The Art of Safety Leadership

Safe365
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To truly achieve the highest levels of proactive safety culture, we have to go beyond the technical competencies of health & safety management, to engage in the skills of leadership, innovation, change management, data and debate. The role of The Art of Leadership podcast is to delve deep into the challenges and opportunities that face leaders in the safety profession to keep lifting the bar beyond a reactive culture of safety compliance. Join us as we talk to safety leaders and leadership experts to share their expertise, insights and wisdom.

Episodes

  1. Psychosocial Safety - Beyond Compliance to Human-Centred Risk Management with Rachael Haynes

    12/04/2025

    Psychosocial Safety - Beyond Compliance to Human-Centred Risk Management with Rachael Haynes

    In this episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we sit down with Rachael Haynes, an experienced voice in psychosocial safety and organisational psychology. Rachael brings decades of experience helping organisations move beyond checkbox compliance to create genuinely psychologically safe workplaces where people can thrive.  As psychosocial risk regulations emerge globally and psychological injuries increasingly dominate workers' compensation costs, organisations face a critical question: how do we manage risks we can't see the same way we manage physical hazards? Rachael provides the roadmap.  Key topics include:  Why traditional safety approaches don't work for psychosocial risks  The fundamental difference between physical and psychological risk management  How to assess psychosocial risks without over-surveying your workforce  The critical role of organisational culture in psychological safety  Why leadership behaviour is the biggest psychosocial risk factor  Moving from reactive psychological injury management to proactive risk prevention  The business case for investing in psychosocial safety  Practical strategies for building psychologically safe teams and organisations  Whether you're a safety professional navigating new psychosocial regulations, an HR leader managing workplace mental health, or an executive wondering how to create sustainable high-performance cultures, this conversation offers crucial insights.  Rachael doesn't just explain the theory, she provides practical frameworks, real examples, and honest discussions about what works and what doesn't when managing the invisible risks that can have the most visible impacts on people and business performance.  Essential listening for anyone responsible for creating workplaces where physical and psychological safety work together to enable people to do their best work.

    1h 9m
  2. The Future of Safety Teams - Reinventing the Profession with Liam Tiddy & Brian Long

    11/06/2025

    The Future of Safety Teams - Reinventing the Profession with Liam Tiddy & Brian Long

    In this forward-thinking episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we bring together two experienced minds from within the profession: Liam Tiddy, Head of Executive Search at Shirley Parsons, and Brian Long, Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at Wates Group. Together, they explore how safety teams must evolve to meet the challenges of modern business and create genuine value beyond compliance.  This conversation explores what safety professionals should be doing, how they should be structured, and where the profession needs to go to remain relevant in an increasingly complex business environment.  Key topics include:  Why traditional safety team structures are holding organisations back  The shift from compliance-focused roles to value-creating strategic advisors  How AI and technology will fundamentally reshape safety work  The critical skills safety professionals need for the next decade  Moving beyond lagging indicators to predictive risk intelligence  Why safety needs to stop being a separate function and integrate into operations  The future of safety education and professional development  How to demonstrate ROI and business value from safety investments  Whether you're a safety professional navigating career choices, a business leader building safety capability, or an executive wondering how to structure safety teams for maximum impact, this conversation offers essential insights into where the profession is heading.  Liam and Brian don't just theorize—they share practical strategies, real examples, and bold predictions about what successful safety functions will look like in five to ten years. This isn't about incremental improvement; it's about fundamental transformation.  Essential listening for anyone committed to the future of safety leadership and creating workplaces where people thrive while businesses succeed.

    52 min
  3. The Art of Safety Leadership: From Compliance to Capital - Transforming Safety into Business Value

    10/03/2025

    The Art of Safety Leadership: From Compliance to Capital - Transforming Safety into Business Value

    In this game-changing episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we sit down with Wade Needham, a unique voice who bridges the worlds of safety, sustainability, agriculture, and capital markets. With deep experience across mining, construction, and now agriculture, Wade brings an investor's lens to safety that will fundamentally challenge how you think about risk management and value creation.  Wade's journey from civil construction through mining mega-projects to his current role working with institutional investors and agricultural enterprises offers unprecedented insights into how safety translates to business performance in the capital markets.  Key topics include:  Why LTIFR and TRIFR are actually labor productivity metrics, not safety measures  How investors really evaluate safety culture during due diligence (hint: it's not the reports)  Transforming safety from "capital leakage" into growth enablement  The $20 million workers' compensation transformation that created systematic value  Why psychosocial risk management is reshaping the profession  How to read financial statements to predict safety load before incidents occur  The personal tragedy that inspired a career focused on human capital protection  Whether you're a safety professional looking to elevate your strategic impact, an executive seeking to unlock value through better risk management, or a board member wanting to understand how safety drives enterprise value, this conversation offers essential insights.  Wade's unique perspective reveals how safety professionals can move from compliance reporting to strategic advisory roles by understanding capital allocation, investor mindset, and business growth dynamics. This isn't just about doing safety better—it's about fundamentally reframing safety as a value creation engine.

