When did we forget that health and safety is about protecting people, not red tape? 

In this energising and refreshingly honest conversation, I’m joined by Natalie von Tersch, founder of Mint, to explore the real-world impact of safety done well... and what happens when it isn’t. From motorway fatalities to dishwasher debates, we dive into why safety culture needs a human-first reboot, and how to lead that change from the boardroom to the shop floor.

🔍 Highlights

• Where it all began: Natalie’s origin story, how a workplace fatality shaped her entire approach to safety.
• Intention vs impact: Why doing “just enough” compliance often misses the point entirely.
• Reclaiming the narrative: Tackling the “health & safety says no” culture with common sense and clarity.
• Behavioural safety: Embracing human error instead of punishing it and designing for it.
• Influencing upwards: How to engage leadership with ROI, not red tape.
• Training that sticks: Using questions, stories, and lived experience to create lasting behavioural change.
• The ‘dishwasher theory’ of culture: A brilliant metaphor for alignment, clarity, and safety systems that work.
• The next frontier: Why health (not just safety) must take centre stage, and what to do about it now.

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Natalie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-von-tersch-7687a925/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

Is safety being absorbed, rebranded, or slowly phased out? As the world around us evolves, so too must the safety profession. We dive headfirst into the real tensions, questions, and opportunities facing modern safety practitioners. From the rise of ESG and AI to the shift in workplace culture, this wide-ranging podcast unpacks whether the traditional model of safety is still fit for purpose, or whether we’re seeing the start of something entirely new.

Highlights:

• Blurred boundaries: Safety’s now showing up in HR, ESG, ops and finance, but who’s really in charge?
• Perception problem: From “health & safety gone mad” to value-adding business partner, has the public image moved on?
• From compliance to culture: The shift from box-ticking to influencing and embedding real change.
• New skills for a new era: Why persuasion, communication and leadership are overtaking hard hats and clipboards.
• Risk over safety?: How aligning with broader risk management may help the profession thrive, not just survive.
• A generational shift: Younger workers, hybrid workplaces, and evolving expectations, how do we keep up?
• Directors in the dock?: A strong call for mandatory H&S training at the top of organisations.
• From the ground up: Should we be teaching risk assessment in schools to embed the right mindset early?

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

What if resistance to change wasn’t a hurdle, but valuable feedback? Gary Wong brings a refreshing take on how to navigate complexity and shift safety culture using insights from sensemaking, storytelling and system thinking. We covered how narrative data, landscape maps and frameworks like Cynefin can help make change more attractive and easier, not just for frontline teams, but for senior leaders too. It’s all about thinking differently, acting intentionally, and using real stories to shape safer outcomes.

🔍 Highlights

• Sensemaking in practice: Anthropology, neuroscience and complexity in action
• Thick data over big data: Using real stories to understand the “why” behind behaviour
• The brain and change: How pattern recognition drives decisions
• Affordance mapping: A smarter, simpler way to prioritise
• Resistance = feedback: What pushback really tells us
• Landscape maps: Visualising culture in real time for leadership conversations
• Faster, better, cheaper: How to capture meaningful insight with minimal effort
• Want to try it? SenseMaker Pulse pilot available for just £2,500

 Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-wong-25a43a/
• Browse Gary’s knowledge base: https://www.gswong.com/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

Ever felt that risk management is too focused on boxes, forms, and fear? It doesn’t have to be that way. In this powerful conversation with internationally respected risk expert Alex Dali, we unpack a smarter, more dynamic approach, rooted in ISO 31000, that ties risk directly to your objectives. Whether you're in safety, operations, or leadership, if you're making decisions under uncertainty (and who isn’t?), this episode gives you a clear, actionable framework to create and protect value.

With over 25 years in global risk leadership and founder of the G31000 Risk Institute, Alex brings insight and clarity that cuts through the noise.

🔍 Highlights:

• Redefining risk: Moving from fear-based thinking to opportunity-driven decisions
• The real meaning of ISO 31000: Why it’s about objectives, not just risks
• Why “risk” isn’t a dirty word: Using the right language to create buy-in
• Smart objectives matter: How vague goals derail effective risk decisions
• The three criteria of true risk ownership: Authority, resources, competence
• Risk and safety aren’t just compliance: They’re strategic business tools
• Turning negative events into positive outcomes: A mindset shift that transforms culture
• Training that sticks: What to expect from Alex’s ISO 31000 certification course in London

Actions:

• Join Alex’s ISO 31000 training workshop in London (September 24th to 26th) with 30% off 

          1. Go to: https://g31000.org/iso-31000-certification-london-september2025/

          2. Use code SPFSDA8 to get a 30% discount (discount code valid until 15 August)

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexdali/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

When you’re trying to influence at board level, it’s not enough to talk risk in your language, you’ve got to speak theirs. Ben Cooney joins me to unpack how risk professionals and safety leaders can get real traction by shifting their approach from technical to strategic, from problems to value. We get into the realities of insurance, bust some common myths, and explore how safety, risk, and finance can better collaborate to reduce harm and boost performance.

Whether you’re new to risk or have been in the trenches for years, this conversation is full of useful perspective, insight, and advice to help you step up your game.

Episode Highlights

• Senior leadership and risk: Perception is changing, awareness is rising
• Risk vs opportunity: Set clear guardrails, enable smarter decisions
• Making the case for investment: Lead with value, not fear
• Total cost of risk: It’s far more than just your insurance premium
• Safety + risk + insurance: Why collaboration beats working in silos
• Insurance misconceptions: Why policies don’t fail — but communication does
• Risk management bursaries: Useful tool or inefficient workaround?
• From fires to facial recognition: Real-world examples of risk done right

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencooney/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

Slips aren't just annoying, they're costly, painful, and often completely avoidable. Despite everyone doing "the basics", we continue to see the same incidents occur, time and time again. But what if we shifted from assumptions to science? This episode reveals the five scientifically backed steps to dramatically reduce slip accidents and elevate your safety performance.

