The Safety Guru

Eric Michrowski
  • 5.0 (12)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Real leaders leave a legacy. They capture the hearts and minds of their teams. Their origin story puts the safety and wellbeing of their people first. Great companies ubiquitously have safe yet productive operations. For those companies, Safety is an investment, not a cost for the C-Suite. It’s a real topic of daily focus. The SAFETY GURU with host Eric Michrowski, a globally recognized Ops & Safety Guru, public speaker and author explores through leader interviews how to leave a safety legacy. Your legacy success story begins now.

  1. Redefining Safety: Embracing Risk and the Power of Language in Safety Culture with Dave Whitefield

    FEB 5

    Redefining Safety: Embracing Risk and the Power of Language in Safety Culture with Dave Whitefield

    Tune in for a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with Dave Whitefield, a seasoned safety and risk professional with more than 30 years of industry experience. Dave joins The Safety Guru to discuss the challenges facing the safety industry and why meaningful safety improvement depends less on metrics and more on people and culture. In this episode, Dave explains why embracing risk, rather than trying to eliminate it, is important and how empowering workers to actively manage risk leads to better outcomes than simply enforcing rules. He also shares the role of trust and communication, and how the language we use shapes culture, influences behavior, and impacts how risk is understood and managed. The conversation highlights the vital role of leadership in shifting from correction to learning, and in creating environments where people feel supported to speak up, take ownership, and grow. This episode offers a thoughtful perspective on redefining safety through connection, effective risk management, and meaningful change. Listen now! About the Guest: Dave Whitefield helps organizations tackle safety without doing more safety. He does this through a specific focus on improving safety and risk culture maturity, built on an organization’s existing foundation of hazard management and formal safety systems. The framework for this approach has been developed primarily from a social psychological paradigm, and is based on over 30 years of experience across a wide variety of roles and industries, as well as tertiary qualifications in behavioral science, occupational health and safety, and social psychology of risk. Dave’s work is designed to help people and organizations more meaningfully engage with safety by embracing risk. For more information: https://www.peopleandrisk.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  2. Just Culture in Action: Building Fairness, Trust, and a Learning Culture with Dr Tony Power

    JAN 22

    Just Culture in Action: Building Fairness, Trust, and a Learning Culture with Dr Tony Power

    Start our new season with a powerful episode featuring Dr Tony Power, a leading expert in justice and safety management. In this insightful conversation, Dr Power explains what Just Culture truly means and emphasizes its critical role in improving safety management and driving organizational learning. Through real-world examples, he shares why a meaningful Just Culture must be grounded in values, purpose, and consistent behaviors, not simply treated as a checklist. Dr Power underscores the importance of engaging in open dialogue with all stakeholders and provides practical strategies for implementing Just Culture effectively across organizations. He also offers guidance on how leaders can navigate the legal and regulatory complexities that are often challenging to address. Tune in as Dr Power explores how to build fairness, trust, and a learning culture within your organization, offering actionable insights for bringing Just Culture into action in a meaningful and sustainable way. Don’t miss this enlightening episode of The Safety Guru! About the Guest: Dr Tony Power is a leading specialist in justice and safety management, with over 17 years of experience spanning the aviation, legal, and higher education sectors. He holds a PhD from Swinburne University, where he developed risk management frameworks for regulating safety-critical industries in changing environments. He is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Just Culture Consulting, a specialist consulting practice helping organisations embed just culture to build fairer, safer, and more innovative workplaces. For more information: www.justculture.com.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
  3. Year in Review: The 2025 Highlights on The Safety Guru

    12/11/2025

    Year in Review: The 2025 Highlights on The Safety Guru

    As we approach the end of another year, we’re celebrating the incredible journey we’ve shared, filled with powerful insights from inspiring global experts, transformative perspectives from thought leaders, and voices on a mission for change, all dedicated to making a difference. Take a moment to revisit these unforgettable stories and safety lessons with your host, Eric Michrowski, as he reflects on The Safety Guru’s most inspirational insights and top themes of 2025. From all of us at The Safety Guru, we wish you a bright and meaningful holiday season filled with happiness, hope, and safety. Thank you so much for listening, learning, and growing with us throughout the year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    24 min
  4. Advocating a Safer Tomorrow: A Mother's Mission to Make Workplaces Safer with Patrizia Cassaniti

