Safety Labs by Safety Products Global

Safety Products Global
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Safety Labs by Safety Products Global is a podcast where we explore the human side of safety to support safety professionals. We move past regulations and reportables to talk about the core skills of safety leadership: empathy, influence, trust, rapport. In other words, the soft skills that help you do the hard stuff.

  1. 22h ago

    Why Aren’t We Learning from Safety Incidents? with Gill Kernick

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Gill Kernick, a consultant in high-hazard industries and author of Catastrophe and Systemic Change - a book she wishes she never had to write. It analyzes the Grenfell Tower fire, where Gill had previously lived. On the 14th of June 2017, she watched it burn. Seven of her former close neighbors died, in addition to 65 other people. She promised to make their lives count, so dedicates her work to ensuring that we learn better. Gill challenges EHS professionals to move beyond compliance and technical fixes toward embracing complexity, diversity and fostering genuine organizational learning. Her deeply considered insights offer a powerful call to action for meaningful systemic change that can prevent future accidents and transform how the safety profession impacts organizations and society. Gill’s book: Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters - LPP - The London Publishing Partnership (Published on 18th June 2026, but is available for early ordering in the UK - and a small donation will be made to the Grenfell Foundation) Her blog about Grenfell. Grenfell Inquiry Reports: Publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report - GOV.UK Details on the Archives of all evidence: Records of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry - The National Archives Post Normal Science: Menagerie of Postnormal Potentialities | Post Normal Times Knowledge, power, and participation in the post-normal age - ScienceDirect Cynefin Framework: About - Cynefin Framework - The Cynefin Co Jose Torero (Link to a blog I wrote on this): ‘The real failure of Grenfell – complexity, ambiguity and competency.’ Prof. Torero Transcript – The Grenfell Enquirer The play 'Grenfell in the Words of Survivors': Grenfell: in the words of survivors | National Theatre LinkedIn profile: Gill Kernick | LinkedIn Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    52 min

  2. Jun 1

    Can AI and Human-Centered Safety Work Together? with Brent Sutton

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brent Sutton, a safety coach, author and practitioner with over 20 years’ experience, who focuses on worker engagement and operational learning in safety systems. With the rapid adoption of AI in the workplace, Brent explores how this technology will impact human-centred approaches to safety management. After assessing the evolution of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and evaluating some of its recent criticism, he argues that ethical AI tools are actually well-suited to help EHS professionals operationalize this philosophy. However, intent is key. Brent acknowledges that AI can just as easily be used to enforce more traditional approaches to safety due to its advanced monitoring and control capabilities. This delicate balance between operational learning and people blaming is the key theme: will AI be used in a sufficiently humanistic way to enhance HOP practices? Learn more about Brent’s work and test the AI safety tools: hopcopilot.com Brent Sutton on LinkedIn: Brent Sutton | LinkedIn  Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    53 min

  3. May 25

    Better Safety Conversations with Daniel Hummerdal

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Daniel Hummerdal, a psychologist who focuses on the role of humans in safety and organizational improvement. Drawing on insights from his new book, ‘An Invitation to Safety Conversations’, Daniel uncovers how dialogue closes the distance between leaders and workers, creating cultures where truth flows, partnerships develop, and safety performance improves. The interview offers fresh perspectives on safety leadership and the role of a safety professional, moving away from checklists, control and compliance towards curiosity, compassion and courage. Daniel shares his six types of conversations that uncover hidden risks, make sense of everyday work complexities, and help workplace safety become a collaborative effort. This episode invites EHS professionals to reconsider what safety work means and how they can learn and keep workers safe through more humanistic leadership. Learn more about Daniel’s book: An Invitiation to Safety Conversations Daniel also recommends: Humble Inquiry by Edgar H. Schein Daniel on LinkedIn: Daniel Hummerdal | LinkedIn Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    58 min

  4. May 18

    A Fighter Pilot’s Guide to Safety with Brandon Williams

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brandon Williams, a speaker, airline pilot and human factors professor with over two decades of experience leading teams in dynamic, complex and high-risk environments. He shares crucial safety lessons from his exhilarating career in aviation and introduces his Six Pillars of operational excellence as a framework for improving performance, strengthening decision-making and supporting learning in complex systems. The conversation explores how human factors are key to understanding incidents and why a just culture, supported by regular debriefing opportunities, will make workplaces safer. This episode provides EHS professionals with practical tools to make better decisions, advance human performance, and learn more effectively to drive not only safety, but organisational success. Learn more about Brandon’s work and services: Brandon Williams | Leadership Keynote Speaker Email Brandon: brandon@brandonwilliamsspeaker.com Brandon Williams on LinkedIn: LinkedIn  Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    1h 2m

