HazTek Employee Programs Advisor Ray Stupienski joins Chris Bellina for a special Q and A episode of our podcast.

Since the launch of this podcast in June 2023, our listeners have been emailing safety questions to our email ([email protected]). On today’s episode, Ray Stupienski answers these important questions for the audience. The questions range from how to get started in the safety industry to what the best certifications are to obtain as a safety professional. 

Ray’s years of experience in the safety industry make him a wealth of knowledge on this topic. He answers each question thoughtfully, adding in stories from his experiences in the field and at home. Whether you’ve been listening from the beginning or are a new listener, this episode is one you’ll be eager to share with fellow safety professionals.  

James Beasley, HazTek Senior Safety Manager, discusses a topic he calls “embracing the premortem” on construction sites. James coined this term because having effective pre-task planning and job hazard analyses prevents accidents and injuries — so there no longer needs to be an investigation after the fact on what went wrong. He goes into detail on what a job hazard analysis (JHA) is and the proper steps to take when performing this technique. James also offers tips for safety professionals on how to keep teams engaged and interested in safety best practices.

Additionally, James, Chris, and Matt discuss challenges that safety professionals face during pre-task planning meetings — the main challenge being creating buy in from all levels of the organization. James has years of experience in the safety industry and has learned many valuable best practices that he shares with our audience, making this an incredibly insightful episode. 

Herb Strong, HazTek’s Client Services Manager (and former OSHA compliance officer), joins Chris and Matt again for a very important discussion on preventing slips, trips, and falls on construction sites. Herb informs our audience of the alarming statistics of these types of incidents that occur on project sites. He explains the factors that lead to slips, trips, and falls and offers tips for preventing these types of accidents on construction sites.

Herb has been working at HazTek for 12 years and has over 50 years of experience in safety. Before working with us, Herb was the Principal Owner of Strong Consulting services as well as an OSHA compliance officer. From his years of experience managing safety, he has seen many injuries caused by slips, trips, and falls — and has prevented many as well — making this an episode you won’t want to miss.

Kelly Feldkamp, owner of ProVention Plus LLC and certified massage therapist, discusses with Chris Bellina and Matt Clark how construction workers, and those working on sites, can take care of their bodies. She explains how she uses touch therapy on construction sites to help workers stay injury free throughout their workday. 

Kelly also talks about holistic health, and the steps workers can follow to help keep them healthy on and off the job. She explains that even if workers are following proper safety protocols and staying active at work, they can still be at risk for injury. Getting the right amount of sleep, eating nutritious meals, and stretching daily are all vital in keeping bodies working properly.

Kelly’s company, ProVention Plus, specializes in injury prevention on construction sites to help workers stay injury free and healthy. Her team comes onto construction sites and offers one-on-one sessions for workers. She has years of experience in this industry and a passion for keeping workers in their best shape — making this episode engaging and extremely informative.

Ironworker and Executive Director of Apprenticeship and Training for Ironworkers International Lee Worley discusses with Chris and Matt the ironworker training process. Lee explains what his position entails and how IMPACT— Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust — helps the apprentices manage the training program and become the best worker possible. 

Lee goes into detail about what his training process looked like when he was starting as an ironworker versus how the training is operated today, as well as the differences between various craft training programs across the U.S. He educates our listeners about the benefits of going into the crafts — including avoiding student debt. Lee and Matt — who has an ironworker background — trade stories about their experiences in the industry and how they have seen it evolve over time. 

Lee has 38 years of experience as an ironworker and shares valuable advice for anyone looking to get into this field or transition out of it. His passion for training comes across, making this a must-listen episode. 

Code Red Safety’s Vice President of Product Development, Bart Peetermans, discusses an innovative confined space rescue technology that he invented and patented in 2000. This type of technology is now replicated as the norm for the refinery, chemical, and petrochemical industries. Bart explains the many benefits of using this confined space technology in order to make projects safer — including cameras, gas detection systems, a monitoring system for clients, and an intercom system.

In addition, Bart examines the challenges that he and his team went through by using this new technology, as well as the roadblocks experienced when bringing the technology from Europe to the U.S. Bart also speaks with Matt and Chris about the new safety innovations that he is working on at Code Red Safety. 

