Safety Labs by Safety Products Global

Clive Lloyd, a forefront psychologist in safety leadership and founder of GYST Consulting, shares his insights on the paramount role of trust in workplace safety. He argues that trust should be viewed as a fundamental leadership quality, essential for fostering strong safety cultures. Instead of traditional compliance, he emphasizes a shift towards genuine care and psychological safety. Clive critiques conventional safety practices, like 'zero harm,' as detrimental, advocating for open communication, active listening, and leadership that genuinely demonstrates care.

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Gareth Lock, the owner of The Human Diver, an organization that improves the safety and performance of divers through an understanding of human error. Gareth’s safety career spans over 20 years, and he uses his experience in managing high-risk operations to help HSE professionals improve workplace safety.After sharing his fascinating journey from flying in the sky to diving underwater, Gareth explains why attributing accidents to human error actually hinders learning. He also recommends managing uncertainty rather than risk (numerical probabilities that can’t account for human reliability) and gives practical guidance on how to make this shift.A key focus of this fascinating interview is the importance of safety pre-briefs, debriefs and validating plans through training: “It’s much better to sort problems on the surface before you go into water”.Gareth introduces the concept of inclusive ‘learning reviews’ that uncover a safety event’s rich context and ‘second stories’. They help EHS professionals move past the immediate cause and blame to understand and address the complex combination of converging factors.An underlying theme to Gareth’s interview is the need for organizations to shift from a blame culture to a ‘just culture’ - where the workforce feels psychologically safe to speak out, and leadership recognizes that human error is inevitable.Gareth is as passionate about safety as he is about diving, and his insight applies to any environment where people are involved. Find out more about Gareth’s company, The Human Diver:https://www.thehumandiver.com/The Human Diver’s YouTube channel with over 30 video resources:The Human Diver - YouTubeWatch “If Only”, Gareth’s documentary about a tragic and avoidable diving accident:If Only... (thehumandiver.com)Gareth Lock on LinkedIn:Gareth Lock | LinkedInSafety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with experienced Safety Director Stephanie Benay, one of Canada’s foremost HSE experts and current Governor of the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals.Stephanie reflects on her 25-year journey as a female safety professional. She describes what the safety world was like for women a quarter of a century ago and explores how the workplace safety environment has changed over the last few decades.Despite improvements over time, gender inequality persists within the safety industry, and Stephanie reveals where, how and why these barriers for women are still prevalent.In this raw interview, Stephanie doesn’t shy away from discussing uncomfortable truths such as female harassment in the workplace. However, her rise to senior leadership is an uplifting story that will inspire safety professionals across all demographics.Stepanie also shares fantastic safety leadership tips and stresses the importance of change management skills and developing financial acumen. She urges HSE professionals to believe in yourself, have courageous conversations and, most importantly: be curious.The American Society Of Safety Professionals 2019 report entitled Women and Safety in the modern workplace:Assp_women_and_safety_report_0419.pdfThe 3 books recommended by Stepanie:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield:An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: Amazon.com: Chris Hadfield: 9781447257103: BooksHow Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith:https://www.amazon.com/How-Women-Rise-Habits-Holding/dp/1847942253Bent Out of Shape by Karen Messing:https://www.amazon.com/Bent-Out-Shape-Solidarity-Womens/dp/1771135417Women in Occupational Health and Safety Society’s website:WOHSS – Women in Occupational Health & Safety SocietyStephanie Benay on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephbenaySafety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Gary Namie, a social psychologist widely regarded as North America’s foremost authority on workplace bullying. Along with his wife, he’s the founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute, and they’ve also co-authored multiple books and academic articles addressing this issue.Gary begins this powerful interview with a very impactful definition of workplace bullying. He explains why this “disgraceful and embarrassing human condition” exists and, perhaps more alarmingly, describes how institutions actually allow it to perpetuate.Dr Namie feels very strongly that HR has failed to address bullying, so issues a rallying call to safety professionals to use their hazard identification expertise to end the prevalence of workplace bullying.He’s encouraged by OHS professionals’ adoption of psychosocial safety management and believes that post #metoo media attention on toxic workplace environments will help raise the profile of bullying prevention.Gary passionately discusses both the individual and organizational negative consequences of workplace bullying and gives safety professionals practical guidance on how they can help solve this issue. Despite sharing some optimism about the future, he leaves us with no doubt about the severity of this problem.To contact Dr Gary Namie or learn more about his mission to eradicate workplace bullying, visit:Home - Workplace Bullying InstituteSafety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

