Safety on Tap

So what's in a number? What's in a lost-time statistic, or the number of leadership walks done, or the average time to return an injured worker to work? Or the time-weighted average exposure to an airborne hazard, or the number of times a repetitive manual task is done?   And, what's episode 100 of a podcast all about?   In health and safety we work with lots and lots of numbers.  Well, business i...

Let's get to it.  The year is coming to a close, so much to do and so little time! Today I'm chatting with Eric Knight.  Eric is the Global Head of Safety, Health and Environment at AstraZeneca, who isn't content with implementing good safety health and environment in the company, he thinks there is a bigger mission than that.  And it all ties in with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Developmen...

 The Pareto Principle has been observed in a range of economic areas, like global individual wealth distribution I mentioned earlier, but soverign wealth, quality defects (few defect types cause majority of quality costs/rework time), innovations (where only a few members of staff will provide the majority of innovation ideas), decision making (where only a small proportion of time in a meeting re...

Clive Lloyd joins me today.  Clive grabbed my attention for a few reasons.  First, he came highly recommended by people I trust.  Beautifully ironic give the focus of our conversation.  Second, he is generous in helping people like you and I learn and grow and succeed.  And thirdly, the focus of his work is on a topic close to my heart, which I didn't realise wasn't just important in my own experi...

Dr Jason Fox joins us for a chat today.  Jason's name has come up numerous times in previous podcasts, from me and some of my guests.  Jason's been on the list to talk to as there are so many points of reference or connectedness, or as Jason says today 'poly-angulating'.  Jason's writing and thinking has influenced the way I think and work, and the recent launch of his own podcast The Cleverness [...

Previous guest and friend of the show Dr Drew Rae joins us in this episode as we poke at the idea of evidence based practice.  Or more appropriately, the lack of it in health and safety.  Drew is a world-renowned academic, research leader and in-demand speaker from the Safety Science Innovation Lab at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.  And he doesn't just mind pointing at elephants in th...

This podcast episode has mostly come to you at around 4.30am on the day I'm due to fly out from Los Angeles back to Australia.  I get on the plane in 19 hours time, but need to stay awake for an additional 5 hours after that to hopefully get my sleep patterns all right.  The reason for the early start is I've taken ages to get used to the jetlag coming over here, and now having to start to adjust...

One of the things I explore in my chat with John Lee today is the concept of bureaucracy.  As you'll hear, John has been a senior public servant, a bureaucrat, and I was curious to explore the linkage between being a bureaucrat, working in the bureaucracy, and the bureaucracy that is so often associated with health and safety. I talk a bit in the interview about him and his history, so I won't rep...

Asking questions is a great way to learn, to grow and improve.  Today, my question for you, is what's it for? Discovering the answer to the question of what is it for, is hard. And it gets harder to decide what to do next. Having someone else ask, to listen and encourage reflection, to challenge and cheer you on, is helpful. Learning & growing is a social thing. Like that panel, we get great value...

Sometimes we find ourselves victims of our circumstance. Other times, we have the ability and the potential to totally change the way we operate. It take courage, clarity and persistence, but it is possible. Learn from how Kobi Simmat is going about changing himself, his business, and his entire industry for the better. Downloads & transcripts at safetyontap.com/ep091

This is the topic of a recent coaching call I had with a client. Check this out if you want to learn how to prepare to deliver an amazing conference presentation, or any presentation to a large group.

The water cooler.  The hospital bedside.  The ride along in the truck.  The smokers outside.  The open ended question.  The conversation that happens after the conversation inside the meeting.  Silence.     What do these have in common that makes them so useful, so powerful?   Time and space.    You might realise that I'm trying to change the way I approach these solo episodes.  I've realised loud...

Sara Pazell is my guest today, and she isn't a, well she's more of a….aw I'll let you hear her explain it.  Rather than eloquently describe what she is, in this episode I was far more interested in HOW she goes about her work, with the human at the centre.  What I love about Sara's work, her obvious passion and some of the perspectives she brings to this conversation, is that she helps us with som...

Sometimes you can't plan things, or you can but the plan doesn't work out.  On the other hand, I've learned to observe and listen for signals, which let me know what to do next.  Here's one that crept up and jumped in front of me this past week, and it's about permission.  You don't need permission to begin.  Start small, and see if the world falls apart.  I guarantee you that whatever happens, yo...

Today I've got something a little different for you.  This episode is based on an article [I wrote for the NZ Safeguard Magazine in early 2017, called from Teflon to Coach .As you listen, I want you to focus on what the explicit takeaways are, as well as the implicit lessons in the way I've created this piece.  Make sure you download the article and refer back to in your reflection, or better yet...

Today I'm joined by Ben Hutchinson, a generous learner and teacher, a Ph. D. candidate and an all around great guy. We talked about fantasy planning which is such a great word to get us squirming uncomfortably about this potential problem we create or at least might contribute to? It's not a new concept but the language is new to me, which is what I love about this learning journey I am on, alongs...

Safety in unfortunately full of BS. Well-intentioned, but nonetheless BS. Why not take a BS test and see if you can remove some it? Get my handwritten reflection for this episode, your own reflection template for this very episode, and the full transcript at safetyontap.com/ep084

Conflict is a common part of health and safety practice - it seems to be either a pain in the butt or a badge of honour. Is all conflict bad? How can conflict help us improve? What myths might we not realise we believe about conflict? Hear the answers in my discussion with conflict management expert Kate Russell in this episode. Get my handwritten reflection for this episode, your own reflection t...

Want to accelerate your development (and your performance) in 2018? Join   safetyontap.com/connected to get me as a coach, learn with a community of amazing peers and educational content you won't find anywhere else.

Cognitive bias plays a part in everyone's lives (well, everyone with a brain). Find out what cognitive bias is, whether it is good or bad, and how to manage cognitive bias to improve performance, in your organisation, your team, and for yourself.   Get my handwritten reflections, your own reflection template for this very episode, the full transcript and more at safetyontap.com/ep081

Dr Rebecca Michalak, a professional chameleon who is curious about workplace monsters, knows more about the dark underside of the legal industry than almost anyone, and has a mission to change the way we think about psychological safety and creating great places to work. Get Bec's perspective on the 50 shades of psych safety and how you can start to influence positive change.   Get my handwritten...

Amanda Jones shares with us insights about psychological safety through the lens of neuroscience, and her personal development journey which led to her conference presentation on this very topic. From neuro-porn, contagious stress, to impostor syndrome and embracing that which terrifies you, we've got a jam packed episode! Get my handwritten reflection for this episode, your own reflection templat...

Sally McMahon first said hello to me when she sent a message saying 'Loving listening to your podcast, love your people-centred approach'.  You'll figure out that we have that in common not least of which because her title at Fit for Work Australia is the Chief Health Evangelist.  Sally is also the creator and host of only podcast I know of in the world focused just on work health, safety and well...

Bob Edwards is best knows as the HOP Coach. He spends his time helping individuals and organisations to perform - whatever that means in their own context.  His best known method for this is probably learning teams, which we talk about during this chat. Download the transcript, my handwritten notes and your own reflection template at safetyontap.com/ep077

Naomi Kemp, who wears a few hats including a risk manager, expert advisor on enforceable undertakings, speaker and board member of the Safety Institute of Australia. Today we're talking about one stinky risk that many of us wouldn't think that much about, along with a much better smelling alternative to justice, challenging the way we often approach things going wrong.   Get my handwritten reflect...