Episodios

  • Episode 199: Dynamic Warm-Ups w/Lori Frederic

    Episode 199: Dynamic Warm-Ups w/Lori Frederic
    Apr 1 2026

    This episode with Lori Frederic gets into workplace fitness, injury prevention, and the importance of understanding the 'why' behind movement and exercise. It explores the challenges of construction work in mission-critical projects, the transition to dynamic warm-ups, and the old vs. new approach to injury prevention and fitness. Also, we discuss the impact of attitude and trends in health and fitness, as well as advances in understanding human anatomy and the attitude towards health and fitness.

    Chapters

    • 00:00 Introduction and Swag Competition
    • 07:30 Transition to Dynamic Warm-ups and Functional Fitness
    • 17:30 The Impact of Attitude and Trends in Health and Fitness
    • 25:12 Advances in Understanding Human Anatomy and Attitude Towards Health and Fitness
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    37 m
  • Episode 198: The Metrics Dilemma w/Alex Paradies

    Episode 198: The Metrics Dilemma w/Alex Paradies
    Apr 1 2026

    Summary
    This episode with Blaine Hoffmann and Alex Paradies, from TapRoot gets into the value of metrics, the purpose of measuring, and the importance of understanding what to measure and what control we have over the results. They also talk about the challenges and limitations of leading and lagging indicators, the impact of gamifying measures, and the design fallacy in workplace metrics.

    Chapters
    * 00:00 The Value of Metrics
    * 07:37 Challenges of Leading and Lagging Indicators
    * 32:50 Proactive Measures vs. Leading Indicators
    * 46:26 Leadership and Accountability in Metric Adoption
    * 53:51 Cultural Shift for Successful Metric Implementation
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    59 m
  • Episode 197: Demystifying OSHA: A Conversation with David Keeling

    Episode 197: Demystifying OSHA: A Conversation with David Keeling
    Mar 11 2026

    In this insightful interview, Blaine Hoffmann speaks with David Keeling, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, about OSHA's strategic direction, safety culture, emerging trends like AI, and how safety professionals can demystify OSHA to foster collaboration and improve workplace safety.

    #OSHA #workplacesafety #safetyculture #safetymanagement #safetyprograms #VPP #safetyleadership #safetytrends #OSHApartnership
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    42 m
  • 059: 8 Critical Tips for Effective Safety Coaching

    059: 8 Critical Tips for Effective Safety Coaching
    Feb 12 2019
    Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Does your company help develop employees through coaching? Not to be confused with training, or even consulting, coaching is a much more collaborative process that helps to bring out someone's best work. Two-thirds of employees cite that coaching improved their performance within their company and also improved their satisfaction (1). Coaching sessions can include open-ended questions and discussion on personal and professional goals and objectives. If coaching happens consistently, it can strengthen relationships between managers/employees and peers. It can reinforce the right kind of behaviors you want to see in your business to promote safety and health. Last, it also helps workers have more support as they work through challenges or problems, both personally and professionally (2, 3, 4). Here are the top tips you can utilize for effective safety coaching: 1. Don't assume leaders know how to coach Make sure leaders are equipped to start coaching before you ask them to do so. For example, a common misconception is that coaching is where specific performance feedback can be given. While coaching can influence an employee's performance, a coaching session is not the same as a review session, even if your current reviews are informal. First, help leaders recognize that coaching is an open-ended conversation that is aimed at helping someone improve…and that is in all areas of their life. On the other hand, an evaluation is going to give specific feedback to someone regarding their performance. If coaching is what you're after, make sure your leaders know that difference (2). Second, teach leaders how to use open-ended questions during their coaching sessions. Instead of asking a question that can be answered with a simple "yes" or a "no," open-ended inquiries can be used to help lead someone into potential solutions. It also helps them to reflect better and to become more self-aware. These kinds of questions can also give the coach more context about a challenge someone is facing. Last, they also keep the focus on the person who is receiving the coaching. For example, if someone is having uncertainty with how to resolve a safety-related issue on their team, avoid immediately giving them potential solutions. Instead, ask them questions by using words such as "what and "how." That could sound like: "How do you envision this process changing?" or, "What have you considered doing to change the way things are done?" By allowing them to reflect and talk out the solution, leaders can remain focused on listening. After hearing more from the person, then a coach can help the individual learn how to come up with solutions. Which will build confidence, empower the individual and help them break out of three vicious circles that author Michael Bungay Stonier describes in the book "The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever": Creating over dependance - by you always having the answer, and others not being able to solve problems on their own. I have often said that the EHS expert's job is NOT to be the only one that understands the safety requirements and hazard mitigation techniques of someone else's job. It is to ensure that those doing the work, facing potential hazards are able to so. This requires a coach!Getting overwhelmed - you will become bombarded with everyone else's problems. Which creates a classic bottle-neck! You want to avoid this because hazards/issues will persist in the work environment as a result of YOU not being able to deal with them. Folks will learn it takes too long to get anything addressed and stop saying anything!Becoming disconnected - You will get disconnected from the work that matters - which is creating a sustainable culture of accountability, empowerment, and productivity. You need to free yourself up from the first two circles to focus on the work that will make the most impact on the organization (6). Getting good at coaching takes practice, but at least try to teach your people some of the subtle shifts in their behavior that can help the dialogue be productive and authentic (1, 5). Which is the difference between consulting and coaching! Consulting is telling someone what to do - coaching is about helping others develop the ability to sense something needs to be changed, problem-solve, draw upon the needed resources the organization has to affect change and make good decisions. 2. Make sure it's a two-way conversation Since a coach is often going to be in a position where they are helping to drive some change, make sure you are having a two-way conversation that allows for that to happen. Avoid the temptation to make it all about yourself. The key is to talk less and listen more (6). Also, if you are the one doing the coaching, avoid the tendency to share all your stories that are similar to the person being coached; after all, the focus is on them, ...
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    39 m
  • 058: 4 Safety & Health Investments You Need to Make

