SMARTnership strategy. His core mission is to improve the way we collaborate by elevated negotiation strategies and the award winning NegoEconomics. Keld is the former chairman of Centre for Negotiation at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, and is the author of 26 books on international negotiation and communication which is published in more than 37 countries in 18 languages and got more than 3 million readers. For more Inofrmation: https://keldjensen.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 11, 2024 • 29min
Episode 109 - Fatigue Risk Management: Ensuring Safety in High-Risk Work with Susan Sawatzky
In this episode, we deep dive into the critical topic of effectively managing fatigue in high-risk work environments with our special guest, Susan Sawatzky. Join us as we explore various factors that contribute to fatigue and discuss strategies to effectively mitigate risks and manage its effects. Tune in to learn how these approaches can enhance worker safety and productivity, emphasizing safety as a priority in industries where every second counts. Listen now!About the Guest: Susan Sawatzky is the President of In-Scope Solutions, a company dedicated to managing human risk factors or “The People Part of Safety” with a focus on fatigue risk management, stress management, mental health and wellness, enhancing healthy workplace cultures, and psychological health and safety in the workplace. Susan's specialization in fatigue risk management began over a decade ago when she managed the fatigue portfolio for the Canadian Oil & Gas Safety Association. Susan is also an international speaker and keynote conference presenter. For more information: www.in-scope.ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 27, 2024 • 49min
Episode 108 - The Power of a Safety Agreement to Boost Safety Culture with Ken Roberts
Don't miss this engaging and enlightening conversation with Ken Roberts, who brings over forty years of rich experience in mining, heavy industry, and construction. Ken shares invaluable insights on how frontline workers can buy into safety by building trust within teams and understanding the profound consequences of their actions. He emphasizes the importance of creating a safety commitment agreement for frontline workers to truly embrace safety in their daily lives. Ken also introduces the concept of 'Convenience Kills.' He discusses its stages and explains how organizations can effectively engage frontline workers in a powerful safety agreement to enhance their safety culture.About the Guest:With over forty years of rich experience in mining, heavy industry, and construction, Ken Roberts is a pioneer in transforming workplace cultures. He is the creator of the ground-breaking 'Convenience Kills' program, designed to move cultures from being convenience-driven to being consequence-driven, through his innovative “Agreements Culture” formula, which promotes voluntary accountability and ownership. His extensive global experience in enhancing safety cultures directly tackles key workplace challenges like low morale and conflict, fostering a sense of camaraderie and empowerment within teams. Ken's dedicated efforts significantly boost safety, productivity, and leadership effectiveness, leading to profound improvements in organisational dynamics and outcomes. For more information: https://transfoorm.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 13, 2024 • 35min
Episode 107 - Safety Is All About Learning with David East
Join us to explore the profound lessons and our understanding of safety in high-risk fields with our special guest, David East. In this episode, he brings his deep expertise in Human & Organizational Performance to discuss critical risks, learning from incidents, and the interconnected factors behind them. Drawing on examples from aviation and his experience in the Royal Australian Air Force, David shares his insights on transitioning to a learning zone, emphasizing that safety is all about learning. Tune in to gain valuable insights!About the Guest: David East is an accomplished Human Performance, Safety Management System & Leadership Consultant with a passion for enhancing workplace cultures, safety systems and optimizing human potential. With extensive experience in multiple industries, he leads CrewFusion. While running a successful consultancy business, David continues a career in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). This extensive operational experience provided him with firsthand understanding of the critical importance of safety and human factors in high-pressure environments. For more information: https://crewfusionteambuilding.com.au/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices