Don't let her city roots fool you. Lisa Blotsky, a casualty risk consultant with AXA XL, got her start in safety by putting on her boots (PPE-approved, of course) and working at a large-scale poultry processing facility. In this episode, listen as Jill chats with Lisa about her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian, her 24 years spent working in the poultry industry, and how she transitioned into insurance. Lisa also talks about her involvement with the American Society of Safety...

Did you know you can utilize your insurance broker for risk assessment on your jobsites? And that PPE for males and females should be designed differently? Or that workplace violence is one of the top three reasons women die in the workplace every year? In this episode, Jill runs the gamut of safety with Christina Roll, casualty risk consultant with AXA XL. Christina is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion within the safety profession, and chats with Jill about the importance of...

Join Elizabeth Johnson, Senior Director of EHS at Mitsubishi Power Americas, as she discusses what the next generation of EHS professionals will need, in addition to technical expertise, to be successful. We cover the importance of soft skills, such as communication and leadership, the significance of clear and concise writing, and the value of pursuing education. Overall, Elizabeth highlights the importance of supporting and mentoring the next generation of safety professionals and leaving a...

Meet Rob Fisher, President of Fisher Improvement Technologies. Rob spent almost 10 years in the U.S. Navy before working at the South Texas Nuclear Project for 12 years in various safety and human development roles. Listen along as Rob talks with Jill about how his diverse experiences led to being an expert in human performance and leadership. They discuss the importance of intentional leadership and understanding mental models, the benefits of values-based engagements, and the importance of...

In this episode Jill is joined by three guests to discuss the findings of a survey conducted on the challenges and experiences of women working in safety. The survey received almost 900 responses and revealed both positive and negative experiences. The guests discuss topics such as the impact of parenthood on careers, harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and the motivations behind obtaining professional certifications. They also emphasize the importance of allyship and advocacy in...

A few months ago, we launched a podcast episode that featured some of our favorite people — you! We loved hearing your personal stories, ideas, and tips so we wanted to do it again. For this episode, Jill and our podcast producer, Emily, sat down with NSC Safety Congress and Expo attendees from all types of industries: oil and gas, environmental remediation, mining, engineering consulting, pet care, government agencies, and more. They chatted about success stories, advice for safety...

Like many of our guests, Guillermo Sabatier didn't have safety in mind when he started his career. While studying electrical engineering in college, he got a meter reading job with a local utility company, which resulted in a post-college job in the industry. Now, after 30 years working in support of the utility industry, and becoming a North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Coordinator and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, he finds himself as HSI's Director of...

In this episode, Jill gets to discuss a seriously hot topic! Dr. Todd Loushine, associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Occupational Safety program, ASSP Region Five vice president, and returning podcast guest, sat down to discuss workplace heat. In 2022, Dr. Todd lucked into a temporary position outside of the university, helping with heat-related problems when a company's safety director took a leave of absence. Tune in to hear how a certified industrial hygienist,...

Sometimes not being an expert has its benefits. Rusti Dyals, Certified Safety Professional and national director of EHS at ESFM, chats with Jill about getting her degree in public relations, stumbling into a safety coordinator position at a sawmill, and immediately learning the site would be undergoing an OSHA inspection. Listen to this week's episode to learn how she approaches getting leadership on board with safety-based decisions, why continuing education is so important in this field,...

This month's podcast looks a little different, as Jill was able to sit down with 20 EHS professionals who were attending ASSP's Annual Safety Conference and Expo. She met with people from many different industries, including construction, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace, as well as an assistant professor, a Ph.D. student, and even the editor in chief of a safety publication. Tune in to discover their favorite part of being a safety professional, advice for other professionals, their EHS...

As is the case with many things in life, sometimes the most obvious advice truly is the best advice. In this episode, Jill chats with Jane Davies, Senior Risk Analyst and Loss Prevention Consultant at the Arizona Department of Administration and OSHA 10/30 trainer, to discuss her unexpected EHS career (that started with a visit to a dog park!) and dole out her best professional advice. Tune in to learn how there is always something you can bring to the table, why building your network is so...

Like many of our guests, Dr. Amber Mitchell didn’t start out with the goal of becoming a safety professional. Chance encounters and unique opportunities that presented themselves throughout her career seemed to push her toward that end. Amber has carved out her own niche within the safety and industrial hygiene industries; studied psychology, received a Master’s and Doctorate in Public Health, completed a pathogenic research fellowship, OSHA’s first national Bloodborne Pathogens Coordinator,...

