Leading and Learning Through Safety

Dr. Mark A French

Do you want to engage your culture? Safety is the first step to creating the motivation needed for people to perform their best. Each day, we have the chance to lead our teams and learn more about our people through an understanding of our safety climate. Through looking at current issues in HSE, we chat about creating cultural value through safety. Your host is Dr. Mark French, CSP, SPHR aka The Safety Dude.

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 207: Empathy vs Ego

    In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French reflects on a recent verbal de-escalation training experience and shares key lessons that extend far beyond conflict management. The training focused on how workers who interact with the public can safely navigate tense situations, recognize potential dangers, and communicate in ways that reduce rather than increase conflict.  One of the biggest takeaways was the importance of practice-based learning. Dr. French emphasizes that effective training is not simply about transferring knowledge through lectures—it must provide a safe environment where participants can ask questions, make mistakes, receive feedback, and build confidence through realistic scenarios. He highlights how hands-on learning creates deeper understanding and prepares people to apply skills in real-world situations.  The episode then explores one of the most powerful concepts in verbal de-escalation: setting aside ego. Dr. French explains that many conflicts escalate because individuals become focused on being right rather than resolving the situation. Successful de-escalation requires empathy, active listening, and the ability to understand another person's perspective without immediately defending your own position.  Using examples from construction and safety environments, he demonstrates how acknowledging frustrations, listening sincerely, and responding with empathy can help reduce tension and create safer outcomes. The discussion reinforces that leadership, safety, and effective communication are deeply connected. By replacing ego with empathy, leaders and frontline workers alike can build trust, reduce conflict, and create environments where people feel heard, respected, and ultimately safer.

    20 min

  2. May 29

    Episode 206: Proper Protections

    In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French examines two tragic workplace fatalities that highlight the critical importance of hazard recognition, machine guarding, emergency preparedness, and personal accountability in safety leadership. The first case involves a bakery employee who was fatally pinned between a malfunctioning conveyor and a stainless-steel collection tray. Dr. French explores how seemingly routine equipment issues can become normalized over time, leading workers to repeatedly perform unsafe tasks such as clearing jams without properly de-energizing equipment. He discusses the dangers of "normalization of deviance," where workers become comfortable with known hazards because they have successfully managed them in the past. The incident also raises important questions about machine guarding, lockout/tagout procedures, emergency stop systems, and how quickly organizations can respond when something goes wrong. The second story focuses on a golf course employee who lost his life after a mower overturned into a pond, trapping him beneath the equipment. Using his own experiences with lawn care and operating zero-turn mowers, Dr. French emphasizes that familiarity with a task does not eliminate risk. He highlights the importance of using rollover protection systems, respecting terrain limitations, and avoiding shortcuts that can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Throughout the episode, Dr. French reinforces a key leadership lesson: safety is demonstrated through consistent actions, not just policies. Whether in the workplace or at home, leaders set the example for others through the choices they make. By addressing hazards proactively, following established procedures, and modeling safe behaviors, leaders can protect both people and organizational performance.

    20 min

  3. May 22

    Episiode 205: Visible Safety

    In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, host Dr. Mark French explores the nuances of organizational risk management and seasonal workplace dangers . Balancing Public vs. Employee Safety Dr. French begins by discussing two uncommon, nearly identical workplace fatalities occurring within the same week at typical lumber and home goods stores across the United States, where employees were crushed by unstable lumber stacks . He notes that while these stores present highly visible, strict safety protocols to the public—such as using flaggers and gating off active forklift areas—this standard does not always extend to employees . He suggests that large organizations often heavily focus on public safety and loss control to mitigate uncapped financial liabilities, while employee safety can be minimized because financial risks are legally capped by workers' compensation laws . This can create a false sense of security for workers who mistakenly believe a robust public safety program translates to their own protection . Summer Hazards and Distracted Driving The second half of the podcast addresses the inherent, heightened safety risks that arise during the summer, specifically for roadside construction workers . Dr. French emphasizes that despite company training, flashing lights, and protective trucks, workers are frequently injured or killed due to distracted driving and motorists blowing through work zones .

    20 min

  4. May 11

    Episode 204: TN Safety Conference 2026

    In this episode of Leading and Learning through Safety, Dr. Mark French reflects on his recent experience at the Tennessee Safety Conference in Nashville, a premiere event he has attended for numerous years. As a multi-time speaker, he emphasizes the high caliber of research and expertise shared at the conference, noting the value of learning from those who live these safety experiences daily.  Leadership: Competence and Commitment The core of Dr. French’s talk centered on the leadership principle of "meeting people where they are". He introduces a framework focused on two pillars:  Competence: Defined by the APA as a repertoire of skills applied specifically to a task. Dr. French clarifies that having a general skill (like using a tool) does not automatically translate to competence in a specific setting or material.  Commitment: An obligation or devotion to a task. This involves understanding not just how to do something, but feeling the obligation to perform it correctly despite shortcuts or differing standards.  He argues that leaders should diagnose performance based on these two factors relative to a singular task rather than generalizing an employee's overall character.  AI in Safety Dr. French also explores the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence in the field. While skeptical of AI as a total workforce replacement, he highlights a transformative tool he witnessed at the conference: an EHS management system that uses vocal transcription to create Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) on the fly. By recording a supervisor’s morning debrief, the AI can transcribe the conversation, identify specific hazards like electrical work or heights, and provide real-time policy advice and documentation, significantly reducing tedious paperwork while adding value to field safety.