    058: 4 Safety & Health Investments You Need to Make
    Feb 4 2019
    Powered by iReportSource Each year, you want to do all you can to protect the health and safety of your workers. You know that those investments pay off. After all, the average return on safety investment is as much as $4.41 for every dollar that's been spent. But how do you prioritize your safety and health investments? Depending on the resources you have available this year and beyond, here are four areas to invest in: 1. Safety performance indicators It's so essential for any business to be able to show and measure its safety performance. Learn Faster, spot critical areas that need attention, and take consistent action to support health and safety. Prioritizing the recording and tracking of leading indicators will also result in: More timely preventive and corrective actionsThe ability to better respond and recognize hazardsMore effective prevention through design and training. If you haven't already, invest in a comprehensive tool that can simplify or make this kind of real-time reporting possible. 2. Streamlining your workflows Many organizations are taking steps to have all-in-one safety workflows. Which means leaders across departments can collaborate on safety together. More specifically, they can collect and then manage incident reports, tasks, progress reports, and all other safety activities. Empower your company to make safety a shared responsibility by design. Companies are also making investments in areas that can free up employees' time in other ways. For example, iReport allows companies to quickly and easily automate OSHA logs. When you (or other employees) can generate and submit these reports automatically, you can spend your time on other areas that will add more value to the business. 3. Leadership training and development Time and time again, research has shown how leadership is tied to employee engagement and safety. Three examples of this include: One study saw that there was a lower lost-time injury rate when leaders displayed concern and care for the workforce;Another study showed that empowering workers, good relationships between management and workers, and an active role by top management in safety and health positively impacted injury rates;A third study showed that the amount of energy and creativity showed by senior managers and safety coordinators was a top factor in reducing injuries. Even though growing your leaders' capacity can at times seem allusive, leadership growth is one of the most vital pillars of safety excellence. Ultimately, leaders have a significant role in shaping their culture. And it's these same leaders that can help to unleash discretionary thinking/behaving in employees that can benefit your company's performance and day-to-day safety. 4. The employee experience Creating a positive, differentiated employee experience is of paramount importance. That starts with researching to see what experiences employees are having currently and seeing where those touchpoints could improve. It may take a bit of work to define your employee experience and to see where any gaps are, but here are a few common areas where you might look to focus where you spend your time: Recruiting and hiringCompany values and how that meets up with norms and expectationsOnboardingReward and recognition practicesCommunity-related effortsWorkspace design and environmentCompensation and/or benefitsWell-being and wellnessSafety and healthCommunication of workplace risks and issues related to safetyContinuous learning opportunitiesEvents and activitiesCoaching (informal and formal)Employee feedbackExit interviews Engaged employees are advocates for your company. They are less likely to become complacent on the job. They also create a competitive advantage that can't be easily replicated. Companies that have been intentional about fostering a great employee experience also tend to be safer and healthier organizations—and the opposite is true as well. This is undoubtedly one area that will continue to be worth the time and investment you put in. Achieve Safety Success in 2019 iReportSource gives you incident transparency, actionable insights, and easy record-keeping so you can foster your world-class safety program. Learn more about improving performance, lowering your risk, and becoming more proactive with iReportSource today. You can find me on LinkedIn! Post a LinkedIn update letting me know what you think of the podcast. Be sure to @ mention Blaine J. Hoffmann or The SafetyPro Podcast LinkedIn page. You can also find the podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
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    33 m
  • 057: 5 Common OSHA Recordkeeping Errors to Avoid

