Women in Safety Podcast

In this episode of the Women in Safety Podcast, Alanna Ball reflects on where the profession is heading and what that means for the people working in it. Rather than calling for more paperwork, more programs, or more layers of safety activity, she makes the case for something much more useful. Safety needs to be woven into how organisations operate, how decisions are made, and how work is designed...

​In this episode of the Women in Safety Podcast, Alanna Ball reflects on how the role of safety professionals is changing, and why technical knowledge on its own is no longer enough. As workplaces become more complex and expectations continue to shift, safety work is increasingly about leadership, influence, judgement, and the ability to work well across different parts of a business. Alanna talks...

In this episode of the Women in Safety Podcast , Alanna Ball and Amy Morris take a closer look at incident investigations and the bigger system issues that often sit behind safety events. Rather than defaulting to worker blame or behaviour-based explanations, they explore what happens when controls are poorly designed, hard to apply, or simply do not hold up in real working conditions. The convers...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball and Amy Morris explore what leadership looks like when the path ahead is unclear. Using a recent Harvard Business Review Executive masterclass as a starting point, they unpack how ideas from outside the safety profession can help leaders think differently about change, uncertainty, and the systems around them. The HBR piece, How to Lead W...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball shares a personal and thoughtful reflection on how life outside of work can shape the way people show up within it. Drawing on recent experiences of grief, family responsibility, and health challenges, she explores how personal change can affect focus, energy, judgement, and the ability to respond well to risk. This episode brings a human...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball and Amy Morris take a practical look at risk treatment options and the hierarchy of controls, unpacking how safety decisions are shaped through systems, design, and context. Rather than treating controls as a checklist exercise, the conversation explores how safety professionals can think more critically about what is actually effective,...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball speaks with Kristen Harley about her journey into health and safety, the realities of working while neurodivergent, and what more inclusive leadership can look like in practice. The conversation brings together career reflection, lived experience, and practical insight, showing how empathy, communication, and system design all shape the w...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball is joined by Amy Morris for a practical conversation about safety clutter and why more safety activity does not always mean better safety outcomes. Together, they unpack how excessive procedures, duplicated paperwork, and overcomplicated systems can quietly weaken trust, create confusion, and pull attention away from the work that actuall...

In this episode, Alanna Ball speaks with Charlotte Jamieson about the role of connection, mental health, and emotional regulation in safety leadership. Charlotte shares how her early career in sports psychology shaped the way she approaches safety today, bringing a deeper understanding of human behaviour, resilience, and performance into workplace safety conversations. Their discussion highlights...

In this episode, Alanna Ball sits down with Joe Prigmore for an honest and practical conversation about finding your path in health and safety. Joe shares how her move from biomedical science into the safety profession was not carefully planned, but ultimately deeply fulfilling. Their discussion centres on the human side of safety. Beyond systems and compliance, Joe reflects on the importance of c...

In this episode, Alanna Ball and Amy Morris explore the complexity of safety culture and the often unseen factors that shape how safety is experienced in organisations. Rather than focusing on policies alone, the conversation centres on perception, trust, and the motives workers attribute to leadership decisions. They unpack the idea of preservation orientation and question whether safety measures...

In this episode, Alanna Ball speaks with Yvonne Hinch about her journey from musculoskeletal physiotherapist to health and safety leader. What began as a desire to help people physically evolved into a broader commitment to improving how work is designed and how people are supported within systems. Their conversation explores the role of human factors and systems thinking in modern safety practice...

In this episode, Alanna Ball is joined by Amanda Clements for a thoughtful conversation about capability, leadership, and what meaningful safety practice looks like beyond policy and procedure. Amanda shares her journey from corporate health and safety roles into coaching, reflecting on how that transition reshaped the way she works with leaders and teams. Together, they explore why understanding...

In this episode, Alanna Ball sits down with Mary Teymoury for a thoughtful and honest conversation about what effective safety leadership really looks like. Drawing on more than 15 years in health and safety, Mary reflects on how her perspective has evolved, particularly through systems thinking, professional courage, and the way safety professionals communicate with people at all levels of an org...

In this episode, Alanna Ball is joined by Amy Morris for a timely conversation about how safety data is used, misunderstood, and often oversimplified. Together, they unpack why traditional safety metrics, particularly injury frequency rates, do not always tell the full story of what is really happening in a workplace. The discussion challenges safety professionals to move beyond surface-level numb...

Alanna Ball is joined by Kahley Hawkins, a highly experienced health and safety professional who shares her honest journey through the industry. From starting out in an administrative role within mining to becoming a business owner, Kahley’s story reflects a path many women recognise, one that was not carefully planned but shaped through experience, curiosity, and resilience. The conversation expl...

In this first episode of 2026, Alanna Ball shares the direction ahead for Women in Safety and why this year is an important moment for growth, capability, and community across the health and safety profession. The conversation invites listeners to pause, reflect, and take a more intentional approach to their professional development, supported by connection and shared learning. Episode highlights...

In this episode, Alanna Ball opens the door on life behind the microphone. She shares the physical and mental toll of carrying twins, the shock of a 27-week arrival, and the long days in NICU when multiple health issues kept stacking up. She also talks about falling pregnant in 2020, the job she resigned from, and the choice to build this work full time. Motherhood changed how she shows up in heal...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, host Alana Ball reflects on the past year and shares insights into the upcoming 2026 season. Alanna discusses the importance of professional development, the INSHPO Global Capability Framework, and how Women in Safety aims to empower and elevate careers in the health and safety profession. Alana emphasises the value of mentorship, continuous learning...

Kylie Long swapped nursing for health and safety to make a bigger impact. In this candid chat, Alanna Ball digs into the leap, the sting of redundancy, and how those moments pushed Kylie toward building a business in psychosocial safety. They unpack what it takes to work in male-dominated industries with confidence, why mentorship and collaboration matter for career development, and how trust turn...

Psychological injuries are complex. They are also manageable when the right people work together. In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball brings a panel of experts to the table to unpack how health and safety, HR, line managers, and occupational physicians can support recovery without adding red tape. They talk about early intervention that starts with a simple check-in, clear...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball sits down with Gemma Balme, a health and safety manager who started in recruitment and found her calling years after her father was injured at work. She talks about stepping into construction safety, learning the rhythm of site life, and why honesty about what you do not know builds trust fast. They unpack gender dynamics in a male-heavy...

In this episode of the Women in Safety podcast, Alanna Ball gets practical about career development in health and safety. She invites you to name your strengths, spot the barriers, and run a simple career assessment so you can choose your next step with intent. Personal growth and professional development work best when you set clear boundaries and back yourself. Alanna talks about what energises...

We are resharing this April conversation to support the current Women in Safety Mentoring Program , running 6 Oct to 29 Nov 2025. The timing is perfect. ​ Alanna Ball sits down with Nicole Neal from McConnell Dowell to get clear on mentoring and sponsorship. Mentors help you grow skills and think things through. Sponsors use their influence to open doors and say your name when you are not in the r...

Bullying should have no place in health and safety. Yet senior women keep telling us the same story. Quiet digs. Public undercutting. Confidence worn thin by a thousand small cuts. In this episode, Alanna Ball names the behaviour and calls for change. She looks at how gender dynamics shape who is heard and who is second-guessed, why resilience matters, and where it is not enough on its own. She ta...