The Interesting Health & Safety Podcast

Improving and developing is a continual, ongoing process. No one ever starts at perfection. In this week’s show, Colin talks about the importance of perception when it comes to not just our goals, but our starting points. KEY TAKEAWAYS Performance and improvement are exactly that - they are about continually striving to become better. Everything is relative. What happened yesterday isn’t always im...

This time, Colin talks to Graham Wailes, one of the foremost proponents of safety in the workplace, and a man whose rich and varied career has seen him assigned to many roles and many responsibilities. Graham talks about his career, the highlights of his time in the field, the many lessons learned, and how he envisions safety going forward. KEY TAKEAWAYS Safety figures can often be driven by “scor...

Taking inspiration from the philosophy of Bruce Lee, Colin reflects upon the importance of forgiveness, especially when it comes to honest mistakes. KEY TAKEAWAYS If someone in our business makes an honest mistake, how do we deal with it? We must ask ourselves how our response affects their outlook. By instilling a culture of openness and honesty, we create a work environment where people will be...

After making some personal changes in his own life, Colin reflects upon not just the importance of discipline and routine in our lives, but the revitalising, empowering effects it can provide in both business and life. KEY TAKEAWAYS By installing new routines in our lives, it gives the purpose behind these disciplines added meaning.   Setting small, achievable, incremental goals in life can provid...

This week, Colin talks to marathon swimmer and public speaker, Ed Williams, a man who constantly rises to extreme physical challenges in order to achieve incredible feats.  Ed and Colin discuss the mindset needed in order to achieve such accomplishments, how mental preparation is equally as important as physical, and how these valuable lessons can be applied to all areas of life and business.  KEY...

We all like the empowerment that comes from receiving positive feedback, but we can often lose sight of the fact that we are sometimes in the position to provide this feeling in return. In this week’s show, Colin discusses why we should always look for opportunities to give praise. KEY TAKEAWAYS Positive feedback is very inspiring, and can spur us on to do better. But we must seek to return this f...

Andy White, a Lecturer of Health & Safety at Victoria University in New Zealand, joins Colin on the show today to discuss the importance of diversity in approach, why the subject of health and safety is far more exciting than people realise, and how to make sure we're learning instead of blaming. KEY TAKEAWAYS There are differing opinions about how safety should be approached in the sector, right...

In this week’s episode, Colin talks about the special ways in which we can creatively engage with our workforce, and boost our productivity and safety. KEY TAKEAWAYS Social media groups are a great way to create engagement, so long as we use it for positive means, and encourage creative input. Safety must be recognised as a priority at all times, but with such powerful technology in everyone’s han...

John Green, who has worked closely with the likes of Sidney Dekker on bringing the Safety Differently approach into prominence, and is currently working with SNC-Lavalin as their Global Vice President in HSE. John joins Colin today to discuss the importance of empathy when making change, why we must listen to previously unheard voices while doing so, and why trust may be the component that can mak...

Over the past few months, businesses have worked tirelessly to make the environments safer for everyone. There may even be new controls and procedures in place. In this week’s show, Colin talks about how we can use questions to ensure that the workplace remains a safe and secure place for everyone. KEY TAKEAWAYS Are the distancing measures that we have implemented, still being adhered to? Are the...

This week, Colin talks to Kevin Furniss, the head of Corporate Safety for Maersk shipping, and what it’s like to head up safety for such a large, global concern. Kevin talks frankly about the need to be adaptable to the ever changing needs of the business, the importance of looking at health and safety from the customer’s perspective, and why personal investigation matters so much. KEY TAKEAWAYS S...

Through recent conversations, Colin has been inspired to think about the art of questions in safety, and why we ought to consider doing our best to make each question better! KEY TAKEAWAYS We should consider removing all negative connotations from each question, stripping it of the blame factor, and making it a more investigative query. When we begin to look at events and incidents, better questio...

