Psych Health and Safety Podcast USA

Dive into Episode #111 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Bryony Gilbey, a former reporter who did stories for well-known programs such as 60 Minutes about a documentary that she has produced called "Honorable, But Broken," which takes a behind the scene look at the nation's emergency medical service system, including the challenges it creates for not only the communities that it serves but for the first responders, emergency medical technician and paramedics in the field. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) systems face several challenges that impact their ability to provide effective care, including: • Staffing: Recruitment and retention remain significant issues for most EMS agencies. • Funding and Billing • Response and Patient Care • Apparatus and Equipment Much of the documentary centers around EMS providers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes their challenges and highlights examples of what can and should be done to ensure that EMS pays attention to providers' concerns, which can result in better service to the public.

In episode 110, host Dr. I. David Daniels speaks with Cierra Gross, the Founder and CEO of Caged Bird HR. The company provides human resource expertise from outside organizations and a safe space for workers to get assistance when their experience is not what they want it to be. According to a 2023 survey, 34% of employees don't trust their HR manager and wouldn't approach them due to mistrust. Even among employees who trust HR, one in three say they don't feel comfortable bringing up workplace issues. Ms. Gross discusses Caged Bird’s unique approach, which includes one of the nation’s most extensive data sets regarding workplace experiences, and a sister brand, “Wrk Receipts,” which offers an AI assistant that helps workers document their work experiences.

In this episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Dr. Leslie Hammer, Director at Oregon Healthy Workforce Center (OHWC), a veteran of over 30 years in Occupational Health Psychology. OHWC is one of ten Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health. Dr. Hammer is also Associate Director of Applied Research at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and a Professor Emerita at Portland State University. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) funds 10 academic Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health across the U.S. These centers serve as hubs for research and practice, advancing worker safety, health, and well-being. They explore job-related factors impacting well-being, such as wages, workload, stress levels, and social interactions. Dr. Hammer’s research and work have focused on a healthy balance between work and home. Recently, they have focused on the degree to which leadership can support not only work-life harmony but also physical health and safety, psychological health and safety, and overall mental health.

Dive into Episode #108 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guests Chrisie Tyson, a Wellness Professional, and Victor Lawe, an Occupational Health and Safety professional, who both work in a local government organization. In 2022, state and local public sector employers reported a combined injury rate of 4.9 per 100 workers, 81% higher than the private sector's reported rate of 2.7 per 100 workers. The OSH Act was written based on congressional authority to regulate interstate commerce. State and local governments are exempt under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution except in the case of a specific state law. 27 states and territories have passed these state plans. When Safety and Wellness professionals in local government can focus on the health and safety of public sector workers, this has a dual benefit, for both the workers and the public depend on the government for services.

Dive into Episode #107 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Dr. Jermaine Hunter, an Occupational Safety and Risk Manager, who administers a grant funded by OSHA to provide basic safety-related training to primarily young workers, and workers with disabilities. In 2022, Travelers, the largest workers’ compensation insurer in the United States, released a 2022 Injury Impact Report that analyzed more than 1.5 million workers’ compensation claims over five years from 2015 to 2019. The study revealed that 35% of workplace injuries occur during a worker’s first year on the job, highlighting the importance of comprehensive onboarding and training programs for employees, especially in the pandemic era when there has been considerable movement in the labor market. New workers are often exposed to both psychosocial and physical hazards because they don’t know how to recognize either. Over the four years of the grant, Dr. Hunter and his team have provided approximately 3,500 students with basic safety training, many before they graduate high school, arming them to work physically and psychologically safer when they enter the workforce.

In this episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels speaks with Mohamed Hassan, a season OHS professional who recently immigrated to the United States from Canada, about some considerations in ensuring the workplace is psychologically healthy and safe for a Muslim worker. As of April 30, 2024, there are over 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide, about 24.9% of the global population. Islam is the world's second-largest religion after Christianity, with 31.1% of the population. Muslims are the majority in 49 countries, come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and speak hundreds of languages. Estimates of the number of Muslims in the United States range from 2–7 million people, which is roughly 1–2% of the population. Mohamed will discuss some of his challenges and some thoughts about how the working environment can be safe for everyone, including those who share his faith tradition.