    057: 5 Common OSHA Recordkeeping Errors to Avoid
    Feb 4 2019
    Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Join the Community of Safety Pros today! What are some of the top mistakes employers make when it comes to OSHA recordkeeping? (article link HERE) Even with good intentions, here are some of the top mistakes that can happen, resulting in major headaches and even citations: Not understanding what an OSHA-recordable work restriction isNot using enough detail in recordsNot using a system to track employees' days away from work and other eventsNot keeping OSHA 300 logs up to date during the required 5-year storage periodLack of alignment between workers' comp recordkeeping and OSHA recordkeeping Let's take a closer look at some of these common errors, and what steps you can take to avoid making the same missteps. 1. Not understanding what an OSHA-recordable work restriction is Don't make the mistake of believing an injury is not recordable as a work restriction if your injured employee is still doing useful work, even if that work is within their job description. Just because you've worked at another employer that made this mistake, don't make this same error, even if it's a misunderstanding of the regulation up until now (2, 6). Recognize how OSHA states how much it comes down to the routine functions of the worker: Restricted work occurs when, as the result of a work-related injury or illness: You keep the employee from performing one or more of the routine functions of his or her job, or from working the full workday that he or she would otherwise have been scheduled to work; or A physician or other licensed health-care professional recommends that the employee not perform one or more of the routine functions of his or her job, or not work the full workday that he or she would otherwise have been scheduled to work [emphasis added] (2, 6). 2. Not using enough detail in records Be sure you accurately report and record all injuries—each and every time. That means including as many specific details as possible in case you need to defend a certain incident or issue. For example, that may include factors such as: Where the injury or incident happenedThe incident and eventThe sourceEvents leading up to the incident and immediately afterEquipment involved—and the state of that equipmentThe exact nature of the injury or illness (4) With iReportSource, you have a guided process that was designed to help make sure all information is collected and recorded in an accurate and detailed way…no matter what worker is collecting that information for future use. A major part of this is making sure you have a way for all workers to record and/or report work-related injuries, illnesses, and incidents. If there's no simple and accessible way to do so, it's going to be much harder to make sure that information is consistently gathered in a detailed, comprehensive manner. 3. Not using a system to track employees' days away from work and other events Do you have detailed information on what's happening with all your incidents and/or claims? And are you able to easily see the ongoing status of any injured worker, no matter how long they've been away from work? (2) One of the biggest errors employers can make is forgetting to track the days away from work once an employee has stopped reporting to work. You also don't want to be in the dark when it comes to updates to an employee's health that comes from their physician (2). To fix this potential error, make sure you have a system that can track and monitor these types of subsequent events. With that kind of visibility, recordkeepers can consistently track them—and you can put that knowledge to use, too, so you can mitigate risks that have been causing those accidents in the first place. 4. Not keeping OSHA 300 logs up to date during the required 5-year storage period If requested by OSHA, would you be able to present your five-year history of logs with 4 hours? Many organizations, for a number of reasons, fail to maintain their OSHA 300 Log during the five-year storage period. Updating and maintenance include newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses. It also includes documenting changes that have occurred in the classification of previously recorded injuries and illnesses. If the description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the original entry and enter the new information (1, 3). The bottom line: make sure they are maintained, and make sure they are easily accessible so you can always provide those up-to-date copies to OSHA. 5. Lack of alignment between workers' comp recordkeeping and OSHA recordkeeping Yes, these are separate records, but information on workers' comp records and OSHA records should at least coordinate and the information should be able to line up accordingly. That also means if OSHA were to ask to see your workers' comp records, the information provided should be able to align with your OSHA log—or else, you should be ready to explain why it doesn't (5). Please listen and ...
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    29 m
  • 056: Safety Hazards in the Healthcare Industry

    056: Safety Hazards in the Healthcare Industry
    Jan 27 2019

    Powered by iReportSource

    Findings from a survey conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) show that precautionary measures to minimize worker exposure to high-level disinfectants (HLDs) are not always used. The study results were recently published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

    The recent release is one of a series of reports detailing results from the 2011 Health and Safety Practices Survey of Healthcare Workers, the largest federally-sponsored survey of healthcare workers in the U.S. Respondents included those who chemically disinfect medical or dental devices using one or more of the following HLDs during the past week:

    • glutaraldehyde
    • orthophthaldehyde (OPA)
    • peracetic acid
    • and/or hydrogen peroxide

    Information on various exposure controls and impediments to using personal protective equipment (PPE) was assessed.