Bart has decades of experience in the safety technology industry and has worked all over Europe before bringing his technologies to the U.S. Before working for Code Red Safety, he owned Z-Safety Systems, which created, operated, and sold patented innovative safety solutions to the make the Petro-Chemical industry a safer place to work. 

During the episode, Kris Corbett, Director at Atlas Injury Prevention, discusses how to manage mental health as a construction worker — a vital issue as the suicide rates in this industry are extremely high. She informs our listeners that 16% of construction workers feel some sort of anxiety and depression and that 1 in 5 Americans live with a mental illness. Kris, Matt, and Chris talk about potential factors that contribute to these alarmingly high statistics.

Kris also provides strategies for managing stress, anxiety, and depression. Some of these strategies include connecting with coworkers when they seem off and remembering to breathe deeply when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. She also gives an example of what she does to relax, which she calls the “rule of five.”

Kris has over 20 years of experience working in Wellness, Safety, and Injury Prevention, creating innovative and effective products and services for various companies. She is a nationally recognized speaker and has been featured at the National Ergonomic Conference, National Constructor Conference, ASSE National Conference, and CURT National Conference. Kris is not a mental health professional, nor does she consider herself an expert. If you need to reach out to a mental health professional or are looking for additional resources to help your mental health, visit: https://www.osha.gov/workplace-stress/outreach-materials

Lance Simons, Vice President of Safety & Quality for the Haskell Company, joins Chris Bellina and Matt Clark on Episode 16. During the discussion, Lance educates our listeners on effective safety metric systems. He explains that there are two sets of numbers that companies use when tracking safety metrics — OSHA recordable incidents and a safety metric system from the client’s vantage point. 

Lance goes on to clarify that the OSHA recordable incident data can be skewed since it exclusively includes data from the individual company without considering other companies working on the project. Due to this, the data may show that no safety incidents have happened on these construction sites when that is most likely not the case. By using a safety metric system from the client’s vantage point — which includes data from every subcontractor and employee working on the site — the client receives an accurate report of their overall site safety. For anyone interested in implementing this safety metric system, Lance provides advice for getting started.

Lance also discusses how being transparent about safety is so important. When companies are completely forthcoming about their safety issues, their employees feel comfortable to come forward with any safety concerns. This is a very educational episode that our listeners won’t want to miss. 

During this very informative episode, Herb Strong, HazTek’s Client Services Manager (and former OSHA compliance officer), discusses the steps that safety professionals should take when preparing for an OSHA inspection. He goes over the various types of OSHA violations — de minimus, other-than-serious, serious, and willful — and what companies can do to avoid these violations.

Herb has been working at HazTek for 12 years and has over 50 years of experience in safety. Before working with us, Herb was the Principal Owner of Strong Consulting services as well as an OSHA compliance officer — making him an expert on this episode’s topic.  

Because of Herb’s prior experience as an OSHA compliance officer, he offers our audience inside information on best practices when going through an OSHA inspection. He recommends that safety professionals keep all safety records readily accessible and to take advantage of any safety trainings that are available. Herb also explains why it’s beneficial to always follow OSHA and site safety regulations — not just during OSHA inspections. 

Steven Rank, Executive Director of Safety & Health for the Ironworkers International, joins Chris Bellina and Matt Clark on Episode 14. Steven has years of experience as an ironworker and is a member of Iron Workers Local #10 in Kansas City, Missouri. During the episode, Steven discusses the difference between safety standards vs. safety compliance directives. He explains that safety standards are written laws while safety compliance directives are letters about how to interpret these laws. He warns safety professionals to use caution when receiving these letters since they are not legally binding — and the interpretation can be wrong — causing safety issues that can lead to accidents.

Steven shares firsthand accounts of issues that he and his team encountered after receiving safety compliance directives. Steven also talks with Matt and Chris about strategies that safety professionals can utilize when they receive safety compliance directives that do not follow safety standards. Steven encourages everyone to always follow the safety standard — and offers tips on how to do so when a supervisor or member of leadership wants to use the compliance directive instead.