    1h 13m
  4. The Art of Safety Leadership: Navigating the intersection of safety, law, and business reality with Aaron Guilfoyle

    09/03/2025

    The Art of Safety Leadership: Navigating the intersection of safety, law, and business reality with Aaron Guilfoyle

    In this episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we sit down with Aaron Guilfoyle former Work Health and Safety Prosecutor and current legal expert, who provides an insider's view into industrial manslaughter prosecutions and the legal realities facing safety leaders today.  Aaron brings a unique 20+ year perspective, having prosecuted hundreds of serious safety incidents including the landmark Dreamworld case, before transitioning to advise businesses on the other side of the courtroom. His insights reveal the stark realities of how industrial manslaughter laws are being applied across Australia and what business leaders need to know to protect themselves and their organizations.  Key topics include:  The rapid spread of industrial manslaughter laws across all Australian jurisdictions  His outtakes and key learnings from the Dreamworld tragedy and the factors that led to a $3.6 million fine  The critical difference between "paper safety" and actual workplace practices  Officer due diligence: what it really means beyond the legal jargon  Red flags that should concern boards and executives about their safety performance  Practical steps for crisis management when incidents occur  This episode offers essential insights for CEOs, board directors, and senior safety professionals who need to understand the legal landscape they're operating in. Aaron's dual perspective - from prosecutor to business advisor - provides invaluable guidance on navigating the intersection of safety, law, and business reality.  Whether you're looking to strengthen your organization's safety culture or understand your legal obligations as a leader, this conversation offers critical knowledge that could protect both lives and livelihoods.

    1h 27m
  5. The Art of Safety Leadership: Preparing to Lead - Self-Awareness in Safety Leadership with Anna Keen and Liam Simpson

    08/07/2025

    The Art of Safety Leadership: Preparing to Lead - Self-Awareness in Safety Leadership with Anna Keen and Liam Simpson

    In this insightful episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we explore the critical foundation of effective leadership: self-awareness. Featuring leadership coach Anna Keen, who has spent 20 years developing safety professionals, and Liam Simpson, Head of Health, Safety & Wellbeing at Wilson James, this conversation dives deep into what it really means to lead yourself before leading others.  Anna shares her journey from recruitment to leadership coaching, revealing the development gap she discovered in safety professionals who excel technically but struggle with the non-technical aspects of leadership. Liam brings his military background and practical experience leading safety teams across a 5,000-person organization.  Key topics include:  The "sticky middle" challenge where technical experts transition to leadership roles  Why vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, in safety leadership  The trust equation and how to build meaningful relationships at work  Practical exercises for developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence  How to recognize when you're "turning up" versus truly "showing up"  The importance of reflection and feedback in leadership development  Whether you're a safety professional stepping into leadership or an experienced leader looking to deepen your self-awareness, this episode offers practical tools and honest insights about the inner work required to lead effectively.

    1h 8m
  6. The Art of Safety Leadership: Translating safety language into business language with Crystal Danbury

    07/03/2025

    The Art of Safety Leadership: Translating safety language into business language with Crystal Danbury

    In this thought-provoking episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we sit down with Crystal Danbury, a seasoned safety professional with 21 years of experience across industries including nuclear, rail, logistics, telecoms, and retail.  Crystal shares her journey from an accidental safety technician at a nuclear site to leadership roles at FTSE 100 companies, revealing how she learned to translate safety priorities into business language that resonates with executives and boards.  Key topics include:  Developing the "True Cost of Harm" approach that quantifies safety impacts in commercial terms  Practical strategies for simplifying safety metrics to engage leadership  How to build compelling business cases for safety investments  The critical connection between safety management and insurance costs  Challenging the "you can't put a price on safety" mindset that holds safety professionals back  Whether you're a safety professional looking to gain more influence in your organisation or a business leader seeking to better understand the commercial value of effective safety management, this episode offers invaluable insights on how to drive meaningful change through better communication.

    1h 10m
  7. The Art of Safety Leadership: Stakeholder Influencing with Oliver Sanandres

    06/05/2025

    The Art of Safety Leadership: Stakeholder Influencing with Oliver Sanandres

    In this next episode of "The Art of Safety Leadership," we sit down with Oliver Sanandres to explore how safety professionals can effectively influence stakeholders and transform safety culture within organisations.  Oli shares his journey from accidental safety professional to strategic leader, drawing on experiences from Westminster Council to Auckland Council and beyond. Learn how he shifted organisational focus from compliance to care through innovative approaches like replacing traditional reports with video walkarounds and connecting safety outcomes to business objectives.  Key topics include:  Building trust as the foundation for influence  Transforming safety narrative from compliance to care  Practical techniques for engaging executives and middle management  The importance of self-awareness and vulnerability in safety leadership  Making safety relevant to business strategy and performance  Whether you're a safety professional looking to gain more influence or an executive wanting to better understand safety's role in organizational success, this episode offers valuable insights on creating positive safety cultures where people can "fail safely" and learn from mistakes.

    1h 7m
  8. The art and role of communication in proactive safety cultures

    05/07/2025

    The art and role of communication in proactive safety cultures

    Ever felt like you could leverage storytelling more to build influence and drive cultural change? You're not alone. The art of storytelling is a skill of many parts, and it can often feel daunting to navigate. For the first episode of The Art of Safety Leadership podcast, we talked to world-renowned journalist Jehan Casinader and EHS Director in Global Operations at PepsiCo Daniel McGuigan on the role and power of storytelling! 🎙️ In this episode, we talk about the art of communication and the pivotal role in creating a proactive culture of safety.  Listen in as they share:Cultural change through storytellingLeadership and vulnerabilityFour key elements in compelling storytellingShifting the dominant narrativeLeading with relatable messagesPractical examples they've used

    1h 3m
  • 8 Episodes

About

To truly achieve the highest levels of proactive safety culture, we have to go beyond the technical competencies of health & safety management, to engage in the skills of leadership, innovation, change management, data and debate. The role of The Art of Leadership podcast is to delve deep into the challenges and opportunities that face leaders in the safety profession to keep lifting the bar beyond a reactive culture of safety compliance. Join us as we talk to safety leaders and leadership experts to share their expertise, insights and wisdom.

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