Dr Tristan Casey, an organizational psychologist specializing in safety leadership and organizational culture, discusses the origins and three theoretical perspectives of safety culture. He emphasizes the importance of clear definitions and feedback loops, as well as closer partnerships between industry and academia in safety research. The podcast also covers the challenges faced by safety professionals, the shift towards qualitative analysis of safety data, and the skills needed for future safety professionals.

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Moni Hogg, a Senior HSE professional, safety trainer and conference speaker who specializes in the Safety Differently. She focuses on cutting-edge safety approaches to enable creative, innovative and efficient culture transformation.Mary has literally written a handbook on implementing New View Safety, and she shares the key ideas underpinning this approach while providing practical guidance to EHS professionals looking to build and improve their safety programs.She tells her story of discovering and exploring New View Safety and outlines the essential paradigm shifts required to embrace these contemporary safety methodologies and philosophies.Mary introduces us to new concepts, including “weak signals”, “learning teams” and “freedom frameworks”. However, she also highlights challenges, such as measuring success, accountability, leadership buy-in, and the timeframe required to see positive results.Transitioning to New View Safety is not a quick or simple journey - but it’s exciting, and you will learn so much. This interview is a great starting point!Moni’s book (The New View Safety Handbook: a step-by-step roadmap to introduce contemporary safety methods) is due to be published in 2023 - so connect with her on LinkedIn for further details:https://www.linkedin.com/in/moni-hogg-4a55012b/Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Stephen Harvey, an operations-focused HSE professional who takes a pragmatic approach to risk. Currently senior health and safety partner with Origin Energy, he shares his extensive experience of embedding contemporary safety practices and positively impacting organizational safety culture.Steve believes safety management is too boring, and he’s on a mission to infuse more fun and connection into the industry.He’s passionate about developing relationships with frontline workers and helps safety professionals become a conduit between the office and the field. Steve believes in the power of humor and stories and explains how his hobby - standup comedy - has made him a more effective HSE professional.Language is very important to Steve, and he demonstrates how the words you use can change your organization's safety culture. At the same time, he feels safety data is over-relied upon and highlights the importance of collecting the stories (qualitative research) underlying the metrics to uncover actual safety performance.Another key focus for Steve is unpacking the safety bureaucracy that slows people down, and he has great advice on making checklists more relevant.Steve has an alter ego on Instagram - Safetybhoy, and he explains how embracing social media can make safety more interesting and start new conversions. It’s a fun interview, full of great stories and you won’t regret connecting with Stephen Harvey!The book about checklists(!) that Steve recommended:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/B07MMNM9Z5Sidney Dekker’s seminal safety book that Steve encourages HSE professionals to read:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/dp/1472439058Steve also recommends this non-safety book - The Ministry of Common Sense:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ministry-Common-Sense-Eliminate-Bureaucratic/dp/B08P3VW75DThe podcast recommended by Steve:Rethinking Safety ⚠️ on Apple PodcastsSafetybhoy on Instagram:Stephen Harvey | Safety (@safetybhoy) • Instagram photos and videosStephen Harvey on LinkedIn:Stephen Harvey | LinkedInSafety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with US Navy veteran James Junkin, CEO of international safety consultancy Mariner-Gulf Consulting and Services, who’s worked in the oil industry since 1995 and is an advisory board member for the American Society of Safety Professionals.James isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers and shares his no-nonsense thoughts on all things safety in this entertaining interview:“It seems like every other day, we’re getting a new theory on workplace safety. Let me tell you my theory on workplace safety. It’s about identifying hazards and implementing controls!”From stating that he doesn’t want to see another safety theory to lambasting the lack of mental health training for EHS professionals, James doesn’t hold back on his views.In this passionate discussion, he covers all of the hot topics in safety today. He does this from a genuine love for his profession and a positive desire to enhance workplace safety.What can be done to enhance safety education, salaries and conferences? How can safety professionals become more effective, and where can organizations improve? James has the answers to all these questions.He also explores the difficult subject of dealing with workplace injuries and fatalities, highlighting the lack of support safety professionals receive to mitigate PTSD and how this must be addressed.This conversation with James is fast-paced and wide-ranging, but he is always focused on one goal: taking care of people.James recommends Dr Linda Martin’s podcast, “The Safety Struggle”:The Safety Struggle Podcast — Dr. Linda F. MartinAnd “Psych Health and Safety” - Dr I. David Daniels’ podcast:Psych Health and Safety Podcast USAHe also suggests reviewing the resources on the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) website to deepen your knowledge:ASSP - American Society of Safety Professionals | ASSPJames Junkin on LinkedIn:James Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, ASP, CSHO | LinkedInJames’ international boutique Risk Management and Occupational Safety and Health Consulting firm:Home - Mariner-Gulf

