Safety Chats Podcast

Why is communicating in the workplace sometimes a challenge?  If you’re trying to convey information to a team or to a larger group of employees, it may be difficult because of micro cultures within your organization. In this episode, Jason Starke talks about relating to employees that may be on a “cultural island” defined more by similar jobs, locations, responsibilities, or other characteristics...

Annual objective review is a good way to answer the question "how are we doing?" As the calendar year winds down, Dr. Jason Starke gets in the holiday spirt by outlining how best to set yourself up for a SMART analysis of your annual safety goals. He also suggests that it's a good time to think ahead and re-secure leadership commitment to safety goals, as well .  More info about in-...

Safety Chats is back! Host Jason Starke resets the conversation with thoughts on regrouping and refocusing with the core purpose of safety. Whether you are on the frontline, in leadership, or the Safety Manager, know that there are safety conscious people in your organization. Jason shares his thoughts following a busy conference season and the Team Baldwin company retreat.  Contact Safety Chats ...

Is there room for the imperfect and incomplete in safety culture? Jason Starke takes a look at the traditional Japanese aesthetic term "wabi-sabi" and examines how acceptance of transience and imperfection may have an unexpected role in human factors in aviation and the entire safety arena.  Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/c...

Is this "new" thinking toward safety (HOP, Safety 2) a "woke" movement within the aviation industry? The movement could be described as a shift in focus from frontline to the organizational system as the result of a failure, but could that shift go too far? In this episode we discuss rather the focus on the organization's role is perhaps not as new of a concept as proponen...

The impact of all that is going on in the world is felt by our frontline workers. Jason Starke provides a fresh look at the post-Covid workplace and offers some strategies to recognize and guide anxiety and stress.  Communication strategies for using empathy, sharing vision and providing direction are part of the discussion.  Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Connect on LinkedIn h...

What are the most important things to focus on when managing a Safety Management System (SMS)? In this episode, Jason Starke will list his top 3 items for contributing to the success of an effective and thriving an SMS.  Jason also explains why each of the items make his list so you can begin thinking about how to amp up your organization's commitment to safety.   Contact Safety Chats  Tweet...

We're all wondering (and talking) about the upcoming Safety Management System, SMS, regulations. Host Jason Starke makes a case for who should be regulated as ICAO's Annex 19 update nears fruition. There's lots to unpack with a discussion of international and State/Country regulations and as well as the impact on Part 135 Operators, MROs, flight training organizations, and airports....

A great way  for an organization to answer to the question "how are we doing?" is to conduct a Gap Analysis.  To help you compare "what you're doing" to "what you should be doing," Safety Chats host  Jason Starke guides you through do-able five steps.  In terms of safety, comparing actual performance against expected performance can make a difference in day to da...

"Be On The Lookout" is a way to add "awareness" as an element to control risk. Although awareness is lower on a hierarchy of risk controls, it is an effective tool that can be used individually, with your team, or your crew.  Pre-flight or pre-shift briefings can set-up the workgroup to be on the lookout for a particular risk or situation. Atul Gawande - Checklist Manifesto htt...

Having a conversation with your CEO is a way to build your safety management  program and explain why safety needs to be an integral part of the company culture.  A lively discussion and a breakdown of big thinking about organizational culture is the topic of this week's Safety Chat. Host Jason Starke provides the "why" and the "what" when having a discussion with your CEO...

Incidents, accidents, events, near misses, hazards - all these represent the stream of incoming data you are managing. The problem is the value of that data is only as good as the system you have to retrieve and sort it. This is where our topic for today comes in - finding an effective categorization scheme. When our categories are applicable it helps us find our data- easier, faster and help us l...

Here's a familiar scenario -  Your team starts off a project with a lot of energy.  But lately, activity has waned.   Maybe the team (or you) need a nudge (or reset) to get back in action. Listen how the “goal gradient effect” may be utilized to get the team moving again.  Whether you are working toward setting or reaching your safety goals, the end may be closer than you realize. The Goal Gr...

Phew! Summer can mean hot temperatures on the tarmac, in the hangar,  and on the aircraft. This episode takes a look at the levels of heat stress and offers several practical solutions to help pilots, flight crews, maintenance techs,  and others  recognize and to respond to bodily changes during the dog days of summer.  Tip #1 - Stay hydrated  Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Con...

With the airline industry reporting 17-25% of total operating costs are related to fuel and the jump we've seen in the cost of fuel over the past months, fuel tankering has become a consideration. This week we look at not just the financial impacts of the practice, but the environmental impacts as well.  Tankering does affect the organization's bottom line, but it has implications on the...

In this episode we look at what a hazard is, the pathways of identifying a hazard, and the workflow associated with the hazard once it's been identified.  You won't want to miss this thought-provoking discussion that affects your operation. Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/baldwin-aviation-safety-&-compliance/   F...

Finite games have a beginning, an end, and a winner (think baseball, basketball, poker). Safety is not one of these. Safety is an infinite game. A game with no end and no winner. We may never finish our pursuit of safety but  in this week's episode we look at the skills we can master to continue striving. Resources: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAv...

When we outsource part of our flight department's services, rather that be maintenance, FBO, catering, etc,  we inevitably lose oversight of the task. Today we look at what we can be doing to ensure we are not letting risk come into our operations through these providers. Where do you outsource and what kind of oversight do you have? Do you evaluate them to ensure they are following standards...

There are safety related events your organization has little or no direct control over but you CAN influence them. Think unstable approaches, misfuellings, altitude excursions, etc. In this episode we take a look at process and outcome based metrics and encourage you to ask the question, "What can we do to influence these outcome based events?" Resources in this episode: The Four Discipl...

As we near the six month point of 2022 it's a good time to look at how your organization is doing on its objectives. Now may be a great time to go back and look at the effectiveness of the objectives you have or to create new objectives. In this episode we ask the question, "What is your organization doing to improve safety?" We'll encourage you to write them down. Let everyone...

Have we turned a blind eye to things we know need to be addressed? In this week's podcast we explore why all of us can be guilty of being willfully blind to change we know needs to take place and what we can do to correct the situation.  Resources from this week's podcast: Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril by Margaret Heffernan Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @B...

How will you deal with someone who willing violates an SOP? If we hold the organization accountable for the systems they design it must also hold true that employees should be held accountable for the choices they make. This week we discuss the idea of  what makes a just culture within an organization, a culture where every employee feels they are treated justly.  Does your organization need a for...

Accidents are intrinsically filled with emotion and we need to ensure we have a thorough plan so we can respond appropriately.  This week we remind ourselves not only of the importance of having an emergency response plan in place, but the necessity of the coordination and documentation of that plan.  Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/c...

With so much new information coming across your desk each day how do you sift through the noise and incorporate the necessary changes without being baited by every shiny new idea? This week we look specifically at what critical thinking is and how you can incorporate it not just in your organization, but in every area of life. Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Connect on LinkedIn...

This week Jason interviews Mark Myers, Sr. Safety Manager at Baldwin, on the floor of AUVSI XPONENTIAL Convention in Orlando. Join them as they discuss the differences between traditional fixed wing and rotor wing SMS structures and what the future could hold for risk management for the UAS and drone industry. Contact Safety Chats  Tweet us at @BaldwinAviation Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linke...