Whether you're in charge of one building or one hundred, the insights here will challenge your perceptions and give you practical, proven tools to make your spaces safer, without the need for massive budgets or wholesale refurbishments.

Episode Highlights

• Stanley May’s tragic story: What it reveals about common misconceptions in slip prevention
• The slip problem mindset: Why “simple, cheap, inevitable, insignificant” beliefs hold us back
• Pendulum testing explained: The gold-standard tool for measuring slip risk accurately
• The CHIMES model: Six controllable factors that influence slip risk—decoded and demystified
• Zoning your risks: Why 95% of your floors aren’t the problem, and where to focus your efforts
• Scientific proof beats assumptions: How to test, verify, and maintain control measures effectively
• Building the business case: Real-world ROI data linking safety performance to profit and purpose
• From weekly claims to monthly: A leisure operator’s transformation using these methods

 Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

What if the biggest risk to your organisation wasn’t a trip hazard or faulty machinery, but someone on the inside, with intent to do harm? I sat down with internationally respected security risk management expert Richard Pendry to explore how the lines between safety and security are blurring fast, and what that means for us as safety professionals. From insider threats and emerging legislation to using AI and drones for protection, we dive into what you need to know now to stay ahead of the curve and keep your workplace truly resilient.

Highlights:

• Safety vs Security: Why intention matters in understanding risk
• Convergence explained: How aligning departments helps manage threats holistically
• Insider threats: The overlooked danger already inside your business
• Mission creep risks: How adding security to safety roles needs careful handling
• Martyn’s Law impact: What the upcoming legislation could mean in practice
• Quantifying prevention: Communicating risk in a language the board understands
• Tech in security: How AI, drones and automation are changing the game
• Hardening targets: Why proactive planning protects lives, and livelihoods

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickpendry/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

Is AI the silver bullet for safety, or a double-edged sword we need to handle with care? In this wide-ranging conversation, I’m joined by Martin Maran, a veteran safety professional turned AI practitioner, who offers a grounded, practical update on how AI is reshaping our world of safety and risk management. We dig into what’s working, what’s worrying, and where opportunity lies for those willing to engage with technology with intention, humility, and clarity.

This isn’t just a theoretical debate, it’s a toolkit of insights for anyone looking to make smarter, more human decisions in an increasingly digital world.

🎯 Highlights

• Keep humans in the loop: Why accountability and oversight can’t be outsourced to algorithms
• Trust vs transparency: How to avoid the “black box” trap and build systems people believe in
• Culture amplifies tech: AI won’t fix poor safety culture—it will multiply what already exists
• Pain over pitch: Focus your tech investment on solving real problems, not chasing shiny tools
• Pilots with purpose: Why meaningful trials beat big promises when implementing new systems
• From data to decisions: Using AI to turn years of incident reports into actionable insight
• Tech can cause risk too: Overreliance, false positives, and when automation gets it wrong
• The SME advantage: Why small organisations don’t need big budgets to benefit from AI

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmaran/
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

If you think “emotions” and “the workplace” don’t belong in the same sentence, think again. Emotional culture is influencing your safety culture, performance, and leadership impact, whether you realise it or not. I’m joined by Cara Cunniff, an expert in emotional culture and connection, to challenge the old-school mindset and explore how feelings drive behaviour, decision-making, and ultimately success.

Cara shares why being “emotionally attuned” isn’t fluffy, it’s foundational. We also unpack her experience from military life to entrepreneurship, and how leaders can start small but meaningful shifts to create safer, more connected teams.

Highlights

• Emotional culture defined: Connecting how people feel to how they perform
• The safety word dilemma: How “safety” makes people feel—and why that matters
• Psychological safety in action: Why better conversations move business forward
• Mapping emotions at work: Using cards, check-ins, and simple rituals
• Leadership presence: Asking “how do I want my team to feel around me?”
• Feelings as metrics: Turning emotions into leading indicators for performance
• Valued and appreciated: The most overlooked emotional need in the workplace
• Practical first steps: From journalling to simply saying thank you 

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Cara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caracunniff/
• ThriveWell Global Website: www.thrivewell.global
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/    

What does the safety profession look like ten years from now? Picture a world of automation, AI-driven decision making, and rapidly shifting expectations, then place yourself right in the middle of it. That’s where we’re heading, and this podcast was a chance to look ahead, spark debate, and challenge ourselves to be ready.

We explored the changing demands on the safety professional, what we’ll need to let go of, what skills will come to the fore, and how our ability to connect, influence and adapt will matter more than ever. From mental health and ESG, to data storytelling and the impact of AI, we didn’t hold back in imagining what 2035 might bring.

💬 Topics covered in this episode:

• The Evolving Role of the Safety Professional: From compliance focus to ESG integration and strategic influence
• AI, Automation & the Safety Tech Revolution: How routine tasks will shift and why digital confidence is vital
• Mental Health as a Core Safety Pillar: Why wellbeing needs to move from the sidelines to the centre
• Data Storytelling & Predictive Insight: Using data to drive proactive decisions and win investment
• Collaboration Across Disciplines: Working in sync with HR, tech and leadership teams to deliver real results
• Skills for 2035: New priorities like systems thinking, emotional intelligence, and tech fluency
• Letting Go of Old Habits: Paper forms, one-size-fits-all training, and blame culture—what needs to go
• Bold Predictions for the Future: From AI-enabled teams to the idea of safety teams without safety professionals

Actions:

• Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ 
• Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/