Illusion of Safety

We had a unique chance to all record together in person at the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Safety 2026 conference in Anaheim, CA and it was a blast! On part 1 of this 2-part series we have Pam Walaski and Carly Baez sharing some background info on their safety conference experiences in the past and what makes the event so special for them. From connecting with familiar friends...

You're responsible for making sure work gets done (safely) in a place where the work is tough, the people are tougher, and you're literally the only safety professional for hundreds of miles in any direction. Welcome to the world of Kayla Quinnell (aka "The Feral Safety Lady") who helps rural businesses in the energy, construction, and agriculture sectors balance getting the work done and making s...

We are deep into safety conference season but it isn't too late to figure out how to best prepare for these big events! Whether you're a seasoned conference attendee or it's your first time attending, there are some great ways to make the most of these events. Everyone has their own way of preparing but Allison and Gabe share some of their favorite conference hacks to help you prepare for, attend,...

Confined spaces, heavy equipment, explosions…even to the layperson, it’s fairly obvious there are multiple hazards in the mining industry. Turns out there are other hazards that are more nuanced and possibly areas for growth in the mining profession…most of them involving people. It’s the connection with people that Monique Parker has found to be so fascinating in the mining profession, especially...

For some of us who have been in the safety profession for a while, it’s easy to forget what it was like to be new to the job. That’s why it’s great to hear from new safety pros like Olivia Rozenberg, who just started as a safety professional in the construction industry straight out of school! Her perspectives on what makes the safety profession both challenging and exciting are refreshing to hear...

If you're listening to this episode, there's a strong possibility it's housed in a data center and you can thank safety pros like our guest Bryce Griffler for making sure it's up and running without interruption. From the construction phase where there are thousands of people working as fast as they can to the moment it's up and running, safety professionals are creating new best practices to addr...

Obviously we all want to be successful in our work. But determining whether you've "made it" can be tough to define, especially in the safety profession, where there are always new certifications to earn, job titles to aspire to, and money to make. And that's just the main job. There are endless "side quests" you can pursue as a safety professional, from volunteer leadership opportunities to speak...

The show must go on...safely! When a film production, awards show, or major sporting event needs help with safety, they call Teresa Beardsley! She's a safety consultant, serves on the board of the Event Safety Alliance, and does her own stunts. But most importantly, she's focused on developing and implementing practices that are tailored to the unique needs of the entertainment industry. From hang...

Every day, ground-breaking, innovative research is happening at labs around the world. Even though much of the work is unprecedented, there still are foundational principles about worker safety that apply, especially in a laboratory environment where an incident can result in injury along with the loss of years of research. That's where folks like Ahana Khokhar come in who specialize in lab safety...

The conversation around women’s PPE has slowly evolved and progress has definitely been made, but as we hear from Amy Roosa of The Safety Rack, there’s still a lot to do when it comes to properly fitting PPE, especially for women. There’s so much more to the conversation now, from research on proper fit to evaluating distribution bottlenecks. Allison, Josh and Gabe learn some encouraging things fr...

Training is part of the job. Sometimes that training can be interesting, exciting, and engaging while other times it could be a slog. So, what makes a training effective? Whether you're using material you've created yourself or a pre-packaged training, doing it voluntarily or being told to do it, there are ways that safety pros can make training more effective. And no, we don't mean just add a qui...

Policies and procedures. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, and like a PB&J sandwich they can get really messy if you don't handle them properly. In this episode we look at why we need proper documentation and how to make them a little more engaging (spoiler alert: know your audience). Whether it's a multi-step, multi-section, see-paragraph-E-subpart-1-section-J kind of policy or j...

Worker safety is serious business, but that doesn't mean you can't introduce element some fun into it! In this episode with Dr. Jonathan Smith, the gang explores how gamification can be used in the workplace to positively drive results and even make safety part of the organization's culture. People play games from a very early age as a way to learn concepts and interact with one another, so it mak...

New Year, who dis? We're back in action and ready to start 2026 with a bang! There's something special about starting the year with some goals in mind, but what is the best way to approach those goals to see that they're actually accomplished and not just abandoned after a couple months...or days?! Whether your goal is personal (like drinking more water) or professional (like actually making safet...

It's our third mini-episode and we have our very own Allison Short taking a look at how things have changed over the last year, and even over the course of this podcast! As new opportunities and challenges arise, it's important to give yourself some grace and room for error. No one is perfect (gasp!) and we all need to be kind to ourselves, especially when starting something new. 2025 was definite...

Bit of a different episode this time, in more ways than one! We're looking back at 2025 and if your year was anything like Josh's, it was a vibe. Whether it's hitting professional milestones, experiencing personal growth, or a wild and wacky combination of both, there's no doubt that 2025 had plenty going on for Josh and many of you in our amazing collective of safety pros. Enjoy!

As the year comes to a close, we're individually going over some of the lessons we learned in 2025 and how they will (might?) affect how we approach 2026. Does Gabe find it awkward to record a mini-episode by himself? Yes. Did he still manage to laugh at himself as he answered Josh's crazy questions in our "Proceed with Caution" segment? Also yes. Enjoy!

In this episode of The Illusion of Safety Podcast, we dive into a topic every safety pro knows too well: burnout. We talk about what it feels like when the spark fades and how community, connection, and honest conversations can help us get it back. Burnout doesn’t mean you’re broken, it means you’ve been carrying too much for too long. Kick back, listen in, and unpack how to recharge, lean on each...

You know the sinking feeling that creeps up on a Sunday night. The dread of dealing with people and issues at work, the stress of the unknown, and why is everything so stinkin’ loud?! Take a deep breath, friend…we’re here for you, and it sounds like you’re getting a bit burnt out. From dealing with people to feeling like there’s never a time when you can “turn off” the work, Safety professionals f...

Time to set the Wayback Machine to 2023 when we had our very first podcast guest: Subena Colligan! We're pretty sure 2023 Subena would be pretty amazed at what would happen just a couple years later with the launch of the BOLD Summit in Atlanta, GA. Whether it's discussing purpose and legacy or exploring finding joy in work, we love hearing what Subena has to say. For more info about BOLD (Blacks...

This one's for the hardcore safety nerds (we see you!) Jenny Houlroyd has done extensive research on the often overlooked impact of hidden injuries like silicosis, mainly due to her personal connection with people in the trades who have suffered from the long-term effects of silicosis and tuberculosis. She explains how it affects people in the trades and why early awareness matters. Josh, Allison,...

We loved the PPE Runway Show at the American Society of Safety Professionals professional development conference so much that it got us thinking about one of our favorite women's workwear founders: Alexis Armstrong! Alexis is the founder of Peggy Workwear, where her company combines fit, function, durability, and (gasp!) even style into technical workwear made by women, for women. With more women...

Now that Josh is a world traveler, we thought it would be a good time to explore how other countries approach workplace safety. And who better to help us understand it than Dr. Steve Thygerson, who is the 2025 Safety Professional of the Year from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)! Steve has done a lot of research in developing countries with regards to health and safety and chats...

We're chatting about construction safety on this episode! Unfortunately, we're not experts in this field, which is why we welcome the amazing Taylor Pedmo, CSP, CHST to the podcast to talk about her experience in the construction field and why it's such a great place to work! Taylor shares how construction has definitely progressed, especially as a place where more women are going to work. Taylor...

Being in a job search can feel like a job in and of itself...and an especially stressful one at that! And the job hunt has gotten that much more complicated with new technology that can be helpful in some cases, and damaging in others. That's why we had Terra Carbert on this episode to help us navigate the wild and wacky world of job hunting and how to do it SAFELY! Terra is a recruiting manager a...