In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mike Fears, who describes himself as a recovering academic and has more than 20 years of experience in occupational health and safety across multiple industries.

This is a fascinating deep dive into New View Safety: its principles, how it developed, its originality and, most importantly, whether it improves safety outcomes.

Mike evaluates the core tenets of this approach to help us uncover the validity of maxims such as ‘error is normal’, ‘blame fixes nothing’ and ‘workers should decide how work is done’. His research findings help us separate unrealistic assertions from useful applications. But context and nuance are always key!

This episode gives safety professionals a balanced and measured perspective on New View Safety, encouraging thoughtful application of its ideas - rather than uncritical adoption or rejection.

Learn more about Mike’s work: The Recovering Academic

Recommended reading:

Fears, M. R. (2025). The promise and problems of the "New View" of Safety. Vegetation Manager Magazine, 24 October 2025;18-20. 

Fears M.R. (2024). 349 Pushing the right buttons: creating conditions for developing personal motivation towards safe behaviours. Injury Prevention; 30: A74.

Fears M.R. (2024). 698 The promise and problems with the “new view” of safety: weaknesses, limitations, and suggestions for further research. Injury Prevention; 30: A145. 

Cooper, M. (2022). The emperor has no clothes: A critique of Safety-II. Safety Science, 152, 105047. 

Mike Fears on LinkedIn: Mike Fears – LinkedIn Profile 

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brandy Zadoorian, a certified safety professional and CEO of Triangle Safety Consulting, who helps organizations build robust and sustainable safety programs through her expertise in regulatory compliance.

Unusually, Brandy is a passionate supporter of workplace safety regulations and highlights OSHA’s key role in keeping workers safe in America. She addresses common misunderstandings about the agency’s purpose and approach before exploring the major citation trends.

Brandy analyzes the effectiveness of fines as a compliance tool and stresses the importance of proactive safety training, especially for smaller businesses. In addition to robust regulations, she also emphasizes the critical need for thorough follow-up on corrective actions to protect your workforce and prevent repeat incidents.

This compelling conversation will help EHS professionals work with regulatory agencies, build trust within your organizations, and improve safety programs before enforcement or penalties are necessary.

Find out more about Brandy’s services and resources, including her OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 workbooks: Triangle Safety Consulting LLC

The book recommended by Brandy: Basics of Occupational Safety, The: Amazon.com: Goetsch, David

Brandy Zadoorian on LinkedIn: Brandy Zadoorian, CSP, CSD, LMSS | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Zoë Nation, a human factors and safety expert with over 25 years of design and implementation experience across rail, oil and gas, logistics, mining, marine, manufacturing, and aviation industries.

Zoë challenges safety professionals to be more curious, move beyond ‘tribalism’, and adopt more context- and research-driven approaches to safety management: “There isn’t one right answer!”

She highlights the common pitfalls organizations face when implementing change and emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique maturity and culture of your organization.

Drawing on her extensive experience, Zoë stresses the critical role of end-user engagement, reminding EHS professionals that frontline workers don’t care about safety camps or jargon - they just need solutions based on their work realities.

Throughout the conversation, Zoë shares practical tools and insights to help EHS professionals learn from the workforce, influence decision-makers, avoid common blind spots, and create effective safety systems that resonate across all levels of the business.

Safety resources/authors recommended by Zoë:

The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error': Amazon.com: Dekker, Sidney

Bob's Guide to Operational Learning: How to Think Like a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Coach: Amazon.com: Edwards, Bob, Baker, Andrea

Humble Inquiry, 3rd edition: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Humble Leadership): Amazon.com: Schein, Edgar H., Schein, Peter A

SafetyInsights.org – Home of safety & risk research summaries

Global Safety Innovation Summit

Zoë Nation on LinkedIn: Zoë Nation | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Edward Tenner, a renowned author and lecturer at Princeton University, whose work explores the intersections of history, technology, and safety.

Edward draws on his seminar “Understanding Disasters,” examining major events like the Titanic, the World Trade Centre, Fukushima and Covid to expose how hidden risks can break safety systems.

He highlights how overlooked factors such as ‘gray rhinos’ and ‘mode errors’ have contributed to serious failures, demonstrating the unintended consequences of well-meaning safety measures.

Through examples of expert decisions and system designs that didn’t work as intended, he encourages safety managers to vigilantly scan the horizon for subtle signals of weaknesses..

This episode offers EHS professionals practical insights and historical lessons that help you identify emerging hazards to make workplaces safer.

Find out more about Edward’s work, books and essays: Edward Tenner - Welcome

You can read Edward’s latest essay here: Are We Getting Dumber? - Milken Institute Review

Other books recommended by Edward:

Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America: Petroski, Henry

Normal Accidents – Living with High Risk Technologies: Perrow, Charles

Edward Tenner on LinkedIn: Edward Tenner | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Sarah Ischer, CIH, CSP, the Senior Director of Expertise at the What Works Institute, who recently published a ground-breaking report investigating neurodiversity in the workplace.

Roughly 1 in 5 people are neurodivergent, meaning their brains process information, perceive hazards, or communicate differently. Yet many traditional safety programs still assume a single way of thinking.

Sarah explores why neurodiversity isn’t given the same focus in the workplace as it now receives in the education system and highlights how this negatively impacts the well-being of your workers.

She provides EHS professionals with practical and affordable tactics to improve workplaces for neurodiverse - and neurotypical - workers, giving you a new lens to enhance safety systems at your organization.

Find out more about Sarah’s work: What Works Institute

The full report into neurodiversity at work: Neurodiversity in EHS

Sarah Ischer on LinkedIn: Sarah Ischer, CIH, CSP | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this special 100th episode, we look back at the conversations that have shaped Safety Labs by Safety Products Global over the past 99 shows.

The series has consistently explored the major challenges facing today’s EHS professionals, providing a platform for expert guests to share candid perspectives on the realities of workplace safety.

Inevitably, certain subjects have consistently shaped the conversations and sparked wider debate on LinkedIn - so you’ll find lots of firmly-held views on hot topics including safety theories, metrics, and blame; frank assessments of the role of EHS professionals, psychological safety and Heinrich; and emphatic statements on safety porn, Zero Harm, and safety culture.

Expect rallying calls to action, powerful messages, and hard-hitting insights. And some of the language is as strong as the opinions.

Thanks for being part of the Safety Labs journey, and we hope you enjoy this celebration of its success - here’s to the next 100 episodes!

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

• Sam Goodman (Episode 27): Making Safety Suck Less
• Fred Sherratt (Episode 84): The Ever-Changing World of Construction Safety
• David Provan (Episode 58): What Is the Role of a Safety Professional?
• Tim D’Ath (Episode 61): A Human-Centric Approach to Safety Management
• Brye Sargent (Episode 11): Who is Ultimately Accountable for Safety?
• Tony Muschara (Episode 70): The Critical Steps in Workplace Safety
• Scott Gesinger (Episode 24): The Past, Present and Future of Safety
• Leslie Rex Stockel (Episode 91): Making Sense of Evolving Safety Approaches
• Stephen Harvey (Episode 38): Why Safety Needs More Fun and Connection
• Todd Loushine (Episode 96): Redefining Safety Success
• Gary Namie (Episode 41): How Bullying Impacts Workplace Safety
• Tim Marsh (Episode 01): How Can You Make a Case for Empowering Safety Culture?
• Stephanie Benay (Episode 42): Women in Safety
• I. David Daniels (Episode 30): Workplace Safety is for Everyone
• Crista Vesel (Episode 94): The Power of Words in Workplace Safety
• Dr Tristan Casey (Episode 40): What Does Safety Culture Mean?
• James Junkin (Episode 37): Thoughts From a Safety Outlaw
• Bob Edwards (Episode 53): Managing Complexity in Workplace Safety
• Kym Bancroft (Episode 05): The End-to-End Process of Safety Culture Change
• Stephen Scott (Episode 28): Embracing New Approaches to Workplace Safety
• Clive Lloyd (Episode 44): The Key Component of Workplace Safety: Trust
• Greg Smith (Episode 80): The Safety Profession’s Disconnect Between Process and Purpose
• Elisa Lynch (Episode 14): Is New View Safety More Effective Than Traditional Approaches?
• Logan F. Martin (Episode 22): The Safety Profession: Where are We and Where Do We Go From Here?
• Josh Bryant (Episode 26): Using Multiple Safety Theories to Implement Critical Risk Management
• Nippin Anand (Episode 99): Is Safety Learning the Right Lessons
• Lori Guasta (Episode 95): Getting Back to Safety Basics
• Mikel Bowman (Episode 51): Leading From the Middle To Enhance Workplace Safety

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Nippin Anand, an event investigation expert who founded a consultancy specialising in human-centred approaches to learning.

