The Safety Guru

Hosted by Eric Michrowski

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157

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Jun 2026

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About the show

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.

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60 recent

June 11, 202647 min

Episode 156 - Safety Through Design: Preventing Incidents with Proactive Hazard Elimination with Dr. Lianne Lefsrud

We are excited to welcome Dr. Lianne Lefsrud, seasoned expert in risk management and Risk, Innovation & Sustainability Chair (RISC) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta, to The Safety Guru for a fascinating and in-depth discussion on safety through design. Backed by solid research and related industry examples, Dr. Lianne explores a proactive approach to safety by sharing the inverted triangle framework, which applies the hierarchy of controls principle to identify the most and least effective safety measures and create multiple layers of prevention through design. From the normalization of ignoring alarms to the gap between training and true competency, this conversation highlights the critical shifts organizations can make to move from reactive to proactive safety. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Lianne also discusses the importance of thoughtful facility design, how emerging technologies are transforming the way we manage risk, and shares practical steps organizations can take to prioritize improvements that mitigate the greatest risks. Tune in for valuable insights and practical strategies on safety through design, proactive hazard elimination, and embedding safety into organizational system design and operations. Don’t miss this episode! About the Guest: Dr. Lianne Lefsrud, PEng, (CEO) is the Risk, Innovation & Sustainability Chair (RISC) at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, where she leads interdisciplinary research and teaching in risk management. She has analyzed decades of incident data in diverse, high-hazard industries like hydrogen, mining, construction, railroading, and bioengineering. With a PhD in Strategic Management and Organization, and over 25 years of experience in operations, regulatory affairs, and strategy advising to governments and senior leaders, she brings a unique systems-level approach to risk management. For more information: https://insightrisksystems.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 28, 202629 min

Episode 155 - Driving Safety Transformation Through Human-Centered Design with Paul Davison

Join us on The Safety Guru for an informative conversation with Paul Davison, former Royal Air Force helicopter pilot and Founder & CEO of PPWD, as he shares what it truly means to drive safety transformation through human-centered design. In this episode, Paul explores the essence of coaching, raising awareness, and improving decision-making at every level. He discusses how psychologically safe learning environments empower people to take ownership of their own safety and that of those around them. He emphasizes that the true value within any company is its people and shares how connection and vulnerability through human-centered design can foster meaningful organizational change and strengthen safety culture. Through real-world examples, including rail and winter sports, Paul brings to life the powerful shift from “doing things to people” to “doing things with people,” unlocking trust, ownership, and meaningful engagement. Packed with practical insights and tangible takeaways, this episode is a must-listen for leaders looking to strengthen engagement, elevate safety culture, and drive lasting safety transformation within their organization. Tune in now! About the Guest: Paul Davison is the CEO and founder of PPWD. Across a diverse range of safety-critical industries through to elite sport, he advocates a compassionate approach to safety. The PPWD team creates environments that accommodate humans for being human and enable cultures of learning, adaptation, and sustainable high performance. For more information: www.ppwd.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 14, 202631 min

Episode 154 - Small Acts, Big Impact: Elevating Safety and Mental Health with Dr. Keita Franklin

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re proud to feature an inspiring conversation with our returning guest, Dr. Keita Franklin. Drawing from fascinating research in her latest book, The Humanity Cure: How Small Acts Can Change the World, we explore how small, intentional acts of care can make a significant impact on workplace safety and mental health. Dr. Franklin discusses how being present, showing compassion, and fostering a sense of belonging can create meaningful change across entire organizations and communities. She also highlights the critical link between mental health and safety, emphasizing how frontline leaders who demonstrate active care, along with peers who consistently support one another, help build psychologically safe workplaces where people feel valued, engaged, and committed to working safely. We also explore the transformative ripple effect of small acts of kindness and how helping others fuels a cycle of connection, resilience, and forward momentum. Don’t miss this impactful episode as we take a deep dive into how small acts can make a big impact in elevating both safety and mental health. About the Guest: Dr. Keita Franklin is a nationally recognized public health leader and senior executive with more than 25 years of experience advancing large-scale systems change across federal and healthcare sectors. Her work has focused on suicide prevention, behavioral health, substance use, and the integration of public health approaches within complex organizations. A recognized expert in suicide prevention and public health leadership, she serves as Co-Director of the Columbia Lighthouse Project, where she leads national and international efforts to support the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based suicide risk screening protocols across healthcare, community, and organizational settings. Dr. Franklin holds a PhD in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information: https://thehumanitycure.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 30, 202634 min

