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

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Subena Colligan, former safety leader in the US Air Force and Kimberly Clark, who is now an EHS transformation coach and consultant. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Occupational Health and Safety, is the vice chair of the board for Global EHS Credentialing and founded her business, S. Coligan Coaching in 2021.Subena has experienced burnout firsthand and now dedicates her worklife to helping safety professionals move from surviving to thriving. She shares her personal experience of burnout and provides practical tips on prevention and recovery - at both an individual and organizational level.She believes that the safety profession is especially susceptible to burnout because HSE professionals are so selfless, often don’t consider themselves as employees and have limited opportunities to work from home.Subena describes the six different causes of burnout and stresses the importance of organizations focusing on prevention. She highlights the benefits of agile strategies to help team members thrive and introduces the concept of an energy inventory to maximize positive workplace experiences.Safety professionals are urged to prioritize their own wellbeing and not work too many hours - it’s the quality - not quantity - that matters!The self-leadership book recommended by Subena:The Four Agreements — don Miguel RuizThe book on strategy Subena recommends:Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters: Amazon.co.uk: Rumelt, Richard: 9781781256176: BooksSubena’s coaching consultancy:Management Consulting for EHS Transformation - subenacolliganSubena Colligan on LinkedIn:(4) Subena Colligan, CIH, CSP | 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

Jason van Schie discusses managing psychosocial risks in the workplace, emphasizing prevention over cure. He delves into the history of mental health awareness, the new ISO 45003 standard, and practical guidance for safety professionals. Jason advocates for compassion, not requiring EHS professionals to become psychologists. The podcast explores the importance of integrating psychological health and safety management in organizations and developing soft skills like compassion. It also touches on career development and resources for psychosocial risk management.

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr Ivan Pupulidy, an international speaker and consultant focused on Risk, Safety, Aviation, Wildland Firefighting and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). He spent over two decades in the US Forest Service, culminating in a promotion to Director of the Office of Innovation and organizational learning.Accident investigation techniques have remained static for many decades, yet complexity is increasing. and workplaces are not necessarily safer.Therefore, Ivan introduced an alternative approach: The Learning Review.Unlike other accident protocols, it’s designed to understand human actions in complex adaptive systems. Ivan explains how to conduct a learning review in the workplace and why it helps HSE professionals improve safety cultures.He describes the transition from a frame of unhelpful judgment to positive understanding of the accident, where the system - not individuals - is the key focus of the review.Ivan explains the importance of humble inquiry, “complex narrative”, focus groups, inclusivity and engagement, new safety review terminology and “learning products”.It’s a fascinating journey of cultural change, innovation and organizational learning - that ultimately enhanced safety in the US Forest Service.The university program where Ivan teaches:School of Engineering – Advanced Safety Engineering and Management | UABIvan and his wife’s consultancy business:What is Dynamic Inquiry?Dr Ivan Pupulidy on LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/ivanpupulidySafety 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