Category: Safety Thoughts

I recently spent time reading an article in Professional Safety Journal published by the American Society of Safety Professionals titled “Rebuilding Safety Culture Through Contextual Leadership and Engagement.” It reinforced something that many of us in the safety profession understand intellectually but sometimes struggle to operationalize: policies and programs, no matter how robust, cannot compensate Read more

Most safety training follows a script.Ours starts with a blank sheet of paper.Recently, we delivered a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) training that looked very different from the typical slideshow-and-lecture format. We paired employees into small groups and asked them to draw what they believe workers should wear in their facility. Not what policy says.Not what Read more

I’m incredibly excited (and proud) to continue being part of this podcast journey as we officially rebrand the Portage County Safety Council podcast into…✨ The Safety Leadership Collective Podcast ✨ This evolution was earned.📊 141 guests🏢 107 organizations🎧 303 episodes⏱️ 87 hours of content🌍 Downloaded in 81+ countries What started as a local safety conversation Read more

After presenting at more than 10 major events this year—including statewide safety councils, corporate workshops, and a safety expo—the attendee surveys are finally back. And the verdict?100% of attendees would recommend our presentations.Overall satisfaction: 4.95 / 5.Speaker effectiveness: 4.92 / 5. Numbers don’t lie. 2025 proved that engaging, story-driven safety training doesn’t just inform, it Read more

Back in the gym today… just like millions of Americans who swear that this is the year we get healthy. And as I was warming up on the bike, all I could think was…I really do not like the gym. It’s the part of my day I will procrastinate, avoid, negotiate with myself, and try Read more

What does your training really offer?Is it something you do once a year to satisfy compliance? ✔️ Or is it an opportunity to spark collaboration, uncover risk, share information, and build a stronger safety culture from the inside out? This morning, while hosting a Cold Stress Training session for a manufacturing partner, we had every Read more

I heard something on a podcast recently that stopped me in my tracks: Do you have a profession… or are you a professional? At first it sounded like wordplay. But the more I thought about it, the more it reshaped how I see our field, especially in safety. A profession is simply the role we Read more

Today, I had the opportunity to deliver Hearing Conservation and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) training for an incredible team at a local manufacturing facility and we proved once again that safety training doesn’t have to mean sitting through another dull slide deck. Instead of a “canned” lecture, we took a hands-on, interactive approach that sparked Read more

As the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, autumn reminds us that seasons shift and so do our habits. At home, we start pulling out warmer clothes, preparing our yards for winter, and adjusting to shorter daylight hours. But in the workplace, those same seasonal changes can quietly introduce new risks if we’re Read more