The Safety Guru

Eric Michrowski
  • 5.0 (14)
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  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Real leaders leave a legacy. They capture the hearts and minds of their teams. Their origin story puts the safety and wellbeing of their people first. Great companies ubiquitously have safe yet productive operations. For those companies, Safety is an investment, not a cost for the C-Suite. It’s a real topic of daily focus. The SAFETY GURU with host Eric Michrowski, a globally recognized Ops & Safety Guru, public speaker and author explores through leader interviews how to leave a safety legacy. Your legacy success story begins now.

  1. The Importance of Neuroscience and Behavior in Improving Safety Performance with Cristian Sylvestre

    6D AGO

    The Importance of Neuroscience and Behavior in Improving Safety Performance with Cristian Sylvestre

    In this thought-provoking episode of The Safety Guru, Cristian Sylvestre unpacks the importance of neuroscience and behavior in improving safety performance. Cristian breaks down four key brain modes that drive nearly everything we do, offering a powerful lens for understanding how attention and awareness influence our actions and how subconscious states like complacency, impatience, and fatigue quietly shape behavior in high-risk environments. He also explores the limitations of current safety practices and the critical role of attention in safety, helping us understand why even the best safety systems cannot fully protect us when attention slips. From understanding the root causes of inattention to building awareness and safer habits through repetition, this episode provides practical strategies to help prevent serious incidents and fatalities through individual actions. Cristian also highlights why workers should be seen as valuable resources in safety discussions to strengthen overall safety performance. Don’t miss these transformative insights and powerful takeaways to create safer workplaces. Tune in now! About the Guest: Cristian Sylvestre is a chemical engineer with a Master's degree. He started his 25-year safety career in heavy processing, where he learned to think holistically about safety. His research shows that inattention is involved in 95% of incidents of all severities. His work uses the discoveries of neuroscience to understand what really drives behaviour, how to minimise inattention, reduce errors, and prevent incidents everywhere, not just at work. He authored “Third Generation Safety: The Missing Piece” to help organisations understand the main causes of inattention and what can be done to help their people fail less. For more information: https://www.habitsafe.com.au/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min
  2. How Psychology Influences Human Behavior in Safety with Dr. Jared Dempsey

    MAR 19

    How Psychology Influences Human Behavior in Safety with Dr. Jared Dempsey

    In this informative and enlightening episode, Dr. Jared Dempsey, a seasoned industrial psychologist, explores the powerful psychological factors that influence human behavior in safety-critical environments. Dr. Dempsey unpacks why understanding error-producing conditions is essential, takes a deeper look into human performance, and explains how cognitive and social psychology influence safety practices. He also highlights the need to move beyond blame, foster psychological safety, encourage open communication, and strengthen proactive risk management to improve safety performance. Don’t miss these exclusive insights into how psychology influences human behavior in safety and what leaders and organizations can do to create safer workplaces. Tune in! About the Guest: Dr. Jared Dempsey is an industrial psychologist who believes safety shouldn’t be boring — and it certainly shouldn’t live in spreadsheets and policy binders. Working across energy and construction, he focuses on how work really happens in messy, imperfect, real-world conditions — not sanitised versions imagined far from site. He pushes back on blaming workers and focuses on the conditions that actually drive performance. Because when you understand psychology, safety stops being dry and compliance-driven and starts making sense — it becomes human, practical, and something people actually connect with. For more information - Americas: www.excel-erate.org or UK, Europe & Rest of World: www.kognivate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min
  3. From Crisis to Care: Strengthening Mental Health in the Workplace with Jessi Beyer

    MAR 5

    From Crisis to Care: Strengthening Mental Health in the Workplace with Jessi Beyer

    Join us for a powerful episode exploring mental health in the workplace and practical support strategies with crisis mental health expert Jessi Beyer. In this compelling conversation, Jessi unpacks the realities of mental health challenges, particularly in high-risk and safety-critical environments. Backed by eye-opening statistics and real-world stories, she explains how these challenges directly impact performance, culture, and overall workplace safety. Jessi emphasizes the importance of building a true culture of care grounded in trust, psychological safety, and meaningful peer support. She also introduces her impactful L.I.F.E. framework for suicide prevention, offering clear, practical guidance to help leaders and teams take meaningful steps toward prevention. If you are ready to move your workplace from crisis response to proactive care, this episode delivers practical strategies to strengthen mental health and ensure every team member feels seen, supported, and valued. Tune in. This is a conversation that truly matters! About the Guest: Jessi Beyer, MHP, is an award-winning international speaker, #1 best-selling author of How To Heal, and a crisis mental health professional embedded with law enforcement and Region 1 SWAT in Snohomish County, Washington. Named the 2025 Best International Mental Health Speaker by Global Health and Pharma, she has been featured in over 200 media outlets and has spoken to thousands of people worldwide. Jessi holds master’s degrees in critical psychology, human services, and military psychology, with a focus on trauma, crisis intervention, and terrorism. She is deeply passionate about supporting military and first responder mental health, drawing from both her professional experience and personal ties to those who serve. For more information: https://jessibeyerinternational.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  4. Lessons from Aviation Psychology: The Importance of Competencies and a Broader View of Human Factors with Aleksandra Kapela

    FEB 19

    Lessons from Aviation Psychology: The Importance of Competencies and a Broader View of Human Factors with Aleksandra Kapela

    In this episode of The Safety Guru, we’re joined by certified aviation psychologist Aleksandra Kapela for a deep dive into aviation psychology and human factors, exploring what other safety-critical industries can learn from aviation. Aleksandra shares how modern thinking on human factors has evolved, emphasizing the importance of understanding the environment in which we operate, as well as the capabilities and limitations of the human brain. She breaks down the importance of identifying core competencies and explains why competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) is essential for preparing individuals to perform effectively in unpredictable, safety-critical situations and how these principles can be applied across a wide range of industries. She also explains why a broader, more holistic view of human factors is essential for improving safety performance and building sustainable safety cultures where people feel supported, are encouraged to speak up, and perform at their best. Don’t miss this informative episode packed with valuable lessons from aviation psychology! About the Guest: Aleksandra Kapela is a certified aviation psychologist, speaker, author, and independent consultant specializing in human factors, safety, and competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) programs. She works with airlines, flight schools, and other safety-critical industries, supporting organizations where performance, decision-making under pressure, and human reliability are critical. Her work focuses on human potential, well-being, operational performance, and modern, evidence-based approaches to human behavior in complex systems. Aleksandra is the founder of MyWingman.eu and the author of an upcoming book on human factors for pilots and aviation professionals. For more information: https://www.mywingman.eu/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  5. Redefining Safety: Embracing Risk and the Power of Language in Safety Culture with Dave Whitefield

    FEB 5

    Redefining Safety: Embracing Risk and the Power of Language in Safety Culture with Dave Whitefield

    Tune in for a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with Dave Whitefield, a seasoned safety and risk professional with more than 30 years of industry experience. Dave joins The Safety Guru to discuss the challenges facing the safety industry and why meaningful safety improvement depends less on metrics and more on people and culture. In this episode, Dave explains why embracing risk, rather than trying to eliminate it, is important and how empowering workers to actively manage risk leads to better outcomes than simply enforcing rules. He also shares the role of trust and communication, and how the language we use shapes culture, influences behavior, and impacts how risk is understood and managed. The conversation highlights the vital role of leadership in shifting from correction to learning, and in creating environments where people feel supported to speak up, take ownership, and grow. This episode offers a thoughtful perspective on redefining safety through connection, effective risk management, and meaningful change. Listen now! About the Guest: Dave Whitefield helps organizations tackle safety without doing more safety. He does this through a specific focus on improving safety and risk culture maturity, built on an organization’s existing foundation of hazard management and formal safety systems. The framework for this approach has been developed primarily from a social psychological paradigm, and is based on over 30 years of experience across a wide variety of roles and industries, as well as tertiary qualifications in behavioral science, occupational health and safety, and social psychology of risk. Dave’s work is designed to help people and organizations more meaningfully engage with safety by embracing risk. For more information: https://www.peopleandrisk.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  6. Just Culture in Action: Building Fairness, Trust, and a Learning Culture with Dr Tony Power

    JAN 22

    Just Culture in Action: Building Fairness, Trust, and a Learning Culture with Dr Tony Power

    Start our new season with a powerful episode featuring Dr Tony Power, a leading expert in justice and safety management. In this insightful conversation, Dr Power explains what Just Culture truly means and emphasizes its critical role in improving safety management and driving organizational learning. Through real-world examples, he shares why a meaningful Just Culture must be grounded in values, purpose, and consistent behaviors, not simply treated as a checklist. Dr Power underscores the importance of engaging in open dialogue with all stakeholders and provides practical strategies for implementing Just Culture effectively across organizations. He also offers guidance on how leaders can navigate the legal and regulatory complexities that are often challenging to address. Tune in as Dr Power explores how to build fairness, trust, and a learning culture within your organization, offering actionable insights for bringing Just Culture into action in a meaningful and sustainable way. Don’t miss this enlightening episode of The Safety Guru! About the Guest: Dr Tony Power is a leading specialist in justice and safety management, with over 17 years of experience spanning the aviation, legal, and higher education sectors. He holds a PhD from Swinburne University, where he developed risk management frameworks for regulating safety-critical industries in changing environments. He is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Just Culture Consulting, a specialist consulting practice helping organisations embed just culture to build fairer, safer, and more innovative workplaces. For more information: www.justculture.com.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  7. Year in Review: The 2025 Highlights on The Safety Guru

    2025-12-11

    Year in Review: The 2025 Highlights on The Safety Guru

    As we approach the end of another year, we’re celebrating the incredible journey we’ve shared, filled with powerful insights from inspiring global experts, transformative perspectives from thought leaders, and voices on a mission for change, all dedicated to making a difference. Take a moment to revisit these unforgettable stories and safety lessons with your host, Eric Michrowski, as he reflects on The Safety Guru’s most inspirational insights and top themes of 2025. From all of us at The Safety Guru, we wish you a bright and meaningful holiday season filled with happiness, hope, and safety. Thank you so much for listening, learning, and growing with us throughout the year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    24 min
  8. Advocating a Safer Tomorrow: A Mother's Mission to Make Workplaces Safer with Patrizia Cassaniti

    2025-11-27

    Advocating a Safer Tomorrow: A Mother's Mission to Make Workplaces Safer with Patrizia Cassaniti

    Join us for a deeply moving and powerful episode featuring Patrizia Cassaniti, a passionate safety advocate who transformed unimaginable tragedy into a mission for change. Patrizia recounts the heartbreaking loss of her son, Christopher, in a preventable construction incident caused by complacency and poor safety decisions. Through her story, she underscores the critical importance of putting workers’ safety first, fostering open communication, and creating a culture where workers feel empowered to speak up and know their safety concerns will be heard and respected. With passion and unwavering commitment, Patrizia challenges the production pressures so common in many workplaces and reminds us that every safety decision matters because everyone deserves to return home safely to their loved ones. Join us for this inspiring and heartfelt conversation about a mother’s mission to make workplaces safer and advocate for a safer tomorrow for all. About the Guest: Patrizia Cassaniti is an international award-winning work health and safety advocate whose lived experience has become a catalyst for cultural change across Australia’s workplaces. In 2019, her 18-year-old son, Christopher, was tragically killed when a scaffold collapsed—an incident that was entirely preventable. Since then, Patrizia has dedicated her life to confronting complacency and inspiring workers to speak up for safety without fear. Her presentations are raw, emotional, and unforgettable—reminding every worker why their family is the reason to work safely every day. Through her foundation, Touched by Christopher, Patrizia supports families who have lost a loved one at work, helping them grieve without the burden of financial stress. For more Information: https://www.letstalkaboutsafety.com.au/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min
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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Real leaders leave a legacy. They capture the hearts and minds of their teams. Their origin story puts the safety and wellbeing of their people first. Great companies ubiquitously have safe yet productive operations. For those companies, Safety is an investment, not a cost for the C-Suite. It’s a real topic of daily focus. The SAFETY GURU with host Eric Michrowski, a globally recognized Ops & Safety Guru, public speaker and author explores through leader interviews how to leave a safety legacy. Your legacy success story begins now.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Michrowski
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    152
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyrights All Rights Reserved By Propulo Consulting
  • Show Website
    The Safety Guru