The Safety Spotlight

In this powerful episode of Safety Spotlight, we sit down with Spencer Beach, a third-generation tradesman turned professional safety speaker, whose life was forever changed by a devastating workplace fire in 2003. What followed was more than a physical recovery. It was a complete transformation in how he understood safety, leadership, and purpose.

Spencer recounts the day everything changed, the chemical shortcut that led to a house explosion, and the production pressures that caused him to ignore his gut instinct. With raw emotion and clarity, he unpacks how culture, communication breakdowns, and misplaced priorities can lead to life-altering consequences.

You’ll hear:

• Why gut instinct is often our first and best safety tool

• How reframing “hazards” as “energy” can change how we see risk

• The emotional and cultural roots that separate average programs from effective ones

• Why near misses matter, and how to give workers “eyes in the back of their head”

• How to burst the “safety bubble” and create awareness that truly sticks

This episode is not just a cautionary tale. It is a call to rethink safety as a living part of leadership and culture. Spencer’s story is a reminder that safety isn’t paperwork or policy—it’s people, purpose, and the choices we make under pressure.

See Spencer’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, we sit down with Mike Schwarz, CEO of MyZone AI, for a candid look at the AI revolution already transforming how businesses operate. From his early dot-com ventures to leading large-scale automation projects, Mike shares real insights on how organizations can harness AI for massive ROI.

He reveals how automation can streamline up to 90% of operations, why his team only takes on projects that deliver 10x returns, and how AI is reshaping safety, education, and high-risk industries through predictive analytics and dynamic learning systems.

We cover:

• How to identify automation opportunities in any business

• What “human in the loop” really means and why it matters

• Practical AI applications in safety and frontline operations

• Why delaying adoption could cost companies their competitive edge

“Some companies are still riding horses while others are driving Teslas.”

Whether you are a safety leader, tech skeptic, or startup founder, this episode will change how you see AI’s role in the workplace and what it means for the future of human performance.

See Mike’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, we sit down with Jeff “Odie” Espenship, former A-10 Warthog pilot and founder of Target Leadership, for an unforgettable conversation about safety, culture, and the choices that define leadership.

Odie shares hard-earned lessons from 10,000 feet up and from rock bottom, revealing how the smallest decisions can change everything. His message is clear: safety isn’t about rules, it’s about character, empathy, and accountability when it matters most.

What You’ll Learn:

• From Cockpit to Culture: How Odie went from airshows to safety keynotes, and why culture eats checklists for breakfast

• The Shortcut That Changed Everything: The devastating true story of one small deviation and the origin of Jeff’s mission

• Normalization of Deviance: Why “just this once” is never just once

• Leadership Is Emotional: If you want people to care about safety, start with empathy, not enforcement

• What Real Leadership Looks Like: It’s not about titles, it’s about doing the right thing when no one is watching

See Odie’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

From Fulbright scholar to Facebook Europe’s early days to bestselling author, Mehmet Baha’s journey is anything but ordinary.

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, Baha joins us from Berlin to unpack what psychological safety really means and why it is the backbone of high-performing, human-centered workplaces. We dig into the practical side of leadership, including how to build trust, communicate with purpose, and lead with empathy, even in the age of AI.

Baha shares frameworks and real-world examples, including how one bank rewired its culture and how Google embraces “intelligent mistakes” as a source of growth. His insights go beyond theory to show how psychological safety drives innovation, performance, and well-being.

If you are a frontline leader, executive, or anyone tired of lip service and ready for real change, this episode offers actionable strategies to make your team safer, stronger, and more resilient.

See Baha’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

Join a conversation with Greg “Boss” Wooldridge, the only leader to command the U.S. Navy Blue Angels three times, as he translates elite aviation lessons into everyday leadership that scales safety and results. From carrier decks to corporate operations, Greg shows how trust built under pressure enables teams to perform with consistency without compromising safety.

Greg’s path started on aircraft carriers and now continues at FedEx, where he applies high-reliability habits to shape a durable safety culture. In this episode, he breaks down leadership practices that actually travel: concise, blame-free debriefs that fuel continuous improvement, humility that invites candor, and the disciplined pursuit of excellence that businesses can adapt without the theatrics of an air show. He also shares the human side of command, including how to balance relentless standards with family and mentorship, and why legacy is measured in the next generation of leaders.

What you’ll learn:

• How to build trust deliberately so teams stay composed when stakes are high

• How to run concise, blame-free debriefs that drive continuous improvement

• How to make learning routine through simple leadership rhythms

• How to align accountability with action, not just intent

• How high-reliability habits from aviation apply to construction, healthcare, tech, and more

See Greg’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts/.

