Leading And Learning Through Safety

The podcast episode discusses the relationship between ethical decision-making and workplace safety. Hosted by Dr. Mark French, the episode explores how distance from the work environment affects ethical judgment in safety-related decisions.Dr. French references an article from the Journal of Applied Psychology (February 2025) titled Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How High-Level Controls Can Decrease the Ethical Framing of Risk-Mitigating Behavior. The research highlights how individuals making safety decisions—often executives or managers—tend to underestimate workplace risks when they are physically removed from the job site. This detachment leads to decisions that may prioritize cost and productivity over worker safety.The discussion emphasizes how safety professionals frequently face ethical dilemmas, such as choosing between enforcing safety measures and aligning with corporate expectations. Dr. French underscores the challenge of instilling ethical behavior, noting that while organizations can promote accou

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores mental health as a workplace issue, sparked by a Professional Safety Journal article on mental health and suicide in construction. He emphasizes that while work doesn’t necessarily cause mental health struggles, it can be a significant stressor, with leadership, culture, and supervision playing key roles in employee well-being.A major insight is that direct supervisors can influence employees’ mental health as much as their family members. Poor leadership can create a toxic environment, while supportive leadership can foster well-being. The episode challenges the common “blame-the-worker” approach to safety incidents, arguing that mental health issues often contribute to distraction and errors.Access to mental health resources remains a challenge, with employees facing stigma, unresponsive EAP programs, and difficulty finding suitable providers. However, survey findings from the construction industry were not as negative as expec

The podcast episode discusses a legislative proposal to abolish OSHA, introduced by an Arizona Congressman who argues that workplace safety should be managed by states and private employers rather than the federal government. However, similar efforts in the past have failed, and the speaker believes this attempt is unlikely to gain traction. OSHA plays a crucial role in setting, educating on, and enforcing safety laws, though compliance alone does not guarantee workplace safety. Currently, 22 states operate their own OSHA-approved programs, with varying degrees of success. The discussion highlights that ethical companies view OSHA as a baseline but strive to go beyond compliance by embedding safety into their workplace culture. In contrast, some businesses only implement safety measures due to legal or financial consequences, such as insurance claims and liability costs. The speaker emphasizes that true workplace safety is not just about following laws but fostering a culture where leadership values and prior

This episode focuses on managing organizational change, particularly in the context of safety. Key points include:Nature of Change: Change is inevitable and often disruptive. Effective leadership is crucial in managing, implementing, and measuring change.Safety as a Moral Imperative: Safety-related changes should be the easiest to implement, as they address a universal priority—protecting human life. Organizations must clearly communicate the "why" behind safety changes to gain team support.Organizational Nostalgia: Reflecting on past positive experiences can strengthen team cohesion and organizational commitment, even during disruptive changes.Motivating Teams: Leaders should understand their audience, identify who is affected by and responsible for changes, and tailor communication to explain the necessity and benefits of the change.Change Resistance: Resistance to change is common, especially if it disrupts established workflows. Leadership should focus on demonstrating the long-term benefits, su

This week's podcast focuses on workplace safety, particularly on whether all accidents and injuries are preventable. Key points include:Safety Philosophy:Initially, Dr. French believed all injuries could be prevented, especially in controlled environments like factories. However, his view has evolved to recognize that while striving for zero injuries is noble, some risks, particularly in public and uncontrolled environments, might be unavoidable.Hierarchy of Controls:Emphasis on using elimination, substitution, and engineering controls to reduce risks within an organization's sphere of influence.Examples include better equipment, safer driving policies, and training.Public Risk Challenges:Dr. French shares examples of safety challenges in public spaces, such as commuting accidents, where some factors remain uncontrollable.Cultural Shift:Transitioning from an "all-or-nothing" mindset to focusing on mitigating risks wherever possible rather than achieving perfection.Real-life Examples:Storie

The episode discusses anticipated trends in 2025 across leadership, HR, safety, and psychology. Key points include:Shift in Hiring Practices: A move from valuing degrees to prioritizing skills, with organizations increasingly using AI to screen candidates. While this improves efficiency, concerns are raised about the loss of human judgment in hiring decisions.Skill Development: The importance of evolving skills in the workplace and integrating training into employee development strategies.AI in Talent Strategy and Safety: Widespread use of AI for developing job descriptions, customizing screenings, and summarizing workplace discussions. AI's role in creating safer and more efficient workplaces is emphasized, alongside ethical considerations like privacy.Psychological Applications of Technology: Innovations like transcription tools in clinical psychology highlight the potential and challenges of balancing technological benefits with privacy concerns.

OSHA’s Top 10 Cited Violations for 2024:Frequent safety issues such as fall protection, hazard communication, ladders, respiratory protection, lockout/tagout, powered industrial trucks, scaffolding, PPE, and machine guarding.The importance of addressing these life-critical hazards to prevent injuries and fatalities.Leadership and Safety:Emphasis on the role of safety as a cornerstone of effective leadership.Connecting physical safety to psychological safety to foster better team morale and trust.Emerging Trends in Workplace Safety:Insights from the American Psychological Association on 2025 trends, highlighting workplace tension related to hybrid/remote models and the growing gap between management and employees.Increasing unionization as employees seek to address safety and workplace concerns collectively.Call to Action for Leaders:Encouragement for leaders to prioritize listening to their teams, especially on safety issues, to build trust and create a safer, more empathetic work environment.

