Leading and Learning Through Safety

Hosted by Dr. Mark A French

Business

Website RSS feed

Episodes

209

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

About the show

Do you want to engage your culture? Safety is the first step to creating the motivation needed for people to perform their best. Each day, we have the chance to lead our teams and learn more about our people through an understanding of our safety climate. Through looking at current issues in HSE, we chat about creating cultural value through safety. Your host is Dr. Mark French, CSP, SPHR aka The Safety Dude.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

May 29, 202620 min

Episode 206: Proper Protections

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French examines two tragic workplace fatalities that highlight the critical importance of hazard recognition, machine guarding, emergency preparedness, and personal accountability in safety leadership.The first case involves a bakery employee who was fatally pinned between a malfunctioning conveyor and a stainless-steel collection tray. Dr. French explores how seemingly routine equipment issues can become normalized over time, leading workers to repeatedly perform unsafe tasks such as clearing jams without properly de-energizing equipment. He discusses the dangers of "normalization of deviance," where workers become comfortable with known hazards because they have successfully managed them in the past. The incident also raises important questions about machine guarding, lockout/tagout procedures, emergency stop systems, and how quickly organizations can respond when something goes wrong.The second story focuses on a golf course employee who lost his life after a mower overturned into a pond, trapping him beneath the equipment. Using his own experiences with lawn care and operating zero-turn mowers, Dr. French emphasizes that familiarity with a task does not eliminate risk. He highlights the importance of using rollover protection systems, respecting terrain limitations, and avoiding shortcuts that can lead to catastrophic outcomes.Throughout the episode, Dr. French reinforces a key leadership lesson: safety is demonstrated through consistent actions, not just policies. Whether in the workplace or at home, leaders set the example for others through the choices they make. By addressing hazards proactively, following established procedures, and modeling safe behaviors, leaders can protect both people and organizational performance.

May 22, 202620 min

Episiode 205: Visible Safety

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, host Dr. Mark French explores the nuances of organizational risk management and seasonal workplace dangers .Balancing Public vs. Employee SafetyDr. French begins by discussing two uncommon, nearly identical workplace fatalities occurring within the same week at typical lumber and home goods stores across the United States, where employees were crushed by unstable lumber stacks . He notes that while these stores present highly visible, strict safety protocols to the public—such as using flaggers and gating off active forklift areas—this standard does not always extend to employees . He suggests that large organizations often heavily focus on public safety and loss control to mitigate uncapped financial liabilities, while employee safety can be minimized because financial risks are legally capped by workers' compensation laws . This can create a false sense of security for workers who mistakenly believe a robust public safety program translates to their own protection .Summer Hazards and Distracted DrivingThe second half of the podcast addresses the inherent, heightened safety risks that arise during the summer, specifically for roadside construction workers . Dr. French emphasizes that despite company training, flashing lights, and protective trucks, workers are frequently injured or killed due to distracted driving and motorists blowing through work zones .

May 11, 202620 min

Episode 204: TN Safety Conference 2026

In this episode of Leading and Learning through Safety, Dr. Mark French reflects on his recent experience at the Tennessee Safety Conference in Nashville, a premiere event he has attended for numerous years. As a multi-time speaker, he emphasizes the high caliber of research and expertise shared at the conference, noting the value of learning from those who live these safety experiences daily. Leadership: Competence and CommitmentThe core of Dr. French’s talk centered on the leadership principle of "meeting people where they are". He introduces a framework focused on two pillars: Competence: Defined by the APA as a repertoire of skills applied specifically to a task. Dr. French clarifies that having a general skill (like using a tool) does not automatically translate to competence in a specific setting or material. Commitment: An obligation or devotion to a task. This involves understanding not just how to do something, but feeling the obligation to perform it correctly despite shortcuts or differing standards. He argues that leaders should diagnose performance based on these two factors relative to a singular task rather than generalizing an employee's overall character. AI in SafetyDr. French also explores the emerging role of Artificial Intelligence in the field. While skeptical of AI as a total workforce replacement, he highlights a transformative tool he witnessed at the conference: an EHS management system that uses vocal transcription to create Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) on the fly. By recording a supervisor’s morning debrief, the AI can transcribe the conversation, identify specific hazards like electrical work or heights, and provide real-time policy advice and documentation, significantly reducing tedious paperwork while adding value to field safety.