Episode 153 - Prepare for the Unexpected: Leadership and Safety Lessons from an Offshore Explosion with Lee Ellis

In this powerful episode of The Safety Guru, Lee Ellis from Proud2BSafe shares his firsthand experience of a catastrophic offshore explosion in 2020, involving a commercial fishing vessel off the UK coast, and the critical leadership and safety lessons that emerged from it. Through vivid storytelling, he takes us into the heart of the crisis, revealing what it truly means to prepare for the unexpected. Drawing from this life-altering event, Lee explores essential lessons in safety leadership under pressure, risk identification and mitigation, and the true value of recurring training—not just completing it but truly trusting it when it matters most. He highlights the importance of prioritizing mental health support, fostering a strong debrief culture, and providing ongoing support in the aftermath of trauma. Lee also emphasizes that exchanging experiences and knowledge across teams, along with adopting a growth mindset, is vital to strengthening safety culture and ensuring teams are truly prepared for unexpected situations. Tune in now to experience his powerful story and discover these impactful lessons, as he challenges us to move beyond routine safety practices and actively prepare for the unexpected. About the Guest: Lee Ellis is a seasoned maritime professional and survivor of one of the UK’s most serious commercial fishing incidents in recent years. On 15 December 2020, he was directly involved in the emergency response to a catastrophic offshore explosion that severely damaged a vessel and injured multiple crew members. His message goes far beyond the incident—highlighting the value of training, leadership under pressure, and the critical importance of mental health support in the aftermath of trauma. He challenges teams to move beyond routine safety and truly prepare for the unexpected. For more information: https://www.p2bs.org/safety-speakers/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 16, 202626 min

Episode 152 - REDI for Work: A Simple Framework to Start the Right Conversations Before Risk Is Introduced with Dr. E. Kevin Kelloway

We’re thrilled to welcome back Dr. E. Kevin Kelloway, Professor of Psychology and Management at Saint Mary’s University, to The Safety Guru for a powerful conversation on the critical role of work readiness and the simple yet impactful REDI framework for creating safer workplaces. In this insightful episode, Dr. Kelloway introduces the REDI model, a practical, human-centered approach to assessing work readiness through four key factors: Rested, Emotionally Calm, Distracted, and Impatient/In a hurry. When people are not fully ready for the task at hand, the risk of errors and incidents can rise, especially in high-risk environments. Dr. Kelloway explains how each element of the model influences safety outcomes and decision-making. Through real-world examples, he shares how leaders and teams can apply this framework in practice to spark meaningful conversations before risk is introduced. Tune in to explore how organizations can use this straightforward framework to strengthen safety culture, increase awareness, and create safer workplaces by ensuring every team member is truly REDI for the work ahead. About the Guest: Dr. E. Kevin Kelloway is the University Research Professor and Professor of Psychology and Management at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. A prolific researcher, he has authored over 200 articles and chapters and has authored/edited 15 books to date. His research focuses on occupational health psychology and, in particular, how leaders affect health and safety within organizations. Kevin has been elected a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Canadian Psychological Association, the International Association for Applied Psychology, and the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology. In 2016, he served as President of the Canadian Psychological Association. Kevin works with both private and public sector clients on issues related to leadership, safety, and HR management, and is a popular speaker at conferences and corporate events. For more information: https://www.smu.ca/psychology/faculty-and-staff.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 2, 202633 min

Episode 151 - The Importance of Neuroscience and Behavior in Improving Safety Performance with Cristian Sylvestre

In this thought-provoking episode of The Safety Guru, Cristian Sylvestre unpacks the importance of neuroscience and behavior in improving safety performance. Cristian breaks down four key brain modes that drive nearly everything we do, offering a powerful lens for understanding how attention and awareness influence our actions and how subconscious states like complacency, impatience, and fatigue quietly shape behavior in high-risk environments. He also explores the limitations of current safety practices and the critical role of attention in safety, helping us understand why even the best safety systems cannot fully protect us when attention slips. From understanding the root causes of inattention to building awareness and safer habits through repetition, this episode provides practical strategies to help prevent serious incidents and fatalities through individual actions. Cristian also highlights why workers should be seen as valuable resources in safety discussions to strengthen overall safety performance. Don’t miss these transformative insights and powerful takeaways to create safer workplaces. Tune in now! About the Guest: Cristian Sylvestre is a chemical engineer with a Master's degree. He started his 25-year safety career in heavy processing, where he learned to think holistically about safety. His research shows that inattention is involved in 95% of incidents of all severities. His work uses the discoveries of neuroscience to understand what really drives behaviour, how to minimise inattention, reduce errors, and prevent incidents everywhere, not just at work. He authored “Third Generation Safety: The Missing Piece” to help organisations understand the main causes of inattention and what can be done to help their people fail less. For more information: https://www.habitsafe.com.au/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 19, 202642 min

