Meet Dr. Jan Handwerk, Associate Professor of Occupational Safety at the University of Central Oklahoma. Dr. Handwerk discusses the challenges she faced throughout her diverse career in male-dominated industries, from teaching physical education to working as a utility substation mechanic, including issues with properly fitting PPE. She emphasizes …

This week, Jill sits down with a truly accidental safety professional. Catherine West now serves as senior director of global health and safety for a business consulting company, but she never intended to get into this industry. After deciding to leave her sales role, she quickly discovered an unexpected love for safety, where she gets to work clos…

It's back! Jill sat down with EHS professionals who were attending this year's ASSP’s Safety Conference and Expo in Denver, Colorado. She talked with people from many different industries and asked what their favorite part of being a safety professional, advice for other professionals, favorite success stories, and what the future of EHS looks like…

Jill had the pleasure of speaking with ASSP's 2024 Outstanding Safety Educator, Dr. Leslie Stockel! Leslie is an associate professor of professional practice at Oklahoma State University, and teaches in the Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology program. She shares how her father helped her find her passion through firefighting, which le…

Monique Parker, senior vice president of EHS at Piedmont Lithium, hesitantly accepted a job early in her career that moved her across the country to Salt Lake City, Utah. Little did she know, that move would open her eyes to a career-defining passion: Diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this episode, Monique chats with Jill about her accidental jo…

On episode 207 of EHS On Tap, Jill James, Chief Safety Officer at HSI, talks about common misconceptions regarding safety training. This episode is sponsored by HSI. OSHA Safety Training Needs Assessmentبقلم Accidental Safety Pro

To celebrate the Accidental Safety Pro's 6th birthday, Jill sat down with HSI CEO Chad Birckelbaw to discuss the importance of the podcast in supporting the EHS profession and how it aligns with HSI's mission of making the workplace safer and smarter. They talk about the challenges and responsibilities of EHS professionals, the importance of aligni…

Don't let her city roots fool you. Lisa Blotsky, a casualty risk consultant with AXA XL, got her start in safety by putting on her boots (PPE-approved, of course) and working at a large-scale poultry processing facility. In this episode, listen as Jill chats with Lisa about her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian, her 24 years spent working …

Did you know you can utilize your insurance broker for risk assessment on your jobsites? And that PPE for males and females should be designed differently? Or that workplace violence is one of the top three reasons women die in the workplace every year? In this episode, Jill runs the gamut of safety with Christina Roll, casualty risk consultant wit…

Join Elizabeth Johnson, Senior Director of EHS at Mitsubishi Power Americas, as she discusses what the next generation of EHS professionals will need, in addition to technical expertise, to be successful. We cover the importance of soft skills, such as communication and leadership, the significance of clear and concise writing, and the value of pur…

Meet Rob Fisher, President of Fisher Improvement Technologies. Rob spent almost 10 years in the U.S. Navy before working at the South Texas Nuclear Project for 12 years in various safety and human development roles. Listen along as Rob talks with Jill about how his diverse experiences led to being an expert in human performance and leadership. They…

In this episode Jill is joined by three guests to discuss the findings of a survey conducted on the challenges and experiences of women working in safety. The survey received almost 900 responses and revealed both positive and negative experiences. The guests discuss topics such as the impact of parenthood on careers, harassment and discrimination …

A few months ago, we launched a podcast episode that featured some of our favorite people — you! We loved hearing your personal stories, ideas, and tips so we wanted to do it again. For this episode, Jill and our podcast producer, Emily, sat down with NSC Safety Congress and Expo attendees from all types of industries: oil and gas, environmental re…

Like many of our guests, Guillermo Sabatier didn’t have safety in mind when he started his career. While studying electrical engineering in college, he got a meter reading job with a local utility company, which resulted in a post-college job in the industry. Now, after 30 years working in support of the utility industry, and becoming a North Ameri…

In this episode, Jill gets to discuss a seriously hot topic! Dr. Todd Loushine, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Occupational Safety program, ASSP Region Five vice president, and returning podcast guest, sat down to discuss workplace heat. In 2022, Dr. Todd lucked into a temporary position outside of the university, h…

Sometimes not being an expert has its benefits. Rusti Dyals, Certified Safety Professional and national director of EHS at ESFM, chats with Jill about getting her degree in public relations, stumbling into a safety coordinator position at a sawmill, and immediately learning the site would be undergoing an OSHA inspection. Listen to this week’s epis…

This month’s podcast looks a little different, as Jill was able to sit down with 20 EHS professionals who were attending ASSP’s Annual Safety Conference and Expo. She met with people from many different industries, including construction, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace, as well as an assistant professor, a Ph.D. student, and even the editor in chie…

Tune in to learn how there is always something you can bring to the table, why building your network is so important, and how simply listening to those more experienced than you can help in many ways.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Like many of our guests, Dr. Amber Mitchell didn’t start out with the goal of becoming a safety professional. But chance encounters and unique opportunities that presented themselves throughout her career seemed to be pushing her toward that end.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Felix Nater, president and owner of workplace security consulting firm Nater Associates, joins Jill to discuss why preventing workplace violence — not reacting to it — should be our focus.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Safety professionals have done a good job of mitigating physical hazards for as long as occupational safety has been an area of focus. But how do employers go about creating a work environment that is free from psychosocial hazards? Dr. David Daniels joins us in this episode to discuss what, in his view, is the most significant hazard people are ex…

Even though everyone understands that safety in the workplace is important, it can still be tough for decision-makers to get on board with making necessary, and lasting, changes. It’s easy to conduct an incident investigation and put a fix in place, but what about working to prevent incidents instead of just responding to them? Join Jill as she cha…

Fighting the “safety cop” stereotype can be a difficult task. This is especially true if you are trying to build your new career in safety. Nadia uses her natural leadership and relationship-building skills to unite her coworkers for the common good. Nadia Ullah Morin is a QHSE Lead at a water technology manufacturing company, with a background in …

How do you manage EHS at a company that produces cannabinoids and other psychedelic drugs to try to help with diseases? Chris Garza walks us through his inspirational story that starts with a very early passion for helping others and the world with his work. He started his career in the lab working on stem cell therapy and moved on to overseeing ha…

There are many hats to be worn as a safety professional, and data collector/analyzer is often one of them. Jill sits down with Arianna Howard to better understand how safety data analytics and software systems play a role in the EHS environment. Arianna is a Manager of EHS IT Data Platforms and Digital Software Systems in the electric vehicle manuf…

Alan Davis, CSP sits down with us to share his story of how he "accidentally wound up in a profession to prevent accidents". His story starts with a farm injury that ruled out a military career before it began, but gave him an opportunity to explore a career in safety. He eventually ended up overseeing safety at sea as the Director of Safety and Co…

Join us as Dolores Salman, CSP, walks us through her accidental safety journey and shares many key points in implementing ESG initiatives as an EHS professional and takes us past the basics of ESG. Dolores is the Global Head of Corporate & Studio EHS at a tech media and entertainment company and past President of the ASSP Los Angeles Chapter.…

Jill James takes the mic to explain ESG, why your company should care about it, and how you can prepare for ESG factors as a safety professional.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Learn how you can be a better teacher, educator, and leader in the safety classroom. Our guest is John Mahoney, the manager of EHS, Training and Public Education at Avangrid. He is also a civil engineer, Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and has been a volunteer Firefighter for 48 years.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

on Liesmaki shares his 8-step guide to effective management systems and his 5 pillars in tackling leading and lagging indicators that you can use today. Jon has years of safety leadership and management experience, currently as Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at Harmon Construction. Learn from someone who has been there how you can no…

This week's guest is Rebecca Reindel, the Safety and Health Director at the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO, which stands for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, is the largest labor federation in the United States, representing 57 national and international labor unions with 12.5 million union members nationwide.…

Back when there were little to no podcasts for EHS professionals, HSI’s own Jill James started this one to celebrate and explore the journey and experiences of safety professionals. In this special anniversary episode, the tables turn as our host is in the hot seat. Our guest host is long-time friend Dr. Todd Loushine, who digs deeper into where it…

his episode shines a light on this problem and the dangers of it in the safety industry. We discuss boundaries, burnout, and ­­strategies to both prevent and cope with burnout. Our guest is Subena Colligan, a Certified Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional, and a health and safety coach and consultant at S. Colligan Coaching.…

Scott Debow is a highly collaborative, strategic thinker with 19 years of progressive leadership in the realm of Risk/Occupational Safety. Jill digs into the passion behind Scott’s goal of developing Safety Leadership across organizations with a targeted emphasis on systems improvements, as well as understanding the unique risks and vulnerability o…

Do you work closely with your Human Resource professional? We sit down with Tiffany Castagno to talk about the benefits of safety and HR professionals collaborating in an effort to improve physical and psychological health and safety.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Clayton Sinclair shares his inspiring experiences, stories, and knowledge with our host Jill James. Connecting the dots between inclusion and diversity with health and safety is easier than you might think. Learn how you can create a culture that is welcoming to all and sustainable for years to come.…

With a need for safer and healthier workplaces at the forefront of everyone's mind, you don't want to miss this conversation about psychological safety and how it's improving work culture across the country.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Receiving the title of “Chief” in a Northern Nigerian village isn’t very common, especially for an outsider from Tanzania. Neither is it common for tribal leaders to let an outsider help with the health and safety of their community. Both happened to Industrial Hygienist Manti Michael Notaبقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Manti is an Industrial Hygienist who has dedicated his career to improving occupational health in Africa. Currently, Manti is the Industrial Hygiene Project Coordinator & Nigeria Safer Mining Project Coordinator with Occupational Knowledge International (OKI)--- he is also a doctoral candidate. Our host Jill learns how Manti spent years building tr…

John Morawetz’s childhood was a little different than most. As a middle-class kid of two professors, John knew more about graphs than most kids knew about sports. He turned his early passion for justice and science into a career in health and safety as the Director of the International Chemical Workers Union Council Center for Worker Health and Saf…

Learn how better networking can save lives from our special guest Laynnea Myles, a 2020 NSC Rising Star Award recipient.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

The President of SafetyFUNdamentals, Linda Tapp, joins us to talk about her unique journey in safety. What started as a mysterious loss control job opportunity turned into years of safety experience and consultingبقلم Accidental Safety Pro

The National Safety Council announced its 12th class of Rising Stars in Safety, and we're not shocked that Carter's name was on the list! Through a high school project his Junior year, Carter learns he might excel in the safety worldبقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Jill James talks with Dr. Marnie Dobson about work stress and how it relates to workplace health and safety. She is the Director of the Healthy Work Campaign as well as the Associate Director of the Center for Social Epidemiology.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Jill James is joined by Jessica Toliver, who works as the Director of Technical Assistance at an independent research organization that focuses on critical issues in policingبقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Psychology, sociology, and safety; Erin joins us to share her unique perspective on safety.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Safety is never a straight path and it wasn't any different for Jennifer Reilly. Now President and COO of Safety Partners, Inc., we learn how Jennifer and the organization are encouraging young women to start a career in safety.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

Jill explores the interesting safety procedures and expectations within the shipping industry. She is joined by experienced safety manager Kristina who shares her life long safety journey and how she got to where she is now.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro

In this episode of The Accidental Safety Pro, series host Jill James interviews Dr. Rachael Jones, who is an associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine, as well as the Director of the Industrial Hygiene Program. Rachael is also Chief Editor of the Annals of Work Exposures and…

In this special episode of the podcast, we recognize Worker Memorial Day and remember those that have lost their lives while at work. Listen to a keynote speech given by our series host Jill James, about a tragic workplace fatality and the fallout from it.بقلم Accidental Safety Pro