The Safety Guru

In recognition of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we are honored to welcome Karen Torres to The Safety Guru, where she will share her heartfelt story of turning personal tragedy into impactful change. Karen became committed to advocating for road safety after losing her father in a distracted driving incident. She has devoted her life to raising awareness about work zone safety and the dangers and realities of distracted driving that affect us all. Tune in as Karen advocates for safer roads for all through education, situational awareness, and being an effective role model.About the Guest: Karen Torres is a passionate advocate for road safety with over 14 years of experience as a motivational speaker. Her commitment to raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving stems from a personal tragedy — the loss of her father, Patrick Mapleson, in a distracted driving incident. Karen has turned her pain into purpose, dedicating her life to sharing her compelling story at high schools, employee safety trainings, and corporate conferences across the nation. Karen is also a member of the Speaker's Bureau for NY SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions); she provides impactful presentations that aim to inspire positive change and save lives. For more information: https://www.all4udad.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome our special guest, Paul Mahoney, to The Safety Guru to share his moving story and his passion for inspiring safer workplaces for all. In 2000, Paul was working in the paper industry in the UK when he suffered a severe injury in the workplace. This critical incident impacted his personal life and set his mission to help others. Listen in as Paul shares valuable insights for fostering a safety culture by creating a safe environment to ask questions and raise concerns. Tune in for inspiration and practical advice on making a positive impact for a safer tomorrow.About the Guest: Back in 2000, Paul Mahoney was one of 600 who suffered a major injury in the Paper Industry and one of 27,000 in the whole of the UK. He is the first (to our knowledge) who had his left arm severed above the elbow and, in a 16-hour operation, had it reattached successfully. Paul shares his story with companies and uses his experiences to guide them to a safer culture by building an important bridge between staff, safety professionals, and leaders. Paul has written two books, one about his accident and the other about LEGO Serious Play and how to use the methodology to build a better culture. For more information: https://www.paulinspiringsafety.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we celebrate our milestone 100th episode, we're excited to spotlight a crucial topic on The Science Behind Safe Decision Making with our special guest, The Decision Doctor®, Dr. Constance Dierickx. With her expert insights, Constance shares strategies for overcoming common decision-making biases and the importance of saying no to urgency when faced with consequential decisions in the workplace. This episode is packed with practical solutions grounded in fascinating research and science. Tune in to transform your approach to safe decision-making, armed with effective strategies!About the Guest: Dr. Constance Dierickx is a sought-after advisor to boards and senior executives in high-stakes situations, including strategic pivots, CEO transitions, board conflicts, and crises. Constance has consulted with dozens of boards and over 500 executives on five continents. Clients call her “The Decision Doctor®.” Recognized as an expert on governance and executive leadership, Constance has been interviewed by National Public Radio for Marketplace Morning, The Wall Street Journal, and Chief Executive and writes for Harvard Business Review and Forbes as well as Directorship, Boards and Directors, and Corporate Board Member. For more information: https://constancedierickx.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don't miss our latest episode on The Safety Guru! Join us as Norman MacLeod, a seasoned expert in organizational human factors, shares decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge with us. Drawing from his extensive background in both aviation and healthcare, Norman shares the critical system factors influencing safety decisions within organizations through riveting research findings and real-life examples. Gain invaluable insights and practical solutions to navigate system impacts in your organization. Tune in now!About the Guest: Norman MacLeod served in the Royal Air Force for 21 years in the Training and Education specialization, during which time he was involved in a number of pilot training projects, the most extensive of which was his involvement in C-130 transport aircraft crew training. On leaving the RAF, he worked for 17 years as a consultant delivering CRM to pilots and cabin crew in over 25 countries around the world. He has written 2 books on aspects of instructional systems design in aviation, and in 2021, his third book was published, which takes a systems view of aviation and explores what that means in terms of pilot competence. For more information: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/normanmacleod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Ryan Olson, an expert in lone worker safety and a professor at the University of Utah, discusses the often-overlooked challenges faced by isolated workers. He highlights the impact of leadership on safety, the crucial role of communication, and how technology can enhance safety measures. Olson emphasizes collaboration between employers and unions to create effective strategies while addressing the psychological aspects of working alone. He also shares insights on fostering community support and using positive reinforcement to build a robust safety culture.

