The Safety Guru

"Safety is the most important part of your job." Tune in as Dr. Lana Cormie shares her heartfelt and moving story of navigating life after losing her husband in a workplace incident in 2018. She passionately advocates for improving safety and enhancing an intentional culture of safety in the workplace through ongoing training on the job and prioritizing the reporting of hazards, concerns, and near misses. Lana reminds us of the importance of keeping safety at the forefront and empowering team members to become safety advocates in the workplace, ensuring everyone goes home safely at the end of every workday.

About the Guest:

Dr. Lana Cormie and her two children are navigating life without a husband and father as a result of a workplace incident. Lana has become a passionate advocate for safer workplaces, campaigning for better policies and improved legislation for workplace safety. She now shares her life experiences in an effort to help improve safety and educate employees and employers on the importance of a safe workplace. Lana believes by sharing her lived experience she can influence safety cultures and that the most important part of work is to go home at the end of the day.

For more information: https://cnbsafe.com.au/lana-cormie/

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One moment can change your life. Join us as Brandon Schroeder, a motivational safety speaker for over a decade, shares his candid and inspirational story of overcoming physical and mental barriers that resulted from a serious workplace injury in 2011. Brandon's uplifting message encourages everyone to avoid shortcuts on the job and to work together as a team to champion safety in everyday decisions. Tune in now to hear Brandon's powerful journey!

About the Guest:

In 2012, Brandon Schroeder's path as a speaker unfolded following a workplace incident in 2011. Having served as a journeyman electrician since 2002, he had envisioned a future in the electrical trade. However, the pivotal moment of his accident led him to see an alternative journey awaiting him. More than a decade later, he continues to share his narrative, influencing safety perspectives. Brandon has delivered presentations for numerous companies, ranging from global giants to local co-ops. His objective remains singular - to reach that one individual who needs to hear his story.

For more information: https://believeinsafety.com/

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In recognition of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we are honored to welcome Karen Torres to The Safety Guru, where she will share her heartfelt story of turning personal tragedy into impactful change. Karen became committed to advocating for road safety after losing her father in a distracted driving incident. She has devoted her life to raising awareness about work zone safety and the dangers and realities of distracted driving that affect us all. Tune in as Karen advocates for safer roads for all through education, situational awareness, and being an effective role model.

About the Guest:

Karen Torres is a passionate advocate for road safety with over 14 years of experience as a motivational speaker. Her commitment to raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving stems from a personal tragedy — the loss of her father, Patrick Mapleson, in a distracted driving incident. Karen has turned her pain into purpose, dedicating her life to sharing her compelling story at high schools, employee safety trainings, and corporate conferences across the nation. Karen is also a member of the Speaker's Bureau for NY SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions); she provides impactful presentations that aim to inspire positive change and save lives. 

For more information: https://www.all4udad.com/

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We welcome our special guest, Paul Mahoney, to The Safety Guru to share his moving story and his passion for inspiring safer workplaces for all. In 2000, Paul was working in the paper industry in the UK when he suffered a severe injury in the workplace. This critical incident impacted his personal life and set his mission to help others. Listen in as Paul shares valuable insights for fostering a safety culture by creating a safe environment to ask questions and raise concerns. Tune in for inspiration and practical advice on making a positive impact for a safer tomorrow.

About the Guest:

Back in 2000, Paul Mahoney was one of 600 who suffered a major injury in the Paper Industry and one of 27,000 in the whole of the UK. He is the first (to our knowledge) who had his left arm severed above the elbow and, in a 16-hour operation, had it reattached successfully. Paul shares his story with companies and uses his experiences to guide them to a safer culture by building an important bridge between staff, safety professionals, and leaders. Paul has written two books, one about his accident and the other about LEGO Serious Play and how to use the methodology to build a better culture.

For more information: https://www.paulinspiringsafety.co.uk/

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As we celebrate our milestone 100th episode, we're excited to spotlight a crucial topic on The Science Behind Safe Decision Making with our special guest, The Decision Doctor®, Dr. Constance Dierickx. With her expert insights, Constance shares strategies for overcoming common decision-making biases and the importance of saying no to urgency when faced with consequential decisions in the workplace. This episode is packed with practical solutions grounded in fascinating research and science. Tune in to transform your approach to safe decision-making, armed with effective strategies!

About the Guest:

Dr. Constance Dierickx is a sought-after advisor to boards and senior executives in high-stakes situations, including strategic pivots, CEO transitions, board conflicts, and crises. Constance has consulted with dozens of boards and over 500 executives on five continents. Clients call her “The Decision Doctor®.” Recognized as an expert on governance and executive leadership, Constance has been interviewed by National Public Radio for Marketplace Morning, The Wall Street Journal, and Chief Executive and writes for Harvard Business Review and Forbes as well as Directorship, Boards and Directors, and Corporate Board Member.

For more information: https://constancedierickx.com/

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Don't miss our latest episode on The Safety Guru! Join us as Norman MacLeod, a seasoned expert in organizational human factors, shares decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge with us. Drawing from his extensive background in both aviation and healthcare, Norman shares the critical system factors influencing safety decisions within organizations through riveting research findings and real-life examples. Gain invaluable insights and practical solutions to navigate system impacts in your organization. Tune in now!

About the Guest:

Norman MacLeod served in the Royal Air Force for 21 years in the Training and Education specialization, during which time he was involved in a number of pilot training projects, the most extensive of which was his involvement in C-130 transport aircraft crew training. On leaving the RAF, he worked for 17 years as a consultant delivering CRM to pilots and cabin crew in over 25 countries around the world. He has written 2 books on aspects of instructional systems design in aviation, and in 2021, his third book was published, which takes a systems view of aviation and explores what that means in terms of pilot competence.

For more information: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/normanmacleod

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In this must-listen episode of The Safety Guru, we're focusing on the critical yet often overlooked topic of lone worker safety. While they have fewer interactions with leaders and coworkers, their decisions are still shaped by the safety climate and priorities set by their organization. Join us to dive deeper into this topic with Dr. Ryan Olson, who will share his invaluable insights, groundbreaking research, and profound strategies for lone worker safety. Tune in!

About the Guest:

Dr. Olson is a Professor in Occupational Health Psychology at the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Utah. His research has focused on safety, health, and well-being interventions for isolated or “lone” workers. Dr. Olson leads an internationally recognized safety and health intervention research program with commercial drivers funded by NHLBI and has also designed impactful supportive group interventions for home care workers with funding from CDC/NIOSH. His interventions have improved a range of outcomes for workers, including safety, diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and job satisfaction.

For more information: http://bit.ly/r-olson

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We are thrilled to feature a lively and perceptive conversation with Kelly Lynch Feldkamp, an expert injury prevention specialist and founder of ProVention Plus. Kelly passionately advocates using our body movements as a critical factor to stay safe and proactively reduce and prevent soft tissue injuries. Tune in as Kelly shares the many benefits of preventive physical therapy, highlighting how it can elevate safety for your team on and off the job site and improve their overall personal health with proactive injury prevention and reduction strategies. Don't miss out on this dynamic conversation filled with invaluable insights!

About the Guest:

Kelly Lynch Feldkamp is the Founder of ProVention Plus, an onsite injury prevention company that is changing the way companies take care of their manual labor or craft employees. Kelly has a Master's Degree in Exercise and Wellness and is the creator of the Move Better Program used by thousands of Jobsite Athletes over the last 20 years. Kelly and her team at ProVention Plus have been blessed to work with those who are most in need of injury prevention care but are also the least likely to seek it out for themselves. She is playing an active role in moving the industry toward a place where pain is not an unfortunate by-product for the Jobsite Athletes who build the world we all enjoy.

For more information: https://proventionplus.com/

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We encourage you to join us for another engaging conversation with Dr. Josh Williams, a seasoned safety culture expert for over 25 years and partner at Propulo Consulting. Josh highlights five key, big-picture safety themes for 2024: structured governance and executive commitment, SIF prevention, human performance, why observations still matter, and attitudes, beliefs, and mindsets. You're sure to gain indispensable insight as Josh provides a clear vision for successfully shaping the future of your organization's safety culture and safety leadership this year!

About the Guest:

Dr. Josh Williams is a partner at Propulo Consulting. For more than 25 years, Josh has partnered with clients around the world to improve safety culture and prevent SIFs. Dr. Williams earned his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Virginia Tech and is a behavioral safety, human performance, and safety culture improvement expert.

Josh is the author of Keeping People Safe: The Human Dynamics of Injury Prevention and co-editor of Keys to Behavior-Based Safety. He has published more than 150 book chapters, government reports, white papers, blogs, and articles in leading journals. Josh has also delivered hundreds of presentations at leading national conferences and is a highly regarded public speaker. He received the Cambridge Center National First Prize for his research on behavioral safety feedback.

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As we wind down the year, our hearts are filled with gratitude for our special guests who've enriched our show with their expertise and insights. This year, we welcomed many inspiring voices from around the world, including renowned academics, safety motivational speakers, and top industry leaders. Dive in with your host, Eric Michrowski, as he highlights our podcast's most impactful insights and top themes of 2023.

To our listeners, thank you for joining us on this journey. Your engagement and support have been instrumental in making this year's series so meaningful. Don't miss this time of reflection!

About Your Host:

Eric Michrowski is a globally recognized thought leader and guru in Operations and Safety Culture Transformations. A highly sought-after Executive speaker on the global stage, he has led executive training programs, coached the C-Suite, and connected with thousands of Fortune 500 senior leaders. His approach is anchored in evidence-based research and practical applications in Human Performance, Process Excellence, and Organizational Change. He brings over 25 years of hands-on experience in Operations Management, Culture & Business Transformations, and Safety, having worked across a broad range of industries.

For more information: https://www.ericmichrowski.com/

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