Safety And Risk Success

Recorded live as a Safety Roundtable, Christian Harris speaks with Dr Nick Bell, a finalist in this year's IOSH Awards, about why soft skills and emotional intelligence matter more as AI takes on more of safety work. Nick describes how his background in psychology and the probation service shaped his approach to listening and coaching. He explains why he leans towards the William Morris view of AI, the risk that we become button pressers who lose sight of an organisation's context, and why generic, AI-written policies often miss the mark. He shares how he reworked off-the-shelf policies for architectural practices, and how a simple green, amber and red system for site visits helped them judge risk. The discussion also covers what gets lost when we measure only what is easy to see, and what only a human safety professional can do, such as talking to workers and helping them put controls into practice. The second half looks at emotional intelligence: what it means in plain terms, why Nick adds empathy and compassion, and how a curious mindset can change a tense conversation on site. Nick also discusses whether emotional intelligence can be learned, the evidence linking it to safer decisions, the Mayfield review and "rehumanising" work, and where to start if you want to learn more. The session includes live questions and comments from the audience. Find Dr Nick Bell on LinkedIn. Curious where your own organisation stands on slip risk? Take the free Slip Prevention Scorecard: [Click here]

Christian Harris speaks with Rosie Russell, a director of health and safety in pharmaceuticals and President of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM), about why line managers sit at the point where safety culture and psychosocial risk meet. Rosie describes how a laboratory accident led her from research chemistry into health and safety. She shares findings from her master's research showing that safety culture and occupational stress move together, with manager support the strongest link to the discretionary effort that good safety relies on. She explains what a manager can say on a Tuesday morning to build or erode that culture, and why peer support can fall away at the top of an organisation. They discuss how to make the business case for wellbeing investment, why distracted and stressed people cannot make their best decisions, and why a British Standard on suicide prevention ended up as a risk management and crisis response standard. Rosie also introduces the IIRSM Organisational Risk Map, a free tool for zooming out from the individual and the hazard to the people, organisational, societal and geopolitical risks around them. The episode ends with quickfire predictions on geopolitics, climate and the future of the safety profession. Content note: this episode includes an open, personal discussion of mental health and suicide. Please take care when listening, and if it affects you, please reach out to someone you trust or a local support service. Find the Organisational Risk Map and more at the IIRSM website: [https://www.iirsm.org/]. Connect with Rosie on LinkedIn. Curious where your own organisation stands on slip risk? Take the free Slip Prevention Scorecard: [scorecard.slipsafety.co.uk]

Christian Harris speaks with Henry Evans, founder of Dynamic Results and author of Bombs, Bacon, and Bankruptcy: The Art of Crisis Leadership, about how leaders can prepare for a crisis before it arrives. Henry explains how 9/11 redirected his life, and how a failed first company and 22 years of counterterrorism work shaped his approach. He uses three case studies: an eight-year mission to eradicate roadside bombs, a large retailer's response to COVID, and a family company that closed after its founder died. The conversation covers the "Ferrari and bicycle" model of the emotional and rational brain, why freezing is so dangerous, and how to tell whether a threat is incubating, emerging or acute. Henry also explains why consensus decision making can slow a crisis response, how a subject matter competent leader can be a better choice than the top expert, and what he calls the "empathy touch and go". He shares two quick techniques for calming down under pressure, including box breathing. For safety and risk professionals, Henry's point about emotional safety is the one to take away: if people believe they'll be punished for pointing out hazards, they won't. He closes with three questions any leader can ask in the middle of a crisis. Bombs, Bacon, and Bankruptcy is out on 10 November, and you can pre-order at HenryJEvans.com. Find Henry on LinkedIn or at dynamicresults.com. Curious where your own organisation stands on slip risk? Take the free Slip Prevention Scorecard: [scorecard.slipsafety.co.uk]

Recorded live as a Safety Roundtable, Christian Harris speaks with Joanne Lockwood, an inclusion speaker, podcaster and author, about the human side of safety: the fear of getting it wrong, bias, language and trust. Joanne shares how she moved from the RAF and a career in IT into inclusion work, and what she learned about unconscious exclusion along the way. She explains why fear holds people back in conversations, why belonging is different from inclusion, and what organisations lose when people quietly disengage. The conversation looks at how trust is built so that people speak up, what the airline industry learned about listening, and how bias shapes whose concerns are believed, from accents and confidence to who we socialise with. They also cover why unconscious bias training only works when it leads to action, how communication styles and everyday phrases such as "my door is always open" can create distance, and how emotional and cultural intelligence can be learned and practised. Joanne closes by explaining how an organisation's message gets diluted as it travels down through the business, a challenge safety leaders will recognise. Joanne's book, Don't Be a Dick: 99 Ways, is due out soon. Connect with her on LinkedIn, listen to her podcast, Inclusion Bytes, at inclusionbytes.co.uk, or find the book at 99ways.co.uk. Curious where your own organisation stands on slip risk? Take the free Slip Prevention Scorecard: [link]

Christian Harris speaks with Kylie Long, a registered nurse who works in a major trauma centre in Brisbane and runs the workplace health and safety consultancy Support and Safety Solutions, about what emergency nursing has taught her about proactive safety and the human side of risk. Kylie explains why she moved from reactive, chaotic clinical work into prevention, and how reading people and rooms, listening for what isn't said, and building relationships at every level of an organisation shape her approach. The conversation moves into psychosocial risk: what a solid assessment looks like in practice, why it's a risk management process rather than a daunting list of tasks, and why frontline leaders need to observe and respond to hazards like workload, rostering and fatigue without becoming psychologists. They also cover why some organisations delay action until a claim or investigation forces it, how HR and health and safety should work together, why generic off-the-shelf safety systems tend to fail, and why doing what you say you're going to do matters more than having the most elaborate document. Kylie closes by sharing her work supporting ageing parents, why caregiving is a hidden psychosocial load, and the five lessons from nursing that have stayed with her: communication, advocacy, compassion, systems, and understanding that people want to be heard. Find Kylie Long on LinkedIn, or visit Support and Safety Solutions: [website link] Curious where your own organisation stands on slip risk? Take the free Slip Prevention Scorecard: [link]