March 13, 202620 min

Episode 203: Changing Behaviors

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French explores how leaders can turn good intentions into real behavioral change in the workplace. Drawing on research from the December 2025 issue of the Consulting Psychology Journal, the discussion focuses on practical, evidence-based strategies for helping people move beyond simply understanding safety practices to actually applying them consistently. At the center of the conversation is the “Three E’s” model of behavioral change: Enlighten, Encourage, and Enable. Enlightening people is the first step—providing knowledge, awareness, and the rationale behind a policy or process. In safety, this often comes through training or communication about procedures and risks. However, information alone rarely leads to sustained behavior change.The real impact occurs when leaders move into the next two stages. Encouraging involves setting clear goals, building confidence, and motivating individuals to take action. Leaders help people understand what success looks like and support them in developing the skills needed to reach it.The final step, Enabling, focuses on making the desired behavior easier to perform. This includes providing tools, reinforcing progress, tracking outcomes, and creating opportunities for practice and social support.Together, encouragement and enablement form a reinforcing cycle that helps behaviors stick and evolve into long-term cultural change. Dr. French emphasizes that real transformation takes time and consistency, but even small actions can build momentum toward safer, stronger workplaces.Ultimately, the episode highlights a key leadership challenge: teaching is important—but driving action is what truly changes culture.

February 27, 202620 min

Episode 202: Real Safety

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French examines a tragic news story out of Michigan involving two young workers who lost their lives due to hydrogen sulfide exposure while performing well maintenance. What initially appears to be a confined space incident reveals something deeper: a failure of basic training, hazard recognition, and rescue preparedness.The workers were using hydrochloric acid to descale a residential well located beneath a porch — a clear permit-required confined space. The chemical reaction likely produced hydrogen sulfide gas, a highly toxic and deadly substance. One worker entered the well and was overcome. A second worker, acting instinctively to save his colleague, entered without protective equipment and also succumbed. Three others were hospitalized.Dr. French unpacks the layered safety breakdowns: lack of hazard communication training, absence of confined space protocols, no engineered rescue system, and a culture of comfort built on years without incident. The absence of injury, he reminds listeners, does not equal safety — it often equals luck.This episode challenges leaders to look “between the lines” of tragic headlines and ask critical questions: What was present before? What assumptions were made? What systems were missing? True safety is deliberate, verified, and practiced — not assumed.A powerful reminder that preparation, training, and leadership are what stand between routine work and irreversible loss.

February 20, 202620 min

Episode 201: Learning Matters

In this episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores new research from the February 2026 Journal of Applied Psychology examining how safety training contributes to workplace safety. The featured meta-analysis reviews numerous studies to evaluate the true impact of safety training on knowledge, skills, attitudes (KSA), and overall safety outcomes.Dr. French reflects on one of the most persistent challenges in safety leadership: making regulatory training meaningful. Using hazard communication as a practical example, he discusses the difficulty of keeping repetitive, compliance-driven content engaging—especially for long-tenured employees who hear the same material year after year. Yet, he emphasizes that even “routine” safety topics remain critical, as near misses and preventable incidents continue to occur.The research confirms what safety professionals hope to be true: safety training works. It positively influences safety knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and ultimately workplace outcomes. Importantly, richer and more robust training efforts produce stronger results. Organizations that invest thoughtfully in safety learning—focusing on clear objectives and audience needs—see meaningful cultural and performance improvements.However, the episode also highlights a sobering reality: some organizations still fail to provide adequate safety training, despite legal mandates and clear evidence of its effectiveness.Dr. French concludes by reinforcing a central message—when organizations intentionally invest in knowledge, skills, and attitude development, they strengthen safety culture and business performance. Training is not just compliance; it is culture-building work.

February 6, 202620 min

Episode 200: Storytelling

This episode explores storytelling as a powerful driver of safety, learning, and meaning at work. Drawing on academic research and real-world examples, the discussion explains how personal stories—especially near-misses and close calls—can overcome the “it won’t happen to me” mindset that undermines risk awareness.Key themes include:The difference between storytelling for entertainment vs. storytelling for impact (poignancy)Why timing, setting, and psychological safety matter when sharing experiencesHow vulnerability and empathy make safety messages memorable and meaningfulThe leadership role in being present, listening, and inviting stories—without forcing themWhy safety culture is built less through checklists and more through human connectionThe episode ultimately reframes safety storytelling as a leadership skill: when done thoughtfully, stories don’t just inform—they change behavior, strengthen trust, and create lasting meaning.

