The Accidental Safety Pro

This discussion covers Cheryl’s 10-year journey of safety leadership in the pipeline industry, where she’s writing confined-space entry programs, and is responsible for the wellbeing of thousands of employees across 12 states. Also, she talks about what it’s like to work along with 100 other safety professionals in thesame organization. And if you’re interested in high-level incident investigation and accidents with Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) potential, this episode is a goldmine.

Todd explains the moment that moved him away from the academic pursuit of chemical engineering, which led him to interviewing with OSHA and a career that involved working some of the same investigations as our own Jill James. Bonus? Dr. Todd talks about OSHA’s “$1000 poster”, OSHA’s Field Operations Manual, and other secrets known to OSHA investigators (the “drive-by”).

Over the course of this conversation between two of Minnesota’s finest, Michelle shares her experiences managing safety across multiple facilities, talks about the importance of building relationships with the workforce to resolve real safety issues, starting over in the wake of the recession and working her way back to the top of the profession.

Series host Jill James caught up with EHS Specialist Brandy while she was in the midst of studying for the Associate Safety Professional (ASP) exam, and just before attending ASSE’s SAFETY 2018 conference in San Antonio. After earning her bachelors in biology, Brandy got her start in safety doing industrial hygiene, where she “was excited to get in to asbestos”, to pay the bills after college. This discussion covers how annoying it must be for friends and family when you are unable to turn-off your ‘safety vision’ away from the job, and dealing with the old school safety mentality when you’re not only young but also a woman. 2 years into her current role, Brandy is writing custom lockout/tagout procedures for hundreds of unique pieces of machinery. She talks about the value of touring an organization “…so focused on safety, it’s crazy…” and offers her three pieces of advice for new safety professionals.

To pay his way through school, Jeremiah started working in agriculture. Today, he’s the Director of Occupational Safety & Environmental Risk Management for a prestigious organization in the zoo and aquarium industry.  While studying animal science and planning to attend veterinary school, he began a career in safety to support his young family, eventually moving on to larger leadership roles and never looking back.  Speaking with series host Jill James, Jeremiah shares what he’s learned along the way, his good fortune to work early on in high-performing Safety cultures, what he is most proud of, and the reason why “teach” and “me” are the two most important words he’s ever learned.

Series host Jill James speaks with ‘Philly Joe’ Kaufmann, Director of Occupational Health Services for the Inspira Health Network.  Joe discusses making the leap from 12-hour shifts in refinery production to the safety and occupational health role, and how his father’s severe occupational injury impacted his childhood, ultimately shaping his approach to the safety job. The conversation covers the pursuit of higher education mid-career, leaving behind the fear of reinvention, and the uncanny adrenaline rush of emergency response. You’ll hear all about what happens if you stay in a job where bad things happen to people, ethics and the state of safety denial, along with Joe’s advice for all safety professionals.  Bonus? What happens when the Pope visits your block and how to plan for that.

Series host and Chief Safety Officer Jill James talks to her good friend Brandy, a 10-year veteran safety professional from the mid-west. The conversation shares tips for earning credibility with employees (hint: recipe cards), the challenge of proving yourself to management in new environments, and how good it feels to finally get the win that helps. You’ll hear the word “trust” a lot, and learn why keeping your hands dirty with the workforce is a must. Also, how exposing management to hazardous working environments can be the right eye-opener. Beyond her career evolution, Brandy discusses her approach to safety management, what it’s like to take the job home with you each night, and reveals a deeper motivation. From the perils of beet sugar production to leading an industry-wide safety committee, this episode will connect with wherever you are on the occupational safety journey.

True to the show, podcast host and Chief Safety Officer Jill James retraces her career-long journey in safety. Jill tells the story of how her professional aspirations changed in college, the internship that landed her a job as an OSHA investigator, and describes her mentors along the way. And if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be a woman in the safety field circa 1990, this is the brief, often funny, oral history you’ve been searching for. Also, cleaning up a mercury spill and what that’s like—bonus!

We’re launching a brand new safety-focused podcast, The Accidental Safety Pro.  Vivid’s Chief Safety Officer Jill James will be hosting the show and having conversations with safety professionals across the country. We’ll hear the stories of how each safety career began and share the unique struggles and victories of the occupational safety job.  Subscribe in the podcast player of choice and look for the first full-length episode to be coming out later this month.