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Hosted by Jill James, HSI's Chief Safety Officer.
This safety podcast is a series of conversations with safety professionals about how they came into their role, what they've learned along the way, as well as some of the highs and lows that come with job.
We've created this safety podcast for you, the safety professional.
Latest episodes
#114: Utilizing Your Insurance, Women in Safety, Workplace Violence, and More with a Risk Consultant
March 27, 2024 | 59 minutes 53 seconds
Did you know you can utilize your insurance broker for risk assessment on your jobsites? And that PPE for males and females should be designed differently? Or that workplace violence is one of the top three reasons women die in the workplace every year? In this episode, Jill runs the gamut of safety with Christina Roll, casualty risk consultant with AXA XL. Christina is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion within the safety profession, and chats with Jill about the importance of PPE created - and fitted - specifically for women. She emphasizes the need to address workplace violence and bridge the gap for women in executive leadership roles. Christina also encourages all safety professionals to be their authentic selves, work on soft skills, and mentor others to ensure the growth and success of the safety profession.
#113: Preparing the Next Generation of Safety Professionals
February 28, 2024 | 51 minutes 23 seconds
Join Elizabeth Johnson, Senior Director of EHS at Mitsubishi Power Americas, as she discusses what the next generation of EHS professionals will need, in addition to technical expertise, to be successful. We cover the importance of soft skills, such as communication and leadership, the significance of clear and concise writing, and the value of pursuing education. Overall, Elizabeth highlights the importance of supporting and mentoring the next generation of safety professionals and leaving a positive impact on the profession. Elizabeth shares her into the safety profession, starting with her time in the United States Army and her transition into the field of safety.
#112: Human Performance - Understanding How and Why People Make Mistakes
January 24, 2024 | 48 minutes 48 seconds
Meet Rob Fisher, President of Fisher Improvement Technologies. Rob spent almost 10 years in the U.S. Navy before working at the South Texas Nuclear Project for 12 years in various safety and human development roles. Listen along as Rob talks with Jill about how his diverse experiences led to being an expert in human performance and leadership. They discuss the importance of intentional leadership and understanding mental models, the benefits of values-based engagements, and the importance of continuous learning and development in the field of safety. Rob also shares his story of investigating the 1999 Texas A&M Aggie Bonfire Collapse and how lessons from that investigation still impact his work today.
#111: 2023 Women in Safety Survey Results - Conversation Continued
December 27, 2023 | 39 minutes 29 seconds
In this episode Jill is joined by three guests to discuss the findings of a survey conducted on the challenges and experiences of women working in safety. The survey received almost 900 responses and revealed both positive and negative experiences. The guests discuss topics such as the impact of parenthood on careers, harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and the motivations behind obtaining professional certifications. They also emphasize the importance of allyship and advocacy in supporting and promoting the success of women in the safety profession. The full survey report and additional resources can be found in the show notes or at www.hsi.com.
#110: Live From NSC 2023
November 22, 2023 | 25 minutes 28 seconds
A few months ago, we launched a podcast episode that featured some of our favorite people — you! We loved hearing your personal stories, ideas, and tips so we wanted to do it again. For this episode, Jill and our podcast producer, Emily, sat down with NSC Safety Congress and Expo attendees from all types of industries: oil and gas, environmental remediation, mining, engineering consulting, pet care, government agencies, and more. They chatted about success stories, advice for safety professionals, what the future of safety looks like, and their favorite parts of the job. And we’re excited to announce we’ll be doing this again at ASSP’s Safety 2024 in Denver! If you plan on attending, stop by our booth — we’d love to chat with you!
#109: From Meter Reading to a 30-Year Utility Safety Career
October 25, 2023 | 53 minutes 33 seconds
Like many of our guests, Guillermo Sabatier didn’t have safety in mind when he started his career. While studying electrical engineering in college, he got a meter reading job with a local utility company, which resulted in a post-college job in the industry. Now, after 30 years working in support of the utility industry, and becoming a North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Coordinator and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, he finds himself as HSI’s Director of International Services. Listen as he sits down with Jill to discuss his unconventional, but understandable, path into safety and hear about some of the interesting situations he has found himself in over the years in the utility industry.
#108: "Hot" Topics and New Proposed OSHA Regulations with Dr. Todd
September 27, 2023 | 1 hours 3 minutes 29 seconds
In this episode, Jill gets to discuss a seriously hot topic! Dr. Todd Loushine, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Occupational Safety program, ASSP Region Five vice president, and returning podcast guest, sat down to discuss workplace heat. In 2022, Dr. Todd lucked into a temporary position outside of the university, helping with heat-related problems when a company’s safety director took a leave of absence. Tune in to hear how a certified industrial hygienist, who also happens to be a professional engineer, came up with unique — but replicable — solutions for heat safety issues, learn a little about the science behind heat-related illness, and find out how you can give your input on a proposed OSHA regulation.
#107: An OSHA Inspection My First Week on the Job
August 16, 2023 | 48 minutes 24 seconds
Sometimes not being an expert has its benefits. Rusti Dyals, Certified Safety Professional and national director of EHS at ESFM, chats with Jill about getting her degree in public relations, stumbling into a safety coordinator position at a sawmill, and immediately learning the site would be undergoing an OSHA inspection. Listen to this week’s episode to learn how she approaches getting leadership on board with safety-based decisions, why continuing education is so important in this field, and find out Rusti’s biggest piece of advice for anyone in the safety industry.