Using the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, Nippin examines how investigations often produce explanations that satisfy the need for closure but fail to reflect the complexity of events and help organizations actually learn.

Drawing on social psychology, mythology and anthropology, Nippin challenges many “safety myths” including normal work, zero harm and the role of blame in the workplace. He encourages the safety profession to uncover deeper insights through surfacing the unconscious, using our three minds and focusing on intelligent cues in accident investigations.

A key theme is that real learning lies in the tension, and Nippin argues for transdisciplinary thinking in safety, moving beyond root cause and corrective action towards context, meaning, individuality and uncertainty. This interview offers EHS professionals a more reflective approach to safety learning.

Find out more about Nippin’s work: About Nippin - Nippin Anand

Nippins’s book: Are We Learning from Accidents?

Nippin’s consultancy (including knowledge space): Home - Novellus Solutions

Recommended resources about the iCue (intelligent cues) process:

The iCue engagement program™

iCue engagement process

Dr. Robert Long’s excellent work: Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR)

Nippin Anand on LinkedIn: Nippin Anand | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Doug Parker, former US Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, whose illustrious career has spanned labor law, federal and state oversight, worker advocacy, policy leadership and consultancy.

Doug explains why regulators are often seen only through the lens of enforcement and what that view misses. Drawing on his time leading OSHA, he describes the broader role of guidance, dialogue and worker voice in improving safety outcomes.

The conversation explores how trust shapes the relationship between regulators and organizations, why engagement matters and how fear of enforcement can limit learning and transparency. Doug also reflects on the constraints regulators operate under and what that means in practice.

This episode gives EHS professionals a rare regulatory perspective on how to engage more constructively with oversight bodies and use regulation as a lever to support meaningful, lasting safety improvement.

Find out more about OSHA: Home | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

California State OSHA resources and templates: Cal/OSHA - Division of Occupational Safety and Health - Home Page

Worker-focused global resources Doug recommends: Hesperian Health Guides | Knowledge for Action - Action for Health

Doug Parker on LinkedIn: Doug Parker | LinkedIn

Contact Doug directly: [email protected]

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Shawn Connick, a safety consultant with decades of experience across construction and energy.

Shawn reflects on why safety professionals are surrounded by ideas yet often struggle to turn them into practice. Drawing on his own experience, he shares his success operationalizing new workplace safety approaches with (all too familiar) resource constraints.

Discover how to effectively implement learning teams, ensuring safety is aligned with production and quality, insights emerge before workers get hurt, and your organization improves in all these areas together.

Shawn emphasizes the importance of building ‘safety fluency’, helping leaders understand that organizational change is the key to creating safer workplaces. This episode gives EHS professionals invaluable guidance on making new safety approaches work in practice - and on a limited budget.

Find out more about Shawn’s consultancy work: Shawn Connick Construct Strategies

Books recommended by Shawn:
- Sidney Dekker’s: The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error'

- Todd Conklin’s: The 5 Principles of Human Performance

- Bob Edwards and Andrea Baker’s: Bob's Guide to Operational Learning

- Edgar Shein’s: Humble Inquiry

Podcasts recommended by Shawn:

PreAccident Investigation Podcast | Todd Conklin

A HOP Podcast (With No Name)

Podcasts - Freakonomics

Shawn Connick on LinkedIn: Shawn Connick, CSP | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Todd Loushine, an Associate Professor, EHS professional, scientist and Data Analytics enthusiast who has extensively researched how we track safety.

Todd challenges the profession’s reliance on familiar aspirations and indicators, questioning whether established goals and metrics actually enhance workplace safety.

In this stimulating interview, he explores the current balance between compliance and people, and shares his extensive critical analysis of the data we rely on to measure performance. Other big-picture questions, such as safety’s role and alignment within an organization, also come under the spotlight.

Todd pushes EHS professionals to raise ambitions for safety. He urges you to think more deeply and critically about metrics, while broadening your perspective beyond hazards to a more empathetic approach.

Resources recommended by Todd:

Home - Safety On The Edge Conference

SafetyInsights.org – Home of safety & risk research summaries

Dr. Todd Loushine on LinkedIn:

Todd William Loushine, PhD, PE, CSP, CIH | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]