    11/27/2025

    Advocating a Safer Tomorrow: A Mother's Mission to Make Workplaces Safer with Patrizia Cassaniti

    Join us for a deeply moving and powerful episode featuring Patrizia Cassaniti, a passionate safety advocate who transformed unimaginable tragedy into a mission for change. Patrizia recounts the heartbreaking loss of her son, Christopher, in a preventable construction incident caused by complacency and poor safety decisions. Through her story, she underscores the critical importance of putting workers’ safety first, fostering open communication, and creating a culture where workers feel empowered to speak up and know their safety concerns will be heard and respected. With passion and unwavering commitment, Patrizia challenges the production pressures so common in many workplaces and reminds us that every safety decision matters because everyone deserves to return home safely to their loved ones. Join us for this inspiring and heartfelt conversation about a mother’s mission to make workplaces safer and advocate for a safer tomorrow for all. About the Guest: Patrizia Cassaniti is an international award-winning work health and safety advocate whose lived experience has become a catalyst for cultural change across Australia’s workplaces. In 2019, her 18-year-old son, Christopher, was tragically killed when a scaffold collapsed—an incident that was entirely preventable. Since then, Patrizia has dedicated her life to confronting complacency and inspiring workers to speak up for safety without fear. Her presentations are raw, emotional, and unforgettable—reminding every worker why their family is the reason to work safely every day. Through her foundation, Touched by Christopher, Patrizia supports families who have lost a loved one at work, helping them grieve without the burden of financial stress. For more Information: https://www.letstalkaboutsafety.com.au/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min
  5. The Power of Safety Voice: Building a Culture of Speaking Up to Drive Change with Dr. Archana Tedone

    11/13/2025

    The Power of Safety Voice: Building a Culture of Speaking Up to Drive Change with Dr. Archana Tedone

    What is safety voice, and why is it important? Don’t miss this exclusive conversation with our returning guest, Dr. Archana Tedone, Assistant Professor of Management in the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University. Drawing on her latest research, Dr. Tedone shares expert insights on safety voice and the pivotal role leaders play in fostering open safety communication to create safer workplaces. She discusses the importance of building a culture where every team member feels comfortable voicing their safety concerns and speaking up about potential risks. Tune in as Archana encourages leaders to take every safety concern seriously and without bias, actively listen and involve teams in problem-solving, demonstrate genuine care and appreciation, and close the feedback loop to strengthen safety communication. Join us to discover the power of safety voice and learn practical ways to build a culture of speaking up and drive meaningful change. About the Guest: Archana M. Tedone, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Management in the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield University. Her research examines workplace communication, focusing on the factors that encourage or discourage communication about safety issues and concerns. Drawing from occupational health psychology and organizational behavior, she studies how leaders can create climates that promote open communication, trust, and proactive safety behaviors in high-stress environments such as healthcare and hybrid teams. Her research has been funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and published in leading academic journals. She serves on the editorial board of Occupational Health Science and the Executive Board of the Society for Occupational Health Psychology. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Tedone consults with organizations to strengthen safety culture, leadership effectiveness, and communication practices. For more information: https://www.fairfield.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/management/faculty/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min
  6. Sleep Science for Safer Workplaces: Wake Up to Fatigue Risk with Dr Nicholas Mabbott

    10/30/2025

    Sleep Science for Safer Workplaces: Wake Up to Fatigue Risk with Dr Nicholas Mabbott

    "When we sleep, the brain produces tomorrow's fuel." Back for another compelling episode of The Safety Guru, sleep expert Dr Nicholas Mabbott returns to explore the fascinating sleep science for safer workplaces and its profound impact on our daily lives. Dr Nick breaks down the stages of sleep, emphasizing how quality sleep fuels our health, well-being, and overall safety. He reveals the dangers of sleep deficits, shares how fatigue impacts workplace performance, and provides practical strategies organizations can use to promote better sleep, reduce risk and absenteeism, and strengthen safety outcomes by proactively addressing fatigue risk. If you're ready to wake up to the hidden risks fatigue brings and learn more about sleep science and its impact, this episode delivers powerful insights and practical tools to drive meaningful change. Tune in now to discover how better sleep can lead to safer, healthier, and more productive workplaces. About the Guest: Dr Nicholas Mabbott is a Fatigue Risk Management Specialist with over 28 years of experience in sleep and fatigue risk management. He has provided sleep and fatigue management training and education to over 34 thousand people from a wide range of industries. His recently published book, “The Wonder of Sleep: Beyond Midnight,” is a compilation of 27 years of learning about sleep and the benefits people get from appropriate sleep. The book challenges road safety professionals and sleep scientists to examine and test new theories on better managing sleep, workplace safety, and road safety. He also has a YouTube channel called “The Wonder of Sleep” with 23 videos. For more information: www.beyondmidnight.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  7. Boeing 737 Max: Key Learning for Boards & Executives with Dr Andrew Hopkins