Sit down with Dr. Tom Krause, behavior-based safety pioneer, co-founder of BST (now within DEKRA), and partner at Krause Bell Group as he traces how safety leadership has fundamentally changed over the decades. From a foundation in clinical psychology to industry-wide innovation, Dr. Krause explains why behavior must be understood in context and how stopping at “the employee is at fault” blocks real improvement.

The discussion connects Deming’s thinking to modern practice, examines where Heinrich’s model can mislead leaders, and tackles cultural barriers that stall progress. Dr. Krause also unpacks how decision analysis prevents serious harm before it happens, shares lessons from NASA’s post‑Columbia journey, and shows why upward communication and authentic leadership sponsorship are non‑negotiable for a resilient safety culture.

Whether leading EHS, running operations, or simply committed to safer work, this conversation distills decades of field experience into practical insight. Plug in to challenge assumptions, find better questions, and redefine what effective safety leadership looks like today.

See Corrie’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, Corrie Pitzer, founder of SafeMap International, dives into the complex and often counterintuitive world of workplace safety. From underground mining disasters to redefining what it means to be “safe,” Corrie shares his global journey of challenging traditional safety paradigms.

He explains why overprotection can create “paralysis by safety,” how risk homeostasis shapes behavior, and why readiness—not rules—is the real measure of a safe organization. Through gripping stories, research, and field experience, Corrie shows how safety must evolve from rigid systems to dynamic risk discovery, where people aren’t the problem, they’re the solution.

This episode is essential listening for safety professionals, operational leaders, and anyone ready to rethink how we manage risk, develop resilience, and build cultures that adapt instead of react.

See Corrie’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

Slip up in aviation? You investigate it, learn from it, and build systems to stop it from happening again.
Slip up in a lab with a deadly pathogen? You might start a pandemic.

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, Luca Filippo shares how his journey from helicopter pilot in Brazil to biosafety consultant revealed a truth most industries miss: system safety isn’t just for airplanes. It’s for any workplace where the margin for error is razor-thin.

Luca explains how aviation’s decades of lessons on human factors, incident reporting, and safety culture can reshape the way high-risk labs manage biological hazards.

We talk:

• Why general aviation needed a safety wake-up call

• What biosafety gets wrong about incident pyramids

• How to teach people who’ve “never crashed” to prepare like they will

• And what every safety pro should do before opening their mouth: listen

If you’ve ever wondered how system thinking applies beyond aircraft and into the future of biosafety, this episode will change how you see risk and responsibility.

See Luca’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

What if your workplace made people laugh more and report safety issues more? What if culture wasn’t just a “nice-to-have” but your greatest competitive advantage?

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, Mike Kerr, international speaker and workplace culture expert, makes one thing clear: work shouldn’t suck the life out of people.

With over 25 years of research, storytelling, and practical insight, Mike shares how humor in the workplace isn’t about punchlines—it’s about psychological safety, creativity, communication, and better decision-making on the front lines.

Mike breaks down:

• How toxic culture silently sabotages safety performance

• Why humor improves retention, engagement, and reporting

• What psychological safety really means and how to build it

• Real stories from workplaces that got it right (and those that didn’t)

He also challenges the classic Monday morning dread with a powerful question: what if your people actually wanted to come to work?

“We know bringing more humor into a workplace moves the numbers in all the right directions. There’s nothing trivial about it.” – Mike Kerr

If you care about safety, culture, or simply making work less soul-crushing, this episode will change how you lead.

See Mike’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.

What does true safety excellence look like in 2025? How do we make the safe choice the easy choice? And how can organizations move beyond compliance to build a culture that actually drives results?

In this episode of Safety Spotlight, Shawn Galloway, global safety strategist, author, and CEO of ProAct Safety, explores how safety culture must evolve to meet modern challenges. From psychological safety and human performance to Lean BBS and strategy execution, Shawn brings clarity to the complexity of building workplaces that don’t just prevent harm but thrive.

Drawing on over 25 years of experience across industries, he outlines the five capacities that drive safety excellence and explains why misaligned systems and data are often the hidden cause of stagnation.

Shawn breaks down:

• Why system failures and cultural gaps derail even mature safety programs

• The 5 key capacities that define safety excellence: systems, leadership, engagement, culture, and strategy

• How to shift from lagging indicators to value-based safety metrics

• The case for Lean Behavior-Based Safety (BBS)

• Why ownership starts at the sharp end of the stick, not the boardroom

His key message:

“People support what they help to create. And culture change happens best from within.”

If your organization is stuck on a plateau or simply ready to level up, this episode offers a clear roadmap for evolving your safety approach with strategy, simplicity, and purpose.

See Shawn’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts.