The Accidental Safety Pro

Podcast series host Jill James speaks with Jason Lucas, creator on #SocialMediaSafetyMinute. Today, Jason is an experienced safety professional who’s served in a few high-risk industries. Jason lives in the field, with the workforce, every day. He’s also a prolific content creator across social platforms, known for his characteristic authenticity. When he made the career-defining move to occupatio...

Podcast series host Jill James speaks with two safety birds of a different feather, Jana and John. Each are Master’s-level instructional designers, with decades of experience developing safety training right on the evolving technology curve. Grabbing and holding attention is an art—anyone who leads training knows this. Often, it is poorly done (raise your hand if you’ve sat through to boring train...

Podcast series host Jill James talks with American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Fellow Cindy, whose career in industrial hygiene spans an amazing 38 years. With a fresh biology degree, Cindy was unable to find laboratory work after graduation. So she found a clerical job at Colorado State University, continued taking classes, and ended up with a Masters in Industrial Hygiene. How do you s...

Chief Safety Officer and podcast host Jill James, sits down with Tom Andrzejewski, Safety Director at Hunt Electric to talk about Tom’s path into safety, how their paths unknowingly crossed years ago, and the importance of networking and associations.

Jill and Christine take some to talk about BCSP Foundation and three main initiatives they’re working on at the Foundation.

New President and CEO of the National Safety Council talks with podcast host and Vivid Learning Systems Chief Safety Officer, Jill James live from the floor of the 2019 NSC Expo.

Krista Geller talks with Jill James about the importance of pets in our lives, growing up in safety and research, and Actively Caring for People.

Jill James, Chief Safety Officer, and podcast host talks with Jacy Good and Steve Johnson about their story, Hang Up and Drive, as well as what it’s like to be married public speakers on the road together.

Vivid Learning Systems Chief Safety Officer and podcast host sits down with Dr. Scott Geller live on the expo floor from the 2019 NSC Expo.

Podcast series host Jill James talks with Mark Hernandez, Navy man, construction veteran, EMT, OSHA compliance officer, speaker, coach, author, and safety professional. Mark’s remarkable journey began at the bottom of a scaffolding operation, when he raised his hand for a late-night safety coordinator role, leveraging his bilingual talent…and never looked back. You’ll learn why a combination of te...

​Jill James speaks with special guest Abby Ferri about her storied career path, how to avoid being the safety cop by earning the trust of your workers, and utilizing social media as a safety pro.

Podcast series host Jill James speaks with former professional boxer, firefighter, and elephant stampede survivor, Tony Taylor. Tony’s start in safety began while serving as a Marine, where he pushed leadership to support injury rate reduction efforts—and won (26% down!). No small feat in the armed services (or any organization, for that matter). As a civilian, he later found work fighting fires f...

Podcast series host Jill James connects with Debra, a lecturer at her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Occupational & Environmental Safety and Health Department. Debra received her formal safety education at the school in the early 1970s, making her a pioneer in what remains a male dominated profession.  Often the only female in class, Debra’s experience started w...

Today, Jill James talks with Andrew, JB Hunt’s Regional Safety Manager. Andrew helps keep those 80,000 pound big rigs rolling safely down the highway. In fact, Andrew can maneuver a semi truck like a pro. He looks forward to the journey ahead by embracing new technology and the challenges it will bring.  His key piece of wisdom? Earning a little street cred goes a long way.

​Live meditation practice? On a podcast? Yep! Podcast series host Jill James brings in two incredible guest-experts on the subject of mindfulness in safety. Former Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) President Linda Martin, and Australian triathlete-turned-social science researcher Rachael Grace, join Jill to share their passion for the subject of mindfulness. After returning from a 30-...

Podcast series host Jill James welcomes Josh to the show. Now practicing safety on behalf of a large civil constructor, Josh’s unlikely path started as a teenage tagalong on his father’s construction sites, a go-fer. When his college pursuit of music scholarship was sidetracked by romance and relocation to the West Coast, he found familiar work back in the construction industry. While seeking heav...

In this episode, Chief Safety Officer and host of the show, Jill James, talks with Cassandra, a workers compensation claims consultant. Cassandra’s accidental path to the world of occupational safety began in college. Having trouble choosing a course of study and career, Cassandra eventually found herself working as a receptionist with a printer packaging company. That role soon presented an unexp...

Jill James, our series host, talks with Jay Allen from SafetyFM. They cover topics including his broadcasting background, trying to settle on a major, and Jay explains how a vehicle fatality gave him a push to get into safety.

Podcast series host Jill James shares eight of her favorite moments from the show. You’ll hear about a hydrogen explosion, what it’s like to grow up with a safety parent, and the virtues of unlikely mentorships. These stories from safety professionals across the country will make you laugh, make you wince, and leave you with the sense that you’re not alone.

In a podcast first, series host Jill James sits down with three emerging professionals affiliated with American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). With pathways to safety as unique as their backgrounds, our guests on the 21st episode share important commonalities: formal education in occupational safety and internships. You’ll hear from one non-traditional student now job-hunting across the c...

Podcast series host Jill James talks to Robert, whose career in safety led him to the closely related discipline of risk management. Robert came to safety through a popular pathway—the trades, skilled labor. As a teenage apprentice electrician, Robert was struck by an arc flash. Then, as a carpenter, he slid off of a roof without any fall protection gear. After that, while clearing trees, a large...

Podcast series host Jill James catches up with Chevon, a true outlier in the profession. Contrary to the theme of the show, Chevon was seemingly born to the safety occupation. That’s what happens when your mother is a professor of occupational health and safety. On a path to music scholarship, Chevon eventually stopped fighting her native interests, switched majors, and accepted her destiny: a car...

Podcast series host Jill James connects with Certified Safety Professional Rick, a home grown pro with over 30 years of experience. Rick started on a poultry production line and, building upon his interest in emergency response, worked his way up the ranks of the safety ladder for a major food industry brand. Eventually, he found himself supervising 160 professional safety staff and 350 occupation...

Series host Jill James connects with Katie, a safety specialist in manufacturing from the Milwaukee area. Katie is one of the few who began higher education with a focus on occupational safety, earning a Bachelor of Arts and Masters in health and safety. With 6 years of experience, Katie is a member of the new generation of safety professionals who benefited from increased access to formal educati...

​From starting his career as a chemist at a nuclear facility to becoming an operations manager at a hydro plant and on through his recent retirement, our guest Harold talks with series host Jill James about his path towards becoming a safety pro. We get to hear how Harold went from a co-worker to supervisor overnight and how that changed his view on safety, from only having to worry about his own...