  5. May 11

    A Balanced Approach To Safety with Trevor Farr

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Trevor Farr, a safety manager who only joined the profession 5 years ago - so brings a fresh perspective to the Safety Labs podcast. Trevor advocates a blended approach to safety management, combining human understanding with rules and regulations. Leaning on HOP principles, Trevor challenges traditional accident investigation methods, emphasizing their limitations and the need for a broader, more inclusive inquiry process. He encourages safety practitioners to move beyond blame to foster genuine care and authentic relationships within organizations. Throughout the conversation, Trevor reflects on the evolving nature of safety management, sharing guidance on navigating complex systems by embracing curiosity, collaboration, and a learning-based approach that values multiple perspectives, especially from frontline workers. This episode helps EHS professionals discover a more humanistic path to keeping workers safe. The LinkedIn post featured in the show: LaGuardia Fire Truck Plane Collision: Human Performance Analysis Book recommended by Trevor: Next Generation Safety Leadership: From Compliance to Care: Lloyd, Clive Trevor Farr on LinkedIn: Trevor Farr, MEng, CSP | LinkedIn  Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    48 min

  6. May 4

    The Human (and Animal) Side of Safety with Domini Montgomery

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Domini Montgomery, who leads safety and risk management at St. Louis Zoo, offering a fascinating perspective grounded in biology, public health, and occupational safety. Domini shares compelling stories from managing safety where the needs of staff, animals, and the public intersect, including the pandemic’s contribution to raising awareness of the role of mental well-being in workplace safety. With a strong focus on trust, communication and collaboration, Domini explains how total worker health approaches foster engagement, innovation, and safer cultures. She offers valuable insights into integrating psychological safety and becoming a genuine changemaker in your organization. This episode provides EHS professionals with thoughtful strategies to enhance safety by embracing a human-centered approach that balances organizational mission with worker well-being. (And you’ll be glad you don’t have to consider animal-centered approaches as well!) Recommended resources for safety professionals: ASSP - American Society of Safety Professionals | ASSP Board of Certified Safety Professionals | BCSP Women in the Safety Profession Member Community | ASSP Domini Montgomery on LinkedIn: Domini Montgomery, MPH, ASP, CSP, CEAS | LinkedIn  Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    1h 1m

  7. Apr 27

    Lessons From Retail Safety with Mark Gobert

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mark Gobert, a seasoned retail safety expert with nearly 30 years of experience managing safety programs at major companies like Macy’s and Williams Sonoma. Mark reflects on how safety has evolved over his career and the specific challenges he faced in retail. He shares his innovative approach to translating the cost of injuries into business metrics that helped leadership appreciate the true costs and benefits of effective workplace safety. Throughout the conversation, Mark emphasizes the importance of listening to frontline workers, whose insights are crucial to effective safety solutions, and offers EHS professionals practical guidance on building credibility throughout your organization. Mark’s insights may come from his distinguished career in retail, but they offer universal wisdom for safety managers across all sectors. Mark Gobert on LinkedIn: Mark Gobert | LinkedIn  Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    43 min

  8. Apr 20

    Why Safety Isn’t a Profession with Dr. Robert Long

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dr. Robert Long, founder of the social psychology of risk and an uncompromising voice in the world of safety. Drawing on over 50 years of experience across multiple careers, Rob delivers a forthright challenge to the safety industry’s status quo, even maintaining that it doesn’t deserve to be called a profession. “Nonsense” ideologies such as zero harm, and “meaningless” slogans like ‘blame fixes nothing’ are torn to shreds as Rob reveals safety’s ethical and educational deficiencies, and its lack of contextual awareness. He critiques the dominant technicist worldview - narrowly focused on engineering and regulation - and calls for a radical shift towards a person-centered, transdisciplinary approach embracing disciplines outside of safety’s comfort zone. This no-holes-barred interview will sound many alarm bells for safety ‘professionals’ who happily accept the current approaches to keeping workers safe. Find out more about Rob’s work: Human Dymensions - Dr Rob Long - Culture, Learning and Risk Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) – The Social Psychology of Risk, Safety and Leadership Maturity Dr. Robert Long on LinkedIn: Robert Long | LinkedIn Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

    1h 4m
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4.6
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9 Ratings

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Safety Labs by Safety Products Global is a podcast where we explore the human side of safety to support safety professionals. We move past regulations and reportables to talk about the core skills of safety leadership: empathy, influence, trust, rapport. In other words, the soft skills that help you do the hard stuff.

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