The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast

Colin is joined by Crystal Danbury to discuss the pervasive issue of loneliness and social isolation and its deep impact on mental and physical health.  Crystal shares the personal and professional inspiration behind developing her app, "Friendzone," which aims to facilitate genuine human connections based on shared interests and hobbies KEY TAKEAWAYS Loneliness is the difference between the level...

Colin meets Becky Ray, the owner of Culture Kick Limited, who’s here to talk about the importance of workplace culture, leadership, and the need for reflection in business practices.  Becky shares her journey from traditional health and safety roles to focusing on the human aspects of organisational culture, emphasising the significance of empathy and curiosity in leadership KEY TAKEAWAYS Taking t...

Colin discusses the concept of bottlenecks in a business context, inspired by a LinkedIn post. He relates the common belief that the bottleneck is at the top of a bottle to the idea that senior management is always the issue. He counters this by pointing out that when pouring, the bottleneck is at the bottom, using the simple phrase "not when pouring”. As Colin explains, this requires a shift in t...

Colin challenges the perception of health and safety as a passive noun or mere set of documents, reframing it as an active "verb"—something you must consistently do in your business. He introduces a comprehensive set of "doing" activities for health and safety specialists and business leaders, focusing on learning from near-misses, improving competency, integrated planning, and direct engagement w...

Colin discusses the critical role of health and safety professionals in the workplace, emphasising the importance of influence over implementation. He highlights the challenges faced by these professionals, particularly when they lack a seat at the decision-making table, and stresses the need to build strong relationships with operational teams to effectively manage risks KEY TAKEAWAYS Health and...

Colin discusses the importance of tailoring health and safety approaches to the unique needs of each organisation, stressing that while standardised models, such as ISO 9001, can provide value, imposing them without considering the specific context of a business can lead to inefficiencies and frustration KEY TAKEAWAYS Start by asking leaders within the organisation what success looks like to them....

Colin talks to special guest, Ron Gantt, about the complexities of social media and its impact on health and safety discussions. They explore the love-hate relationship many have with social media, emphasising the importance of using these platforms for positive connections and constructive conversations. The conversation also touches on the dangers of echo chambers created by algorithms, the need...

Colin shares valuable insights aimed at helping health and safety organisations and consultants enhance their client relationships and service offerings. Drawing from nearly 20 years of experience in consultancy, Colin discusses the importance of understanding client needs, maintaining regular communication, and mapping out services to identify opportunities for growth KEY TAKEAWAYS Regularly chec...

Colin is back for an all-new series of shows, just in time to guide you through the ever-evolving world of health and safety in the workplace. In this edition he addresses the critical topic of risk assessment, emphasising the often-overlooked implications of categorising risks, particularly those associated with death. He highlights the common practice of using a risk matrix to evaluate likelihoo...

Colin reflects on the importance of maintaining a positive mindset in the field of health and safety. As he shares his experiences from the past year, he emphasises the need to shift the narrative from negative to positive, particularly in workplace discussions and risk assessments KEY TAKEAWAYS Encourage involving employees in the creation and review of risk assessments and safe systems of work....

Colin is joined by special guest, Peter, who shares his unique background and career journey. Peter discusses his experiences in the army, police force, financial advising, and health and safety consultancy. The conversation delves into the importance of data in safety management, the challenges of risk assessment, and the potential of technology to enhance safety practices. Peter also talks about...

Colin interviews Amy, a health and safety professional, about her new venture called The Safe Tribe. Amy shares her background in the industry and her journey from working in hospitality to becoming a safety consultant. She explains that The Safe Tribe is an online app designed to be a one-stop shop for health and safety professionals. It offers a safe space for networking and community building,...

Colin shares his thoughts on a film he recently watched called "Killer" and how it relates to the field of health and safety. He discusses a line from the film that made him reflect on the importance of focusing on the actions taken before an event rather than solely blaming the individual or investigating the aftermath KEY TAKEAWAYS The damage in health and safety incidents is often caused in the...

Colin discusses the importance of creating an environment where employees feel comfortable and confident to challenge and contribute, focussing on the need for managers and health and safety professionals to be vulnerable and open to feedback, creating a culture of learning and improvement KEY TAKEAWAYS Spending time in the workplace and engaging with employees can help create this environment and...

Colin discusses the topics of blame and accountability in the workplace. Inspired by a LinkedIn post about people tripping on a step in a sports ground, Colin explores the idea that while human error may be a factor, there could also be underlying issues with design or construction KEY TAKEAWAYS Blame and accountability are important aspects of workplace safety. While it is important to avoid exce...

Colin talks to David Provan, the creator of the Safety Exchange, a new platform dedicated to connecting the global safety profession. David shares his vision for the Safety Exchange, which aims to provide a safe and supportive community for safety professionals to learn, share, and improve the safety of work. David also discusses the importance of creating a space where safety professionals can fe...

Colin returns! The Interesting Health And Safety podcast is here once more with an all-new approach and an all-new raft of invaluable content. In this small, re-introductory episode, Colin explains the new direction the show will be taking, and also shares a brief message designed to help you become more discerning in the new world. KEY TAKEAWAYS People are so desperate to reach the bigger goals t...

Colin talks to Thomas Sproston, the Managing Director of nit Ten Engineering and Westley Landowne Ltd, dedicated to occupational safety and helping business people solve complex problems. Thomas talks about the best ways of solving intricate problems, the value of the designer in ensuring safety and efficiency in complicated processes, and the importance of usability. KEY TAKEAWAYS Safety procedur...

Paul Ward is a personal development coach with experience working with a variety of clients both in business and on a personal basis. Paul has an extensive background in management, both in-role and on an advisory basis, and has a no-nonsense approach to coaching. Paul joins Colin to discuss the importance of motivation when it comes to getting the best out of people, and the role that impactful s...

Conrad Buckle is an Emergency Medicine Consultant with extensive local and international experience and interests, and whose passion is the development of high standards of Emergency Care and Disaster Management through interactive web-based learning and teaching, and new technology innovations. Conrad joins Colin this week to talk about what it's like to work on the significant end of a workplace...

Colin discusses the system we can put into place in order to make sure the lesser routines are taken care of, so that we can focus more upon the things that matter. KEY TAKEAWAYS Safety Remotely is a system in place to help professionals to manage and get on top of the more tedious routines that must be dealt with. When the more tedious tasks are taken care of, we can focus more upon the things th...

There are many health and safety professionals who constantly preach about the safety message, but what makes this industry unique in the way it delivers this information? Colin talks about the professionalism in the industry, and asks some probing questions. KEY TAKEAWAYS The health and safety sector is unique in that the message is constantly being put out there through any means necessary. By r...

We only have around 4000 weeks of life, and so making each one count is vital. In this episode, Colin talks about why it's crucial that we do all we can to make an impact during the time we have. KEY TAKEAWAYS People fail every day by trying to follow to-do lists. It's time for us to look at it a new way, and build "what we've achieved" lists. Setting unrealistic goals are absolving people from re...

How rounded are your skills? In this episode, Colin talks about how the skill sets you have need to match the words you're using to influence others. KEY TAKEAWAYS Being able to talk and influence others is nothing unless we have the skills and abilities to back up what we're saying. Look at the skills we have and analyse the gap. Push forward with becoming a better communicator, but always make s...

Colin talks about how people get involved and employed in the Health and Safety Industry, how he became aHealth and Safety expert and mentor, and why particularly at this time more people should be joining the industry. KEY TAKEAWAYS Rather than a retirement role, Colin took on his job with a vision to becoming a director of Health and safety. We should be employing talented operational staff in H...