The podcast episode focuses on a catastrophic explosion at a food additive manufacturing site in Louisville, Kentucky. The explosion was attributed to the failure of a ventilation system on a cooker, leading to overheating, overpressurization, and a subsequent explosion. The event caused significant community damage, including shattered windows and structural harm, injured 10-12 people, and claimed two lives. Notably, one victim was initially unaccounted for due to a clerical error during the emergency evacuation, raising questions about the company’s emergency management protocols.The discussion highlights systemic failures in safety leadership and engineering risk management. The organization, already familiar to OSHA, may not have implemented Process Safety Management (PSM) standards, which could have mitigated risks. Questions are raised about preventative maintenance, predictive engineering, and redundancy systems to prevent such incidents. The lack of alarms or fail-safes and the apparent high tolerance

The podcast emphasizes the importance of safety leadership in fostering a work culture that prioritizes employee well-being and risk management. Dr. Mark French, the host, shares personal experiences to illustrate the moral imperative behind safety initiatives, stressing that safety programs should not merely focus on compliance but aim to prevent catastrophic incidents. He highlights the need for strong leadership commitment to proactive safety measures and a vision that resonates on a personal level. French describes his approach to safety leadership, which centers on continuous risk reduction, learning from past incidents, and cultivating an organizational culture that prioritizes employee safety above profit. He argues against a reactive, metric-driven approach and advocates for developing systems that inherently protect workers. This perspective is bolstered by his personal safety statement, which reflects his desire to avoid situations where he must explain injuries to families. French encourages safety

In the podcast, Dr. Mark French discusses the importance of leadership in creating a strong safety culture within organizations. He emphasizes the need for leaders to prioritize the well-being of their teams, using the management of heat stress as a central example. Dr. French recounts his experience observing a team in Texas, where extreme heat required close attention to safety protocols. The team worked together effectively, ensuring hydration breaks and taking care of one another, which underscored a critical point: safety must be ingrained in daily operations.Dr. French highlights the significance of making safety processes automatic, so that employees can easily make safe decisions. He explains that leaders must go beyond suggesting safety measures, actively ensuring their teams are protected. This extends to supervisors personally checking on workers, making sure they have access to water and encouraging breaks when needed. This hands-on leadership builds trust and fosters a culture of care.Moreover, D

The podcast episode from "Leading and Learning Through Safety," hosted by Dr. Mark French, focuses on the topic of confined spaces and their safety implications, particularly in industrial settings like factories with trash compactors. Dr. French explains the importance of recognizing and properly managing confined spaces, which are areas large enough for workers to enter but with limited means of entry or exit and not designed for continuous occupancy.The episode emphasizes how misunderstandings around confined spaces can lead to safety oversights, sometimes with fatal consequences. French shares stories from his career, including a case involving a trash compactor, which he identified as a permit-required confined space due to its potential hazards. He narrates an incident where a worker entered a dumpster to retrieve parts that had mistakenly been thrown away, highlighting the need for better safety awareness and training.French discusses the evolution of his approach to safety leadership. Early

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French reflects on the nature of risk perception, safety, and willpower in both personal and professional settings. He recounts a personal incident where he injured himself with a chainsaw while cleaning his yard, emphasizing how easy it is to misjudge or downgrade risks during seemingly routine tasks. Despite his safety expertise, a lapse in focus and precaution led to an injury.Dr. French explains that willpower and focus are finite resources. When individuals are continuously engaged in high-risk tasks, their focus tends to diminish once the perceived danger is lower. This can lead to mistakes, as in his case, where he thought the hazardous part of the task was over but ended up getting hurt during cleanup.He explores how similar scenarios occur in workplace environments. Employees may maintain focus during high-risk activities but become complacent during lower-risk tasks. This is why it's crucial for leaders to implement la

Dr. Mark French discusses a personal injury incident as a way to illustrate how even experienced safety professionals can momentarily lose focus and get hurt. French describes how, during yard work, he accidentally burned and cut his leg with a chainsaw after finishing his task and thinking the danger was over. He reflects on the psychological factors that led to his lapse in judgment, such as fatigue and the desire to finish the job quickly. The incident highlights the importance of always staying vigilant, even when tasks seem complete.French uses his story to emphasize a broader lesson: safety cannot be assumed, and leaders must continually remind their teams of its importance. He draws parallels between his experience and workplace safety, noting how easily accidents can happen when people are tired or distracted. French also explores the concept of psychological safety, wondering if his family hesitated to point out his risky behavior because he’s a safety professional.He concludes by reflecting on the S