Episode 150 - How Psychology Influences Human Behavior in Safety with Dr. Jared Dempsey

In this informative and enlightening episode, Dr. Jared Dempsey, a seasoned industrial psychologist, explores the powerful psychological factors that influence human behavior in safety-critical environments. Dr. Dempsey unpacks why understanding error-producing conditions is essential, takes a deeper look into human performance, and explains how cognitive and social psychology influence safety practices. He also highlights the need to move beyond blame, foster psychological safety, encourage open communication, and strengthen proactive risk management to improve safety performance. Don’t miss these exclusive insights into how psychology influences human behavior in safety and what leaders and organizations can do to create safer workplaces. Tune in! About the Guest: Dr. Jared Dempsey is an industrial psychologist who believes safety shouldn’t be boring — and it certainly shouldn’t live in spreadsheets and policy binders. Working across energy and construction, he focuses on how work really happens in messy, imperfect, real-world conditions — not sanitised versions imagined far from site. He pushes back on blaming workers and focuses on the conditions that actually drive performance. Because when you understand psychology, safety stops being dry and compliance-driven and starts making sense — it becomes human, practical, and something people actually connect with. For more information - Americas: www.excel-erate.org or UK, Europe & Rest of World: www.kognivate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 5, 202639 min

Episode 149 - From Crisis to Care: Strengthening Mental Health in the Workplace with Jessi Beyer

Join us for a powerful episode exploring mental health in the workplace and practical support strategies with crisis mental health expert Jessi Beyer. In this compelling conversation, Jessi unpacks the realities of mental health challenges, particularly in high-risk and safety-critical environments. Backed by eye-opening statistics and real-world stories, she explains how these challenges directly impact performance, culture, and overall workplace safety. Jessi emphasizes the importance of building a true culture of care grounded in trust, psychological safety, and meaningful peer support. She also introduces her impactful L.I.F.E. framework for suicide prevention, offering clear, practical guidance to help leaders and teams take meaningful steps toward prevention. If you are ready to move your workplace from crisis response to proactive care, this episode delivers practical strategies to strengthen mental health and ensure every team member feels seen, supported, and valued. Tune in. This is a conversation that truly matters! About the Guest: Jessi Beyer, MHP, is an award-winning international speaker, #1 best-selling author of How To Heal, and a crisis mental health professional embedded with law enforcement and Region 1 SWAT in Snohomish County, Washington. Named the 2025 Best International Mental Health Speaker by Global Health and Pharma, she has been featured in over 200 media outlets and has spoken to thousands of people worldwide. Jessi holds master’s degrees in critical psychology, human services, and military psychology, with a focus on trauma, crisis intervention, and terrorism. She is deeply passionate about supporting military and first responder mental health, drawing from both her professional experience and personal ties to those who serve. For more information: https://jessibeyerinternational.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 19, 202648 min

Episode 148 - Lessons from Aviation Psychology: The Importance of Competencies and a Broader View of Human Factors with Aleksandra Kapela

In this episode of The Safety Guru, we’re joined by certified aviation psychologist Aleksandra Kapela for a deep dive into aviation psychology and human factors, exploring what other safety-critical industries can learn from aviation. Aleksandra shares how modern thinking on human factors has evolved, emphasizing the importance of understanding the environment in which we operate, as well as the capabilities and limitations of the human brain. She breaks down the importance of identifying core competencies and explains why competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) is essential for preparing individuals to perform effectively in unpredictable, safety-critical situations and how these principles can be applied across a wide range of industries. She also explains why a broader, more holistic view of human factors is essential for improving safety performance and building sustainable safety cultures where people feel supported, are encouraged to speak up, and perform at their best. Don’t miss this informative episode packed with valuable lessons from aviation psychology! About the Guest: Aleksandra Kapela is a certified aviation psychologist, speaker, author, and independent consultant specializing in human factors, safety, and competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) programs. She works with airlines, flight schools, and other safety-critical industries, supporting organizations where performance, decision-making under pressure, and human reliability are critical. Her work focuses on human potential, well-being, operational performance, and modern, evidence-based approaches to human behavior in complex systems. Aleksandra is the founder of MyWingman.eu and the author of an upcoming book on human factors for pilots and aviation professionals. For more information: https://www.mywingman.eu/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 5, 202649 min

Episode 147 - 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