Health and safety does not stop when you leave work. In this episode of the Safety Roundtable, Christian Harris talks to Adam Gomes about what happens when you take health and safety skills into your community. It was recorded live, with questions and comments from the audience. Adam has worked in health and safety for over 20 years, including at the NHS and the University of Derby. He sits on the executive board of the University Safety Health Association and has been closely involved with IIRSM and IOSH. His LinkedIn profile lists around 25 volunteering roles. Together, they cover: Why Adam says yes to volunteering, and whether "giving back" has become a cliché How to deal with imposter syndrome and where to start What being a special constable taught him about investigation, communication and confidence How to raise a safety concern politely when you have no authority How organisations are responding to Martyn's Law How helping a children's football team led to a health, safety and wellbeing role on the club committee The shared skills across health and safety, environmental management and business continuity How to talk about your volunteering without making it about you This episode is for health and safety professionals at any stage of their career, and for anyone thinking about getting involved in their community. Prefer to watch? The video version is on YouTube: [https://youtu.be/HTjQEp_LHYk] Take the Slip Risk Scorecard: [scorecard.slipsafety.co.uk] Get the book Slipology by Christian Harris: [https://slipsafety.co.uk/book/] Adam invites listeners to connect with him on LinkedIn.  

Recorded on the 28th anniversary of the Longford gas plant explosion, Christian Harris speaks with Trish Kerin of Lead Like Kerin about the incident that redirected her career into process safety, and why she believes leadership, communication and weak signals are the three areas the industry most needs to improve. Trish explains what happened at Longford, how it led to a new legislative framework in Victoria, and the clear distinction between process safety and occupational safety, including why the two need entirely different measurement approaches. The conversation moves into storytelling, where Trish sets out her Four Cs framework (Context, Conflict, Conclusion, Call to Action) and the Five Ts of delivery, along with a real example of coaching a client through sharing a deeply personal story about a workplace error. The episode also covers Trish's Platypus Philosophy, a practical framework for identifying weak signals before they become incidents, with real examples from both process safety and occupational safety settings. Trish and Christian close by discussing where AI genuinely helps with weak signal detection, and what process safety risk might look like over the next decade. Trish is running three public training courses in Manchester this November: Weak Signals, Strong Actions (4 November), Culture, Leadership & Governance (5 November), and The Art (& Science) of Storytelling (6 November). Course details and booking: leadlikekerin.com/training-calendar Book a meeting with Trish directly: [booking link]

Christian Harris hosts this Safety Roundtable with Peter Bennett OBE of the No Falls Foundation, unpacking why falls from height have remained the UK's leading cause of workplace fatalities for decades, and what's actually standing in the way of real progress. The conversation covers why familiarity with a task quietly erodes risk perception, why the industry still lacks the detailed precursor data needed to spot recurring patterns, and why age and self-employment status are strongly linked to fatality figures. Peter draws on findings from a joint fatal accident inquiry into six deaths on farms in Falkirk to illustrate why falls need to be treated as a systemic issue rather than isolated, one-off events. They also discuss why avoiding work at height altogether, not just equipping people better for it, deserves far more attention at the design stage, and why architects and building regulations rarely account for it. Peter closes by setting out the No Falls Foundation's three charitable objectives, education, research and support, and how individuals and organisations can get involved in No Falls Week 2027. Peter Bennett OBE is a trustee of the No Falls Foundation. Sign up for No Falls Week: nofallsweek.org Check where your organisation stands on safety: [scorecard.slipsafety.co.uk]

Christian Harris is joined by Dr. Rosina McAlpine, award-winning educator and founder of Win Win Parenting, to explore why burnout among working parents deserves to be treated as a genuine workplace risk rather than a personal wellbeing issue. Rosina shares the research and data behind her work, including why general wellbeing initiatives fall short for working parents, the stark gender disparity in burnout and mental health outcomes, and why identifying psychosocial risk starts with collecting the right internal data. She sets out a practical path for organisations: measure the risks, train leaders properly, offer targeted programmes, and build a genuinely family-friendly culture that holds up over time, not just on paper. The episode also covers small, practical changes that make a real difference, from meeting times to season-specific support programmes, and closes with Rosina's five-step Closing the Gap guide and a free working parent risk assessment tool. Find Rosina on LinkedIn or at winwinparenting.com. Curious where your own organisation stands on safety? Take the free Slip Risk Scorecard: [scorecard.slipsafety.co.uk]

Christian Harris hosts a live Sliptember masterclass, walking through the data, science and method behind reducing slip risk and improving legal defensibility. Recorded as part of the Safety Roundtable series. The episode covers why confidence in slip safety is often built on perception rather than evidence, why common fixes like matting, cleaning, anti-slip flooring, insurance and signage don't solve the underlying problem, and how the pendulum test and PTV scores are used by the HSE and the courts to assess genuine slip resistance. Christian introduces the CHIMES framework, a zonal approach to prioritising high-risk areas, and shares results from real client sites, including a 60% reduction in incidents at Euston Station and a retailer that secured a £65,000 reduction in their insurance premium. The episode closes with live audience questions on footwear standards and managing risk that can't be fully eliminated. Take the free Slip Prevention Scorecard: scorecard.slipsafety.co.uk