    10/16/2025

    Boeing 737 Max: Key Learning for Boards & Executives with Dr Andrew Hopkins

    In this distinctive episode of The Safety Guru, renowned safety expert Dr Andrew Hopkins joins us to explore the critical lessons from the Boeing 737 MAX. Drawing from his latest book, Andrew unpacks a comprehensive analysis of its troubled history, uncovering flawed system design, organizational blind spots, and safety decisions that led to devastating consequences. He shares key learnings for boards and executives, emphasizing safety as a core responsibility and underscoring the importance of understanding and managing risk at the highest levels, while addressing how long-term safety performance is essential to sustainable business success. This information-rich episode delivers valuable takeaways on strengthening the role of safety governance, enhancing risk oversight, improving leadership accountability, and building safer systems for the future. Listen now! About the Guest: Andrew Hopkins is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the Australian National University, Canberra. He was a consultant to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board in its investigations of the 2005 BP Texas City Refinery disaster and the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and served as an expert witness at the Royal Commission into the 1998 Exxon gas plant explosion near Melbourne. He has written books on these and other disasters, including in mining, and has consulted for major companies in the mining, petroleum, chemical, electrical, and defence industries. He speaks regularly to audiences around the world about the human and organisational causes of major accidents. For more information: https://sociology.cass.anu.edu.au/people/professor-andrew-hopkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    51 min
  8. Navigating Toxicity in the Workplace and the Importance of Self-Care for Leaders with Beverly Beuermann-King

    10/02/2025

    Navigating Toxicity in the Workplace and the Importance of Self-Care for Leaders with Beverly Beuermann-King

    In recognition of World Mental Health Day, we present a powerful and timely conversation with our returning special guest, Beverly Beuermann-King, a seasoned expert in workplace mental health. Beverly shares her insights on two critical threats to workplace safety and well-being today: toxicity in the workplace and the importance of self-care for leaders. She explores real examples of toxic workplaces and offers actionable strategies to help leaders recognize warning signs, communicate effectively, and engage in difficult conversations to address issues head-on. Beverly also unpacks the deeper drivers behind workaholism, sharing how leaders can identify root causes, set healthy boundaries, and intentionally create space to rest, recharge, and reflect, prioritizing self-care to enhance both their own well-being and that of their teams. This episode highlights why mental health isn’t just a personal wellness matter; it’s a workplace safety issue that fosters a healthier, more resilient workplace culture. Tune in for expert insights to help leaders prevent burnout, navigate toxicity in the workplace, and build environments where people and organizations can truly thrive.  About the Guest: Beverly Beuermann-King has over 25 years of experience helping individuals and organizations master their responses to stress, build resilience, and thrive using her innovative S-O-S Principle™. Since founding WorkSmartLiveSmart.com in 1995, she has transformed teams across diverse business sectors. Her presentations, grounded in psychology, sociology, management, and adult education, offer practical strategies to enhance mental health and workplace well-being. She is also a prolific author, respected podcaster, and trusted media spokesperson, with over 500 television and radio appearances. Beverly currently serves as the National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Prepare to be captivated as she empowers you to conquer stress, cultivate resilience, and unlock the secrets to a healthier, more fulfilling life. For more information: www.WorkSmartLiveSmart.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min
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Trailer

5
out of 5
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About

Real leaders leave a legacy. They capture the hearts and minds of their teams. Their origin story puts the safety and wellbeing of their people first. Great companies ubiquitously have safe yet productive operations. For those companies, Safety is an investment, not a cost for the C-Suite. It’s a real topic of daily focus. The SAFETY GURU with host Eric Michrowski, a globally recognized Ops & Safety Guru, public speaker and author explores through leader interviews how to leave a safety legacy. Your legacy success story begins now.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Michrowski
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    148
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyrights All Rights Reserved By Propulo Consulting
  • Show Website
    The Safety Guru