In this podcast episode, Dr. Mark French discusses the intersection of human resources (HR) and safety, emphasizing the importance of creating a culture that values both. He shares his recent experience at a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference, where he explored the relationship between safety and HR. Dr. French highlights the tragic story of a Wells Fargo employee who was found dead at their cubicle after four days, unnoticed by colleagues. This incident serves as a stark example of the failure in basic human dignity and organizational culture. Dr. French criticizes the lack of engagement and concern for employee well-being, questioning how such an environment could allow for such negligence. He argues that safety and HR should not be siloed departments but rather integrated efforts to ensure a healthy, supportive workplace culture. He stresses the need for empathy, open communication, and active leadership in fostering environments where employees are genuinely cared for and valued. The

In this episode of the "Leading and Learning Through Safety" podcast, Dr. Mark French reflects on his experience at the Kentucky Safety Conference, focusing on the critical intersection of physical and psychological safety in the workplace. He highlights the importance of safety professionals not only in ensuring a physically safe environment but also in fostering psychological safety, where team members feel secure enough to voice their concerns and ideas without fear of shame or degradation. French argues that physical safety lays the groundwork for psychological safety, which in turn promotes trust, creativity, and overall organizational effectiveness.French also explores the challenges of leadership in safety roles, particularly the tension between organizational goals and the need to protect employees. He emphasizes the necessity of balancing the enforcement of safety procedures with the encouragement of open communication, allowing team members to report when processes are ineffective. This, a

The podcast episode discusses a tragic incident at a Kansas municipal airport where a 16-year-old worker was electrocuted while using a boom lift near high-voltage power lines. A 24-year-old worker also sustained severe burns in the incident. The host, Dr. Mark French, emphasizes the critical role of leadership and safety protocols in preventing such tragedies. He questions the decisions that led to the young workers being placed in such a hazardous situation without adequate protection or training. Dr. French stresses the importance of pre-task safety assessments, proper training, and empowering supervisors to stop unsafe work. He criticizes the lack of leadership that allows dangerous work conditions and reflects on the broader issue of young workers being exposed to hazardous jobs without sufficient oversight. Dr. French calls for a stronger safety culture where human dignity and safety are prioritized, urging leaders to ensure that workers, especially minors, are properly trained and protected. The episod

The podcast episode from Dr. Mark French focuses on the importance of leadership in safety, emphasizing the need for leaders to be directly involved and present where the work happens. French argues that safety is a key indicator of good leadership, as it reflects a fundamental concern for the well-being of employees. He discusses the concept of leading from the front, highlighting the necessity for leaders to observe and understand the work environment to identify potential risks and make informed decisions.A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the importance of "gemba," a term from Lean management that refers to going to the actual place where work occurs to see firsthand if expectations align with reality. French stresses that leaders must regularly inspect what they expect to ensure that safety protocols are being followed and that the work environment is conducive to both productivity and safety.He also touches on the psychological aspect of safety, where employees must feel e

Dr. Mark French discusses the contentious topic of OSHA's "one size fits all" approach to lawmaking. He emphasizes that while this standardized approach may sometimes seem rigid and frustrating, it is fundamentally designed to protect workers and prevent fatalities. Dr. French acknowledges the common criticism that such laws do not account for the unique circumstances of different industries or organizations. However, he argues that these regulations are based on extensive research and data, often written in response to significant human harm and workplace deaths.He uses the analogy of speed limits to illustrate his point: regardless of the vehicle, the same speed limit applies to ensure safety. Similarly, OSHA regulations set a baseline for safety that organizations should meet or exceed. Dr. French underscores the importance of these laws as the first layer of defense in protecting workers, suggesting that good organizations should strive to go beyond mere compliance to mitigate risks more ef

In this week’s "Leading and Learning Through Safety" podcast, Dr. Mark French emphasizes the importance of capturing and understanding data to support risk reduction procedures, stating that good safety practices are indicative of good leadership. He highlights the need for organizations to learn from past incidents to prevent future occurrences.Dr. French references a recent Chemical Safety Board (CSB) report on a 2022 refinery explosion that resulted in fatalities. The report revealed that the organization failed to learn from previous mistakes, did not capture the reasons behind incidents, and lacked systemic changes to prevent recurrence. This failure to learn poses significant risks.To illustrate the importance of documentation, Dr. French provides a hypothetical example where an organization, after an injury, revises policies and implements protections. However, new management might later remove these measures, reintroducing risk due to a lack of understanding of their importance. Thus, docume

In this episode of the "Leading and Learning Through Safety" podcast, hosted by Dr. Mark French, the focus is on systemic and normalizing incidents as part of a safety culture. Dr. French emphasizes the importance of learning from safety incidents to improve organizational practices. He highlights a recent report from the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) regarding a fatal release and fire at the BP Husky Toledo refinery in September 2022. This incident underscores the recurring safety issues within BP, such as failure in liquid overflow prevention, poor abnormal situation management, and alarm flooding. Dr. French criticizes BP for not learning from past incidents and stresses the need for organizations to systematize their learnings to prevent future incidents. He concludes by emphasizing the importance of documenting and addressing risks systematically to improve safety culture.