In the episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Dr. Robyn Faintich of Jewish GPS about some of the considerations for creating a psychologically healthy and safe space for someone Jewish. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center study, the Jewish population in the United States was estimated to be 7.5 million, 2.5% of the national population. This includes: • 5.8 million adults who identify as Jewish by religion • 1.5 million Jews who identify with no religion The study also found that Jewish adults are geographically distributed: 38% live in the Northeast, 27% live in the South, 25% live in the West, and 10% live in the Midwest. It can be a matter of religion, and for religious purposes, being Jewish is traditionally defined as being born to a Jewish mother. But being Jewish can also be a matter of ancestry, ethnicity, and culture. Jewish people are not monolithic, but those who seek to create psychologically healthy and safe spaces for Jewish people will learn a tremendous amount from Dr. Faintich's scholarship and her lived experience.

In this episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels speaks with Fire Chief Joe Dixon, who serves as chair of the Black Chief Officer’s Committee (BCOC) of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters (IABPFF), about his experience as a Fire Chief who also happens to be black, including the challenges associated with the role that is sometimes complicated by being black in a fairly homogenous occupation. The best estimate for the number of fire departments in the United States is 29,452. 65% of the fire service is volunteer. For the leadership of the service: There are over 22,316 fire chiefs currently employed in the United States. 5.8% of all fire chiefs are women, while 94.2% are men. The average fire chief age is 48 years old. Demographically, 76.8% of fire chiefs are White, 8.2% are Hispanic or Latino, and only 5.8% are Black. It is not hyperbole to suggest that black fire chiefs are a rare commodity in the United States. It is also not a stretch to suggest that a black fire chief has a lot to deal with, both physically and psychologically. Not only are there stresses associated with fire rescue, but also the leadership challenges of a public sector leader and the issues associated with being back in the fire chief role. Chief Dixon will discuss some of the overarching challenges faced by the fire rescue services, fire chiefs, and black fire chiefs, which are at times unique from their colleagues, ultimately emphasizing the importance of a support system like the one found in the BCOC.

In this episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Boston Marathon Bombing Suvusior Manya Chylinski, who has become a speaker and consultant to help organizations utilize “Trauma Sensitive Leadership “ practices. According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 70% of adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic event at some point in their lives, equivalent to 223.4 million people. A traumatic event is defined as an event that threatens a person's physical safety or the safety of another person and leaves the victim feeling intense fear or helplessness. Some examples of traumatic events include: Accidents or injuries Physical violence Sexual violence War-related events The death of a loved one Serious illness of a child Conversations and actions to establish psychological safety in organizations have become more common, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is increasingly common to hear organizations say they welcome people to bring their “whole selves” to work. This also means that people’s trauma comes with them. Ms. Chylinski has learned through her own process of healing from the trauma of the bombing that many organizations don’t recognize the fact that a significant number of the members of these organizations have been traumatized at some point in their lives. Recognizing this trauma and sensitizing the organization is key to a safer, healthier, and more well organization.

In this episode, host Dr. I. David Daniels speaks with Kimberly Williams, a former diplomat in the U. S. Foreign Service turned Human Resources Executive, whose experience of abusive behavior while serving in HR fuels her advocacy for the passage of laws that will make the workplace more psychologically healthy and safe. A surprisingly high percentage of HR professionals are exposed to psychosocial hazards in the workplace. A common example is “undermining professional integrity,” which means HR professionals are made to feel inept in their jobs or have employees or colleagues go over their heads to get a decision made higher up. This can cause a severe confidence crisis for the professional. HR professionals are also sometimes bullied by an employee with whom they were involved in an HR issue, which suggests that there needs to be a change in culture or attitude towards the role HR professionals play in organizations. Others were being bullied or harassed by their immediate line manager, which limited how they dealt with the issue as they had to bypass their manager. Some of those bullied by their manager dealt with it by doing nothing and ignoring the issue, as they felt they couldn’t do anything due to the nature of the working relationship and the seniority of the bully. Kim’s work in this space has not only helped others seeking solace from their workplace-related abuse, but it has also inspired her daughter as a teenager to pick up the mantle in both her school and the broader community to advocate for psychologically healthy places and spaces.