January 16, 202620 min

Episode 199: Re-humanizing the Organization

In the first episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety for 2026, Dr. Mark French explores a challenging but critical topic: organizational dehumanization and its direct impact on leadership, safety, and human dignity at work. Drawing from a December 2025 Journal of Applied Psychology article titled “Seeing the Good in the Bad: A Self-Affirmation Model for Organizational Dehumanization,” the episode examines whether any redeeming outcomes can exist in workplaces that treat people as numbers rather than humans.Dehumanization often shows up subtly—viewing employees as spreadsheet entries, productivity metrics, or cost centers instead of people with autonomy, competence, and emotional needs. Dr. French argues that this mindset is fundamentally incompatible with safety. When people are dehumanized, organizations lose autonomous thinkers, silence risk-spotters, and erode the trust required to protect one another.Interestingly, the research suggests that while dehumanization is never appropriate or acceptable, some individuals respond by seeking meaning elsewhere—through volunteering, social connection, or prosocial behavior outside of work. This “rebound effect” is not a justification for poor leadership, but a testament to human resilience and self-affirmation.The episode also explores an important nuance: not all language that removes “human” framing is harmful. Being called “a machine” for exceptional performance may feel motivating in context—but systemic dehumanization that strips dignity is something entirely different.Dr. French closes with a call to action: safety begins with re-humanization. Leaders must recognize the signs of dehumanization and intentionally restore autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Because when we value people as people, safety becomes possible—and sustainable.

December 12, 202520 min

Episode 198: Communication

In this end-of-year episode of the Leading & Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French reflects on seasonal safety challenges and why December consistently brings unique risks to the workplace. While safe driving remains a recurring concern due to holiday scheduling, distracted motorists, and increased roadside work, Mark places special emphasis on a rising and more troubling trend: workplace violence. This time of year heightens personal stressors—family pressures, financial strain, holiday demands—and those stressors inevitably enter the workplace. Mark discusses how normal disagreements can escalate into severe incidents when tensions are already high, highlighting several recent news cases as reminders of the urgency. He notes that although organizations cannot control every factor, leaders can influence how prepared, present, and responsive they are. Mark outlines practical steps to reduce risk: improving communication channels, increasing leadership presence, recognizing early signs of distress or conflict, and ensuring employees know where to report concerns. He emphasizes that mental health resources and Employee Assistance Programs must be accessible without stigma and that organizations should test their reporting systems to ensure issues aren’t lost or ignored. As the year closes, Mark challenges leaders to enter 2026 committed to strengthening communication, cultivating psychological safety, and supporting the whole person—physically, mentally, and socially. He closes with gratitude for listeners and a reminder that effective communication is foundational to preventing harm and fostering a strong, human-centered safety culture.

November 21, 202520 min

Episode 197: Unwinding from Work

In this episode of the Leading & Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the psychological importance of the home-to-work transition (HWT) — the intentional process of mentally and physically unwinding after a workday. Drawing from a recent article in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Mark examines how continuous activation of stress systems throughout the workday requires a deliberate unwinding process to maintain long-term wellbeing. Mark reflects on his career as a frontline safety professional, often serving as the lone point of responsibility for a 24/7 operation. He highlights the reality many safety leaders face: constant availability, middle-of-the-night calls, and difficulty fully disengaging. He discusses how organizational structures often reinforce this imbalance and argues that leaders must implement clear escalation policies, flow-based decision tools, and supervisor accountability to protect both safety teams and operational continuity. The episode also explores the research surrounding cognitive, emotional, and physiological recovery — including how poor transition habits can impact rest, alcohol use, and tobacco consumption. Mark emphasizes that unwinding must be intentional, not accidental. Whether through exercise, gaming, nature walks, meditation, or small rituals like grounding at a favorite tree, each person must find their own meaningful method of decompressing. Ultimately, the episode is a reminder that leaders cannot pour into others if they are continually depleted. To lead effectively — and safely — we must prioritize our own recovery so we can show up fully for the people who depend on us.