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with David Heap, a leading organizational and coaching psychologist with over 30 years of professional experience. He's a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a BSc in Psychology and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management.David helps safety professionals understand why organizations are increasingly adding a Chief Psychological Health Officer (CPH) to the boardroom. He explains how approaches to workplace mental wellbeing have changed over recent years - especially since the global pandemic.But how does this affect safety management? David explores where a CPH could sit within an organizational structure and which backgrounds are best suited for this role. He argues workplace psychological health and safety should be an inter-departmental concern and that the appointment of a CPH shouldn’t diminish collective responsibility.David insists that workplace mental wellbeing initiatives (including appointing a CPH) should result from genuine concern for the workforce - and not be attention-grabbing activities defunded in 18 months.He wants organizations to holistically assess the workplace environment to prevent poor psychological health and focus on boosting positive wellbeing in the workforce. Proactivity at a systematic level is crucial - and safety professionals can play a key role in this transition.David’s coaching consultancy:https://www.insightmc.com.au/The National Workplace Initiative in Australia:National Workplace Initiative | Have Your Say - National Mental Health CommissionDavid Heap on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidheap/Safety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with former Marine Michael Flynn, Corporate Safety Director of Barnard Construction, who’s held safety roles in construction since 1995.Hiring in the safety profession is a crucial process for any leader looking to build an effective safety team. At the same time, new safety professionals need to know what skills are required to attract potential employers. Mike can help safety professionals at either end of the spectrum. He’s been recruiting and developing safety teams for decades.Mike explains why soft skills are particularly important for safety managers. He believes that teaching the technical elements of safety is relatively straightforward. Therefore, he encourages recruiters and candidates to focus on areas such as relationship-building and communication.He gives top tips on where to look for candidates, how to spot potential and what questions to ask during the interview process.In the second part of this engaging interview, Mike focuses on building effective safety teams. He recommends concentrating on team members’ strengths and explains why role fit is so important in safety management.Ultimately, he reveals that the secret to success in workplace safety is caring about your people. And Mike has cared for a lot of co-workers over the last 30 years.Mike recommends the author Malcolm Gladwell, author of five New York Times bestsellers - The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath.Malcolm Gladwell – Home | Malcolm Gladwell (gladwellbooks.com)Another book Mike suggests is Dr Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese: Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life: Amazon.co.uk: Johnson, Dr Spencer: 8601404197116: BooksFinally, Mike also recommended Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek:Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't: Amazon.co.uk: Sinek, Simon: 9780670923175: BooksMichael Flynn on LinkedInMichael Flynn, RSP® | LinkedInSafety Labs is created by Slice, the only safety knife on the market with a finger-friendly® blade. Find us at www.sliceproducts.comIf you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@sliceproducts.com