Dr David Provan is the co-founder of the Safety At Work podcast, as well as the director of Forge Works, who provide support to businesses around the globe, focusing specifically upon interaction between people in the workplace, adhering to the maxim that people are the solution and not the problem. In this week’s show, Dr Provan talks about the importance of open communication, and why we must al...

In the aftermath of an accident, we are often left with a potential explosive situation that can spiral into blame and accusation if we are not careful. In this week’s show, Colin discusses the importance of empathy, understanding, and of using the right language in these sensitive situations. KEY TAKEAWAYS In the wake of any incident, our first thought must always be with the first victim, and po...

This week, Colin talks once more to Christian Harris, the founder of Slip Safety Services, experts in slip testing and anti-slip treatments,, about the ingenious ways in which he has pivoted his business model in the wake of the COVID outbreak, and the challenges and victories he has experienced along the way. KEY TAKEAWAYS Part of the reason for the successful transition between business models h...

Colin reflects upon the last six months, and upon the success of the podcast itself, which has seen him meet and discuss safety measures in a multitude of ways, and which has brought together such a varied number of perspectives and such a valuable and insightful bank of knowledge to the world. KEY TAKEAWAYS We should never chastise someone just for trying to find a solution. Asking questions and...

In this episode, Colin talks about system overviews and health checks, and how by focusing on both, we can increase the efficiency and safety of our workplace through investigation, and the three crucial ways in which you can make checks more powerful. KEY TAKEAWAYS Health checks are more effective when you get out there into the company and get a real on-the-ground feel for how things are being r...

In a two part conversation, Colin talks to flight safety expert, Adam Johns, who with over a decade of experience in commercial aviation industry, has marked himself out as one of the world’s foremost specialists in people safety. In this second instalment, Colin and Adam discuss a more collective approach to problem solving, and why the aviation industry may be in need of a complete reboot when i...

In a two part conversation, Colin talks to flight safety expert, Adam Johns, who with over a decade of experience in commercial aviation industry, has marked himself out as one of the world’s foremost specialists in people safety. In this first part, Adam talks about the effects of lockdown upon the aviation industry, how to ensure that skills are not eroded over time, and how appearing as a safet...

This week, Colin talks briefly about some of the things you should be considering as you return to work after the COVID lockdown, from people and commuting, to safety measures and remote working. KEY TAKEAWAYS Working from home may well be a far more viable option for your business, going forward. Consider carefully, whether allowing your staff to work remotely is something you can permit from now...

Jeannette Linfoot is one of the UK’s most experienced and trusted mentors, property investors and consultants. With a business journey that’s taken her to the top of the corporate world, and now into independent ventures, there are few who know more about the ins and outs of business life. Jeannette has joined Colin today for a candid discussion about the importance of health and safety in all bus...

Conversations about health and safety are all very well, but it’s also crucial that we focus upon the very language we use. Even the most minor of inflections and choices of vocabulary can turn words into something far more powerful. With this in mind, Colin today talks about why we should always endeavour to make conversations around safety as empowering and positive as possible. KEY TAKEAWAYS De...

Pete Rushmer is the founder of Flagship, a specialist training and consulting business with a particular focus on external transport management and compliance. He is also the host of the A Half Dozen Things Podcast, focusing on frank business conversations.  In this week’s show, Pete joins Colin to talk about his outlook on safety, the value of teams, and the meaning behind his Half A Dozen Things...

The lockdown has provided much disruption, but also a wonderful opportunity for reflection. In this week’s show, Colin discusses the importance of structure and routine, and how forward planning can be beneficial in bringing back balance to our lives.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The lockdown has thrown many routines into chaos, but with the end in sight, structure in our personal and working lives may help to...

In the second of a two-part conversation, Colin talks to Simon Bown, formerly in charge of health and safety at Luton airport, and now overseeing safety at Keolis Amey Docklands light railway. It’s an insightful, thought-provoking conversation that’ll inspire and empower all health and safety practitioners.  In part two, Simon and Colin discuss the metrics that Simon uses in order to measure succe...