    20 min

  5. Mar 13

    Episode 203: Changing Behaviors

    In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French explores how leaders can turn good intentions into real behavioral change in the workplace. Drawing on research from the December 2025 issue of the Consulting Psychology Journal, the discussion focuses on practical, evidence-based strategies for helping people move beyond simply understanding safety practices to actually applying them consistently.  At the center of the conversation is the “Three E’s” model of behavioral change: Enlighten, Encourage, and Enable. Enlightening people is the first step—providing knowledge, awareness, and the rationale behind a policy or process. In safety, this often comes through training or communication about procedures and risks. However, information alone rarely leads to sustained behavior change. The real impact occurs when leaders move into the next two stages. Encouraging involves setting clear goals, building confidence, and motivating individuals to take action. Leaders help people understand what success looks like and support them in developing the skills needed to reach it. The final step, Enabling, focuses on making the desired behavior easier to perform. This includes providing tools, reinforcing progress, tracking outcomes, and creating opportunities for practice and social support. Together, encouragement and enablement form a reinforcing cycle that helps behaviors stick and evolve into long-term cultural change. Dr. French emphasizes that real transformation takes time and consistency, but even small actions can build momentum toward safer, stronger workplaces. Ultimately, the episode highlights a key leadership challenge: teaching is important—but driving action is what truly changes culture.

    20 min

  6. Feb 27

    Episode 202: Real Safety

    In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French examines a tragic news story out of Michigan involving two young workers who lost their lives due to hydrogen sulfide exposure while performing well maintenance. What initially appears to be a confined space incident reveals something deeper: a failure of basic training, hazard recognition, and rescue preparedness. The workers were using hydrochloric acid to descale a residential well located beneath a porch — a clear permit-required confined space. The chemical reaction likely produced hydrogen sulfide gas, a highly toxic and deadly substance. One worker entered the well and was overcome. A second worker, acting instinctively to save his colleague, entered without protective equipment and also succumbed. Three others were hospitalized. Dr. French unpacks the layered safety breakdowns: lack of hazard communication training, absence of confined space protocols, no engineered rescue system, and a culture of comfort built on years without incident. The absence of injury, he reminds listeners, does not equal safety — it often equals luck. This episode challenges leaders to look “between the lines” of tragic headlines and ask critical questions: What was present before? What assumptions were made? What systems were missing? True safety is deliberate, verified, and practiced — not assumed. A powerful reminder that preparation, training, and leadership are what stand between routine work and irreversible loss.

    20 min

  7. Feb 20

    Episode 201: Learning Matters

    In this episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores new research from the February 2026 Journal of Applied Psychology examining how safety training contributes to workplace safety. The featured meta-analysis reviews numerous studies to evaluate the true impact of safety training on knowledge, skills, attitudes (KSA), and overall safety outcomes. Dr. French reflects on one of the most persistent challenges in safety leadership: making regulatory training meaningful. Using hazard communication as a practical example, he discusses the difficulty of keeping repetitive, compliance-driven content engaging—especially for long-tenured employees who hear the same material year after year. Yet, he emphasizes that even “routine” safety topics remain critical, as near misses and preventable incidents continue to occur. The research confirms what safety professionals hope to be true: safety training works. It positively influences safety knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and ultimately workplace outcomes. Importantly, richer and more robust training efforts produce stronger results. Organizations that invest thoughtfully in safety learning—focusing on clear objectives and audience needs—see meaningful cultural and performance improvements. However, the episode also highlights a sobering reality: some organizations still fail to provide adequate safety training, despite legal mandates and clear evidence of its effectiveness. Dr. French concludes by reinforcing a central message—when organizations intentionally invest in knowledge, skills, and attitude development, they strengthen safety culture and business performance. Training is not just compliance; it is culture-building work.

    20 min

  8. Feb 6

    Episode 200: Storytelling

    This episode explores storytelling as a powerful driver of safety, learning, and meaning at work. Drawing on academic research and real-world examples, the discussion explains how personal stories—especially near-misses and close calls—can overcome the “it won’t happen to me” mindset that undermines risk awareness. Key themes include: The difference between storytelling for entertainment vs. storytelling for impact (poignancy)Why timing, setting, and psychological safety matter when sharing experiencesHow vulnerability and empathy make safety messages memorable and meaningfulThe leadership role in being present, listening, and inviting stories—without forcing themWhy safety culture is built less through checklists and more through human connectionThe episode ultimately reframes safety storytelling as a leadership skill: when done thoughtfully, stories don’t just inform—they change behavior, strengthen trust, and create lasting meaning.

    20 min
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About

Do you want to engage your culture? Safety is the first step to creating the motivation needed for people to perform their best. Each day, we have the chance to lead our teams and learn more about our people through an understanding of our safety climate. Through looking at current issues in HSE, we chat about creating cultural value through safety. Your host is Dr. Mark French, CSP, SPHR aka The Safety Dude.

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