Safety And Risk Success

Christian Harris

Bring the benefits of proactive safety and risk management to life, through insights, experiences and stories. Every week, host Christian Harris - the UK's leading slips, trips and falls specialist - presents a new episode, typically with expert guests, to discuss: - Safety - Health - Wellbeing - Insurance - Risk management - Claims defensibility

  1. 1D AGO

    Why All Safety Professionals Should Be in a State of Chronic Unease, with John Barclay

    What if the real risk in safety isn't what you see, but what you assume is already under control? This conversation challenged some deeply held beliefs about leadership, risk and effectiveness. John Barclay joined me to unpack why activity doesn't always equal impact, why experienced organisations still face serious incidents, and why a little healthy discomfort might be exactly what keeps people safe. From exposure thinking to trust, curiosity and making the safest way the easiest way, there's plenty here to reflect on if you genuinely want to move beyond surface-level safety and focus on what truly prevents harm. Highlights Chronic unease: absence of harm doesn't mean presence of safety Exposure focus: manage risk sources, not just injury numbers Control effectiveness: present, understood, effective, followed Workforce involvement: design safety with people doing the work Leadership curiosity: ask what makes processes difficult Trust and honesty: high trust drives safer decision making Safety investment: reduce waste and reinvest in engineering controls Make safety easier: safest way must be simplest way to work Resources and actions: Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-barclay-13359b1a/   Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    47 min

  2. FEB 13

    The Skills EHS Leaders Urgently Need in 2026

    For years, being technically strong, compliance-focused and armed with the right certificates was enough to build a solid career in safety. But the ground is shifting fast. This conversation with Lucas Dominguez, founder of the Safety 4.0 Academy, cuts straight through the noise around AI and digital transformation and asks a much bigger question: are today's EHS leaders actually equipped for what's coming next? From boardroom influence to digital fluency, this one is a wake-up call for anyone who wants to stay relevant, credible and genuinely effective in the years ahead. Highlights: Technical skills alone are no longer enough: Compliance gets you in the room, not heard. AI is not replacing safety, but it is reshaping it: Augmentation, not automation. Digital fluency is becoming a core leadership skill: Understanding tech to make better decisions. Safety leadership is shifting from rule keeper to change maker: Influence, not enforcement. AI can remove low-value admin: More time for real safety work. The biggest risk is playing catch-up: Early adopters gain the advantage. Human skills still sit at the centre: Empathy, judgment and critical thinking matter more than ever. Resources and actions:  Download Lucas' free e-book "Become the Safety 4.0 Leader": https://newsletter.getshield360.com/ebook Explore the Safety 4.0 Academy (IOSH-approved and CPD-certified): https://www.safetyacademy.tech/ Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/  Connect with Lucas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-domingues-msc-cmiosh-49b2b820/  Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    56 min

  3. FEB 6

    This simple formula explains why your safety performance isn't improving

    Working harder on safety but still seeing the same incidents? That sinking feeling when you've rolled out the training, refreshed the policies, launched the campaigns and nothing really shifts? I see this pattern constantly across Organisations. The problem isn't effort, motivation, or people not caring. It's a fundamental misunderstanding of how safety actually works. There's a simple formula that explains why so many safety initiatives stall and once you see it, you can't unsee it.   Highlights: The real formula for safety: Environment × Culture Why culture alone cannot overcome poor design The multiplication effect that most Organisations miss How environments quietly shape daily behaviour Why safety culture follows change, not the other way around Real slip case study and the maths behind it Making the safe choice the easy choice Where most safety investment is going wrong  Resources and actions: Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    11 min

  4. JAN 30

    Which comes first: safety culture or physical safety?

    Everyone talks about culture, but very few talk about what actually creates it. After years of working inside real workplaces, I've seen the same pattern repeat itself. Leaders invest heavily in slogans, programmes and engagement campaigns, while the real problems on the ground stay exactly the same. And when that happens, trust quietly disappears. This episode cuts through the noise and gets brutally honest about what really builds a strong safety culture and why most organisations are starting in completely the wrong place. Highlights Culture follows competence: fix real problems first Trust is built on evidence: not intentions Unsafe conditions destroy belief: regardless of messaging Leadership is action: not theatre People judge results: not values statements Broken systems create cynicism: not engagement Measurable improvements build confidence: fast Physical safety is the foundation: always  Resources and actions: Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    12 min

  5. JAN 23

    Stop Buying Insurance and Start Building Risk Partnerships

    For too long, insurance has been treated as a grudge purchase rather than a strategic advantage. Recording live at Risk Europe in London, this panel conversation challenged that mindset head on. What unfolded was a refreshingly honest discussion with leaders from risk, insurance, broking and law, all aligned on one thing the future belongs to those who collaborate, share insight and use evidence to actively reduce risk rather than simply transfer it. If you care about safety performance, resilience and making better commercial decisions, this conversation will change how you think about insurance. Highlights From price to value: why premium alone tells the wrong story Proof matters: using data to earn trust with insurers Partnerships over transactions: better outcomes for everyone Claims intelligence: turning lessons into prevention Risk maturity: what underwriters really look for Evidence in action: culture, behaviour and real controls Boardroom impact: using data to unlock investment Practical steps: engaging brokers and insurers earlier Resources and actions: Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/ Please note that this episode's audio quality is not at the same level as our usual recordings. We apologise for this and really appreciate your understanding.

    46 min

  6. JAN 16

    Why Most Road Collisions Are Avoidable: Older Drivers, Eyesight, and Smarter Safety Systems, With Rob Heard

    Most serious road collisions don't happen because of bad luck. They happen because of decisions, assumptions, and systems that quietly fail us over time. After decades at the sharp end of road safety, Rob Heard has seen exactly how those failures play out and why so many of them never needed to happen in the first place. This conversation goes far beyond driving. It's about risk perception, dignity, behaviour change, and what safety leaders in any industry can learn from the roads we all share every day.   Rob brings rare insight from hundreds of fatal collisions, national policy work, and years of campaigning that has helped shift the conversation from punishment to prevention. From eyesight and ageing to safer systems and learning cultures, this is a grounded, practical discussion about how better decisions genuinely save lives.   Highlights Most fatal collisions are preventable: Around 95 percent linked to known, repeatable risk factors Older drivers and the real data: Risk rises with age, but dignity and independence still matter Eyesight as a critical safety control: Vision underpins 90 percent of driving decisions Why self-certification fails: Defective vision and medical conditions often go unreported From blame to learning: Education and assessment outperform punishment in risk reduction MOT yourself, not just the car: Fitness, cognition, eyesight, and habits all matter Safer systems thinking: Roads, vehicles, people, speeds, and post-collision learning   Resources and actions: Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-heard/ Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    47 min

  7. JAN 9

    The Workplace Well-Being Time Bomb: How Culture, Silence, and Stress Create Hidden Risk

    There is a risk hiding in plain sight inside many organisations. It is not cyber, financial, or regulatory. It is the quiet damage caused when people do not feel safe to speak, when stress becomes normalised, and when well-being is treated as optional rather than essential. The evidence is now overwhelming. Silence has a cost, burnout is systemic, and culture is either protecting performance or quietly eroding it. This conversation from Risk Europe goes right to the heart of that challenge, exploring why psychological safety is no longer a nice to have, but a core business and safety risk that leaders can no longer afford to ignore. Highlights The economic cost of silence: Billions lost through burnout and presenteeism Psychological safety and risk: When people stay quiet, hazards multiply Manager capability gap: Line managers as first responders, often unprepared Culture over perks: Fruit bowls do not fix toxic systems Workplace design matters: Space, flexibility and trust shape behaviour Speaking up saves lives: Psychological safety and physical safety are linked Leadership responsibility: Change starts in the C-suite, not HR From awareness to action: Small human changes drive real performance gains Resources and actions: Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/ Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    49 min

  8. JAN 2

    The 11 Themes That Defined Safety In 2025

    As we step into the new year, it's a great moment to reflect on what 2025 really revealed about safety and risk." After conversations with more than 50 leaders, practitioners, academics and innovators, clear patterns began to emerge. Different sectors, different challenges, yet the same messages kept surfacing. This episode pulls those signals together and turns a year of dialogue into a clear picture of where safety is heading, what's changing faster than most people realise, and where the biggest opportunities now sit for organisations and professionals who want to stay ahead. Highlights from the episode Safety as a profit driver: friction removed, performance released The evolving safety professional: influence beats expertise AI in safety: from novelty to foundation Psychological safety: silence is the real risk Human reliability: systems must absorb mistakes Integrated risk: safety, security and resilience converge Measurement that matters: leading indicators over hindsight Safety and experience: trust is built in the first 30 seconds One of the most consistent themes this year was how predictable and preventable slip risk really is when it's treated as a science, not guesswork. If that sparked a rethink, you can complete the free Slip Prevention Scorecard to see where risk is quietly building in your own environment. It takes around three and a half minutes and gives a clear, evidence-based snapshot of where to focus next. Resources and actions: Slip Prevention Scorecard: https://slipsafety.co.uk/slip-prevention-scorecard/  Sign up for a future Safety Roundtable: https://safetyroundtable.co.uk/  Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-harris-slip-safety/

    1h 1m
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About

Bring the benefits of proactive safety and risk management to life, through insights, experiences and stories. Every week, host Christian Harris - the UK's leading slips, trips and falls specialist - presents a new episode, typically with expert guests, to discuss: - Safety - Health - Wellbeing - Insurance - Risk management - Claims defensibility

Information

  • Creator
    Christian Harris
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    259
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Christian Harris
  • Show Website
    Safety And Risk Success