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. 1D AGO

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. APR 13

    Evaluating New View Safety with Mike Fears

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Mike Fears, who describes himself as a recovering academic and has more than 20 years of experience in occupational health and safety across multiple industries. This is a fascinating deep dive into New View Safety: its principles, how it developed, its originality and, most importantly, whether it improves safety outcomes. Mike evaluates the core tenets of this approach to help us uncover the validity of maxims such as ‘error is normal’, ‘blame fixes nothing’ and ‘workers should decide how work is done’. His research findings help us separate unrealistic assertions from useful applications. But context and nuance are always key! This episode gives safety professionals a balanced and measured perspective on New View Safety, encouraging thoughtful application of its ideas - rather than uncritical adoption or rejection. Learn more about Mike’s work: The Recovering Academic Recommended reading: Fears, M. R. (2025). The promise and problems of the "New View" of Safety. Vegetation Manager Magazine, 24 October 2025;18-20.  Fears M.R. (2024). 349 Pushing the right buttons: creating conditions for developing personal motivation towards safe behaviours. Injury Prevention; 30: A74. Fears M.R. (2024). 698 The promise and problems with the “new view” of safety: weaknesses, limitations, and suggestions for further research. Injury Prevention; 30: A145.  Cooper, M. (2022). The emperor has no clothes: A critique of Safety-II. Safety Science, 152, 105047.  Mike Fears on LinkedIn: Mike Fears – LinkedIn Profile  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

  6. APR 6

    A Passion for Safety Regulations with Brandy Zadoorian

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Brandy Zadoorian, a certified safety professional and CEO of Triangle Safety Consulting, who helps organizations build robust and sustainable safety programs through her expertise in regulatory compliance. Unusually, Brandy is a passionate supporter of workplace safety regulations and highlights OSHA’s key role in keeping workers safe in America. She addresses common misunderstandings about the agency’s purpose and approach before exploring the major citation trends. Brandy analyzes the effectiveness of fines as a compliance tool and stresses the importance of proactive safety training, especially for smaller businesses. In addition to robust regulations, she also emphasizes the critical need for thorough follow-up on corrective actions to protect your workforce and prevent repeat incidents. This compelling conversation will help EHS professionals work with regulatory agencies, build trust within your organizations, and improve safety programs before enforcement or penalties are necessary. Find out more about Brandy’s services and resources, including her OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 workbooks: Triangle Safety Consulting LLC The book recommended by Brandy: Basics of Occupational Safety, The: Amazon.com: Goetsch, David Brandy Zadoorian on LinkedIn: Brandy Zadoorian, CSP, CSD, LMSS | 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

    54 min

  7. MAR 30

    Putting Safety Theory into Practice with Zoë Nation

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Zoë Nation, a human factors and safety expert with over 25 years of design and implementation experience across rail, oil and gas, logistics, mining, marine, manufacturing, and aviation industries. Zoë challenges safety professionals to be more curious, move beyond ‘tribalism’, and adopt more context- and research-driven approaches to safety management: “There isn’t one right answer!” She highlights the common pitfalls organizations face when implementing change and emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique maturity and culture of your organization. Drawing on her extensive experience, Zoë stresses the critical role of end-user engagement, reminding EHS professionals that frontline workers don’t care about safety camps or jargon - they just need solutions based on their work realities. Throughout the conversation, Zoë shares practical tools and insights to help EHS professionals learn from the workforce, influence decision-makers, avoid common blind spots, and create effective safety systems that resonate across all levels of the business. Safety resources/authors recommended by Zoë: The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error': Amazon.com: Dekker, Sidney Bob's Guide to Operational Learning: How to Think Like a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Coach: Amazon.com: Edwards, Bob, Baker, Andrea Humble Inquiry, 3rd edition: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Humble Leadership): Amazon.com: Schein, Edgar H., Schein, Peter A SafetyInsights.org – Home of safety & risk research summaries Global Safety Innovation Summit Zoë Nation on LinkedIn: Zoë Nation | 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

    54 min

  8. MAR 23

    Understanding Disasters to Enhance Workplace Safety with Edward Tenner

    In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Edward Tenner, a renowned author and lecturer at Princeton University, whose work explores the intersections of history, technology, and safety. Edward draws on his seminar “Understanding Disasters,” examining major events like the Titanic, the World Trade Centre, Fukushima and Covid to expose how hidden risks can break safety systems. He highlights how overlooked factors such as ‘gray rhinos’ and ‘mode errors’ have contributed to serious failures, demonstrating the unintended consequences of well-meaning safety measures. Through examples of expert decisions and system designs that didn’t work as intended, he encourages safety managers to vigilantly scan the horizon for subtle signals of weaknesses.. This episode offers EHS professionals practical insights and historical lessons that help you identify emerging hazards to make workplaces safer. Find out more about Edward’s work, books and essays: Edward Tenner - Welcome You can read Edward’s latest essay here: Are We Getting Dumber? - Milken Institute Review Other books recommended by Edward: Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America: Petroski, Henry Normal Accidents – Living with High Risk Technologies: Perrow, Charles Edward Tenner on LinkedIn: Edward Tenner | 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

    56 min
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4.6
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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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