For decades now, we have seen innumerable examples of violence in the workplace, both by internal perpetrators and external. And organizations are very good at taking swift, actionable response measures to mitigate the damage. But maybe we are looking at workplace violence all wrong. Felix Nater, president and owner of workplace security consulting firm Nater Associates, joins Jill to discuss why preventing workplace violence — not reacting to it — should be our focus. Mr. Nater dives into...

Safety professionals have done a good job of mitigating physical hazards for as long as occupational safety has been an area of focus. But how do employers go about creating a work environment that is free from psychosocial hazards? Dr. David Daniels joins us in this episode to discuss what, in his view, is the most significant hazard people are exposed to in the workplace.

EHS professionals have done a good job of mitigating physical hazards for as long as occupational safety has been an area of focus. But how do employers go about creating a work environment that is free from psychosocial hazards? Dr. David Daniels joins us in this episode to discuss what is the most significant hazard people are exposed to in the workplace, and how to identify and mitigate it. Dr. Daniels has an impressive résumé spanning more than 40 years — EHS professional, podcaster,...

Even though everyone understands that safety in the workplace is important, it can still be tough for decision-makers to get on board with making necessary, and lasting, changes. It’s easy to conduct an incident investigation and put a fix in place, but what about working to prevent incidents instead of just responding to them? Join Jill as she chats with Carla Davis-Madgett, who stumbled into a 38-year-long career as an EHS professional after recognizing her strengths and personal values;...

Fighting the “safety cop” stereotype can be a difficult task. This is especially true if you are trying to build your new career in safety. Nadia uses her natural leadership and relationship-building skills to unite her coworkers for the common good. Nadia Ullah Morin is a QHSE Lead at a water technology manufacturing company, with a background in biology, chemistry, and crude oil quality control testing. Although she may be new to the profession, Nadia shares the skills she learned from...

How do you manage EHS at a company that produces cannabinoids and other psychedelic drugs to try to help with diseases? Listen to Chris Garza the EHS Manager at manufacturing company Benuvia. Like many of you, Chris had no idea what a certified safety professional was before he took the safety job. Chris Garza walks us through his inspirational story that starts with a very early passion for helping others and the world with his work. He started his career in the lab working on stem cell...

There are many hats to be worn as a safety professional, and data collector/analyzer is often one of them. Jill sits down with Arianna Howard to better understand how safety data analytics and software systems play a role in the EHS environment. Arianna is a Manager of EHS IT Data Platforms and Digital Software Systems in the electric vehicle manufacturing industry. She has over 8 years of environmental, health, and safety consulting and industry experience focused on data management and...

Alan Davis, CSP sits down with us to share his story of how he "accidentally wound up in a profession to prevent accidents". His story starts with a farm injury that ruled out a military career before it began, but gave him an opportunity to explore a career in safety. He eventually ended up overseeing safety at sea as the Director of Safety and Compliance at American Seafoods Company. With years of experience in Conducting In-Port and At-Sea Vessel Safety Inspections, including Machine...

Many EHS professionals are trying to understand what it means to implement Environmental, Social, and Governance factors into their programs. Join us as Dolores Salman, CSP, walks us through her accidental safety journey and shares many key points in implementing ESG initiatives as an EHS professional and takes us past the basics of ESG. Dolores is the Global Head of Corporate & Studio EHS at a tech media and entertainment company and past President of the ASSP Los Angeles Chapter. Want...

Environmental, Social, and Governance has been a growing topic over the last couple of years. Never heard of it before? Well, you're not alone. Jill James takes the mic to explain ESG, why your company should care about it, and how you can prepare for ESG factors as a safety professional.

Learn how you can be a better teacher, educator, and leader in the safety classroom. Our guest is John Mahoney, EH&S Training and Public Education manager at Avangrid. He is also a civil engineer, Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and has been a volunteer firefighter for 48 years. Through many years of training and teaching across the country, John has gathered many foundational tips and tricks for effective training that he's graciously shared in this episode.

Have you been looking for ways to advance your safety management systems? Jon Liesmaki shares his 8-step guide to effective management systems and his 5 pillars in tackling leading and lagging indicators that you can use today. Jon has years of safety leadership and management experience, currently as Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at Harmon Construction. Learn from someone who has been there how you can not only advance your company's safety systems but also how you can...