We are thrilled to feature a lively and perceptive conversation with Kelly Lynch Feldkamp, an expert injury prevention specialist and founder of ProVention Plus. Kelly passionately advocates using our body movements as a critical factor to stay safe and proactively reduce and prevent soft tissue injuries. Tune in as Kelly shares the many benefits of preventive physical therapy, highlighting how it can elevate safety for your team on and off the job site and improve their overall personal health with proactive injury prevention and reduction strategies. Don't miss out on this dynamic conversation filled with invaluable insights!About the Guest: Kelly Lynch Feldkamp is the Founder of ProVention Plus, an onsite injury prevention company that is changing the way companies take care of their manual labor or craft employees. Kelly has a Master's Degree in Exercise and Wellness and is the creator of the Move Better Program used by thousands of Jobsite Athletes over the last 20 years. Kelly and her team at ProVention Plus have been blessed to work with those who are most in need of injury prevention care but are also the least likely to seek it out for themselves. She is playing an active role in moving the industry toward a place where pain is not an unfortunate by-product for the Jobsite Athletes who build the world we all enjoy. For more information: https://proventionplus.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We encourage you to join us for another engaging conversation with Dr. Josh Williams, a seasoned safety culture expert for over 25 years and partner at Propulo Consulting. Josh highlights five key, big-picture safety themes for 2024: structured governance and executive commitment, SIF prevention, human performance, why observations still matter, and attitudes, beliefs, and mindsets. You're sure to gain indispensable insight as Josh provides a clear vision for successfully shaping the future of your organization's safety culture and safety leadership this year! About the Guest: Dr. Josh Williams is a partner at Propulo Consulting. For more than 25 years, Josh has partnered with clients around the world to improve safety culture and prevent SIFs. Dr. Williams earned his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Virginia Tech and is a behavioral safety, human performance, and safety culture improvement expert.Josh is the author of Keeping People Safe: The Human Dynamics of Injury Prevention and co-editor of Keys to Behavior-Based Safety. He has published more than 150 book chapters, government reports, white papers, blogs, and articles in leading journals. Josh has also delivered hundreds of presentations at leading national conferences and is a highly regarded public speaker. He received the Cambridge Center National First Prize for his research on behavioral safety feedback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we wind down the year, our hearts are filled with gratitude for our special guests who've enriched our show with their expertise and insights. This year, we welcomed many inspiring voices from around the world, including renowned academics, safety motivational speakers, and top industry leaders. Dive in with your host, Eric Michrowski, as he highlights our podcast's most impactful insights and top themes of 2023. To our listeners, thank you for joining us on this journey. Your engagement and support have been instrumental in making this year's series so meaningful. Don't miss this time of reflection!About Your Host:Eric Michrowski is a globally recognized thought leader and guru in Operations and Safety Culture Transformations. A highly sought-after Executive speaker on the global stage, he has led executive training programs, coached the C-Suite, and connected with thousands of Fortune 500 senior leaders. His approach is anchored in evidence-based research and practical applications in Human Performance, Process Excellence, and Organizational Change. He brings over 25 years of hands-on experience in Operations Management, Culture & Business Transformations, and Safety, having worked across a broad range of industries. For more information: https://www.ericmichrowski.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the holiday season reminds us of what truly matters, we are honored to feature Helen Fitzroy on The Safety Guru as she shares her moving message that will carry us through the holidays and beyond. Her husband, Steve, experienced a workplace fatality in an underground mining incident in 1991. Her story isn't just one of personal tragedy but a call to action for all of us. Tune in as Helen advocates for a safer tomorrow with her unwavering commitment to safety, dedicated to ensuring that no other family has to endure what she went through.About the Guest:Helen Fitzroy's passion for workplace safety commenced following the death of her husband, Steve, in an underground mining accident in Norseman, WA, in 1991. One of Helen's coping strategies was writing. She wrote to her husband, Steve, but also to herself and her children leading to the publishing of her first book some years later, "Just a Number." Since writing "Just a Number," Helen has been traveling extensively across Australia as well as overseas campaigning for improved safety and better support for bereaved families. Helen's commitment and passion culminated in the establishment of Miners' Promise, a not-for-profit organization established to provide emotional and practical support to members and their families following a crisis event.For more information: www.helenfitzroy.com.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Embark on an exciting journey with the renowned Safety Mythologist and Historian Carsten Busch, also known as the "Indiana Jones of Safety." Join us as Carsten shares captivating stories with lessons from the history of safety that shape tomorrow's strategies. Tune in now and be part of the adventure!About the Guest:Carsten Busch has over 30 years of experience in Safety and Quality Management at various levels in organizations ranging from railway to oil & gas to police in The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Norway. He is professionally active on various forums, a regular speaker at conferences, owner of mindtherisk.com, a tutor at the Lund University Human Factors and System Safety program, and author of several professional books. His main research interests include the history of knowledge development and discourse in safety, which has led to Ph.D. work through Open Universiteit.For more information: https://mindtherisk.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices