The Occupational Safety Leadership Podcast

Episode 277 - Public Speaking and Occupational Safety

🌟 Core Message

Dr. Ayers speaks directly to his younger self about the importance of public speaking as a safety professional. His central theme is simple but powerful: Avoiding public speaking limits your impact, your opportunities, and your ability to influence safety culture.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Public Speaking Is a Critical Safety Skill

• Communicating safety effectively requires clarity, confidence, and presence.

• Speaking to groups—large or small—is one of the most effective ways to spread the safety message.

• Safety leaders who avoid public speaking miss opportunities to educate, influence, and build trust.

2. Regret From Avoidance

• Dr. Ayers reflects on how he dodged public speaking early in his career.

• He believes this avoidance cost him meaningful opportunities to grow and help others.

• His message to his younger self: don’t hide from discomfort—lean into it.

3. Seek Out Speaking Opportunities

• Public speaking becomes easier with practice.

• Even small opportunities—toolbox talks, shift meetings, committee updates—build skill and confidence.

• The more you speak, the more effective you become as a safety leader.

4. Public Speaking Strengthens Safety Culture

• When safety professionals speak well, employees listen.

• Clear communication reduces confusion, increases buy‑in, and improves hazard awareness.

• Speaking up is part of modeling the behavior you want from others.

Episode 276 - The role of the formal leader in occupational safety

🌟 Core Message

Dr. Ayers emphasizes that formal leaders play a crucial supporting role in safety, but support does not mean giving unlimited approval or resources. Effective safety leadership requires partnership, communication, and shared understanding.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Formal Leaders Support Safety—But Not Blindly

• Leaders are responsible for backing the safety function, but they shouldn’t be expected to “write blank checks.”

• Safety professionals must justify needs with clear reasoning and evidence.

2. Bring Leaders Into the Process

• Don’t just tell leaders about hazards—show them.

• Walk them to the hazard so they can see the issue firsthand.

• This builds understanding, urgency, and alignment.

3. Explain Your Assessment Techniques

• Leaders often don’t know how safety professionals evaluate risk.

• Explaining your methods builds credibility and helps leaders make informed decisions.

4. Partnership Improves Safety Outcomes

• When leaders understand the “why” behind safety recommendations, they’re more likely to support them.

• Strong communication between safety professionals and formal leaders strengthens the entire safety culture.

Episode 275 - Explain Why

Key Themes

• Empowerment over compliance: Dr. Ayers emphasizes that safety leadership isn’t just about enforcing rules—it’s about enabling employees to take ownership of hazard correction. When workers feel empowered, hazards are addressed faster and more effectively.

• Trust and accountability: Allowing employees to correct hazards demonstrates trust in their judgment. This builds accountability and reinforces that safety is everyone’s responsibility, not just management’s.

• Removing barriers: Leaders must eliminate obstacles—such as fear of reprisal, unclear authority, or bureaucratic delays—that prevent employees from acting on hazards immediately.

 

⚠️ Risks and Challenges

• Fear of overstepping: Employees may hesitate to correct hazards if they worry about disciplinary action or stepping outside their role.

• Inconsistent authority: If empowerment isn’t clearly communicated, some workers may act while others remain passive, leading to uneven safety practices.

• Training gaps: Without proper training, employees may not recognize hazards correctly or may attempt unsafe fixes.

 

📌 Practical Applications

Dr. Ayers suggests several strategies for safety leaders:

• Communicate clearly: Make it explicit that employees have permission to correct hazards when they see them.

• Provide training: Ensure workers know how to identify hazards and apply safe corrective measures.

• Celebrate action: Recognize and reward employees who take initiative, reinforcing a culture of proactive safety.

• Layered defense

Episode 274 - Rod Courtney Part 2 of his book 8 Habits of a Highly Effective Safety Culture

In today's episode, Dr. Ayers talks with Rod Courtney about his book, "8 Habits of a Highly Effective Safety Culture." This is a continuation of Episode 268 where we covered the first two habits.  In this episode, we cover habit 3 and 4.  I really enjoyed Rod's book and I'm happy to have him as a repeat guest.

Episode 273 - Occupational Safety - Informal Leaders

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Informal Leaders Influence Safety More Than Titles Do

• Informal leaders often set the tone for how seriously safety is taken.

• Their attitudes—positive or negative—spread quickly across the workforce.

• When they support safety, the entire site becomes safer.

2. They Are Honest, Direct, and Trusted

• Informal leaders tend to speak plainly and openly.

• Employees trust them because they’ve earned credibility through experience, not position.

• Their feedback is often more candid than what formal leaders hear.

3. Their Perspective Is Essential

• Dr. Ayers stresses the importance of seeking out their viewpoint.

• They see risks, frustrations, and cultural issues that leadership may miss.

• Engaging them early helps identify hazards and build buy‑in for safety initiatives.

4. Partnering With Informal Leaders Strengthens Safety Culture

• When informal leaders champion safety, others follow.

• They can help communicate expectations, reinforce safe behaviors, and challenge unsafe norms.

• Treating them as allies—not obstacles—creates a more resilient safety environment.

Episode 272 - Dr. Christopher Warren - Safety is a junk drawer

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Safety Gets Burdened With Extra Duties

Dr. Warren explains that many companies treat safety as the catch‑all department. Common “extra” responsibilities include:

• Environmental compliance

• DOT and fleet safety

• Fire protection

• Emergency planning

• Mental health champion roles

• And countless other miscellaneous tasks

These additions dilute focus and stretch safety professionals thin.

2. The Problem Isn’t the Tasks—It’s the Lack of Structure

The issue isn’t that safety pros can’t handle diverse responsibilities. It’s that organizations often:

• Add duties without removing others

• Fail to provide resources or training

• Don’t understand the complexity of what they’re assigning

This leads to burnout and inconsistent performance.

3. Safety Professionals Need to Set Boundaries

Dr. Warren emphasizes the importance of:

• Clarifying expectations

• Documenting responsibilities

• Communicating workload impacts

• Asking for prioritization guidance

Boundaries protect both the professional and the safety program.

4. Leaders Must Recognize the Hidden Load

Formal leaders often underestimate the breadth of what safety handles. When they understand the “junk drawer” effect, they can:

• Allocate resources

• Reduce unnecessary tasks

• Support strategic focus

• Improve overall safety outcomes

 

🎯 Why This Episode Matters

This conversation validates what many safety professionals feel but rarely say out loud. It also gives leaders a framework to rethink how they assign responsibilities—and how to support the people keeping their workforce safe.

Episode 271 - Brent Sanger - DOT Safety

🧠 Guest Expertise

Brent Sanger brings over 10 years of experience in transportation safety, with deep knowledge of Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations and compliance.

🔍 Key Topics Covered

• DOT Physicals

  • What they include

  • Why they matter for driver readiness and compliance

• Hours of Service (HOS)

  • Rules around driving time and rest periods

  • How HOS impacts safety and fatigue management

• Drug and Alcohol Testing

  • Required testing protocols

  • Common pitfalls and how to stay compliant

💡 Takeaways for Safety Leaders

• DOT compliance isn’t just paperwork—it’s a critical safety layer for transportation teams.

• Supervisors must understand how physical fitness, fatigue, and substance use intersect with operational risk.

• Brent emphasizes proactive education and clear communication with drivers to prevent violations and improve safety culture.

Episode 270 - Empower Employees to Correct Hazards

Key Themes

• Frontline Empowerment: The episode emphasizes that employees closest to the work are often the first to spot hazards. Giving them authority to act immediately—rather than waiting for management—creates safer workplaces.

• Psychological Safety: Leaders must foster an environment where workers feel confident to speak up and intervene without fear of reprisal.

• Ownership of Safety: Empowerment shifts safety from being “management’s responsibility” to a shared responsibility across the workforce.

 

🔑 Practical Takeaways

• Clear Policies: Organizations should establish simple rules that allow employees to stop unsafe work or correct hazards on the spot.

• Training & Tools: Workers need both the knowledge (hazard recognition training) and resources (PPE, reporting systems) to act effectively.

• Recognition: Acknowledging and rewarding employees who proactively correct hazards reinforces the desired behavior.

• Leadership Role: Supervisors should model openness—thanking employees for interventions rather than criticizing them for slowing production.

📌 Why It Matters

• Empowering employees reduces lag time between hazard identification and correction.

• It builds a culture of trust and accountability, where safety is integrated into everyday work rather than treated as a separate compliance task.

• Long-term, this approach improves both safety outcomes and employee engagement.