    Findings suggest that recommended practices are not always used by healthcare workers. The following describes examples of practices that may increase exposure risk:

    • 17% never received training on the safe handling of HLDs.
    • 19% reported that safe handling procedures were unavailable.
    • 44% did not always wear a water-resistant gown or outer garment.
    • 9% did not always wear protective gloves.
    • 'Exposure was minimal' was the most frequently reported reason for not wearing PPE.
    • 12% reported skin contact with HLDs during the past week.
    • Workers reporting skin contact were 4 times more likely to report not always wearing protective gloves.

    When precautionary practices are not followed, workers handling HLDs are at risk of exposure. Ensuring proper precautionary measures are utilized requires diligence on the part of both employers and healthcare workers. Employers who provide a safety culture that demonstrates a strong commitment to health and safety of their workers ensure that adequate resources and safety equipment are available.

    Yes, workers should seek out training, understand and follow safety procedures, and feel free to report any safety concerns. In order to do this, leadership must set that expectation and provide the support needed to develop this culture of safety excellence.

    What are your thoughts? Send emails bout how you use technology to keep workers safe to info@thesafetypropodcast.com

    You can also find the podcast on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
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    31 m
  • 042: 7 Ways to Prevent Ergonomics Injuries

    042: 7 Ways to Prevent Ergonomics Injuries
    Apr 29 2018
    Powered by iReportSource What is an ergonomic injury? Opinions vary on how to define an ergonomics injury, and the definition of the term may depend on the context. However, ergonomic injuries are often described by the term "musculoskeletal disorders" or "MSDs." This is the term that refers collectively to a group of injuries and illnesses that affect the musculoskeletal system. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) include a group of conditions that involve the nerves, tendons, muscles, and supporting structures (such as intervertebral discs). They represent a wide range of disorders, which can differ in severity from mild periodic conditions to those which are severe, chronic and debilitating. Some musculoskeletal disorders have specific diagnostic criteria and clear pathological mechanisms (like hand/arm vibration syndrome). Others are defined primarily by the location of pain and have a more variable or less clearly defined pathophysiology (like back disorders). Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremities include carpal tunnel syndrome, wrist tendonitis, epicondylitis, and rotator cuff tendonitis. Both non-occupational and occupational factors contribute to the development and exacerbation of these disorders. Carpal tunnel syndrome,Tendinitis,Rotator cuff injuries (affects the shoulder),Epicondylitis (affects the elbow),Trigger finger, andMuscle strains and low back injuries. There is no single diagnosis for MSDs. As OSHA continues to develop ergonomics-related guidance material for specific industries, the agency may narrow the definition as appropriate to address the specific workplace hazards covered. OSHA says it will work closely with stakeholders to develop definitions for MSDs as part of its overall effort to develop guidance materials. Musculoskeletal disorders Lower back disorders The research into MSDs supports a relationship between the development of lower back disorders and each of the following workplace risk factors: 1. lifting and forceful movements, 2. bending and twisting in awkward postures, and 3. whole-body vibration. Disorders of the neck and shoulders For disorders of the neck and neck/shoulder region, the research identifies two important workplace factors: sustained postures causing static contractions of the neck and shoulder muscles (for example, working overhead in automobile assembly or in construction), andcombinations of highly repetitive and forceful work involving the arm and hand, which also affect the musculature of the shoulder and neck region. Disorders of the hand, wrist, and elbow There are several conditions to consider within the hand and wrist region. Combined work factors of forceful and repetitive use of the hands and wrists are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Vibration from hand tools like chainsaws (those that do not have vibration controlling mechanisms) also contributes to carpal tunnel syndrome. Vibrating tool use has also been strongly linked to hand and arm vibration syndrome, a separate condition of the hand and wrist that affects the nerve and blood vessels. Carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) affecting the hands and wrists. CTS is the compression and entrapment of the median nerve where it passes through the wrist into the hand in the carpal tunnel. The median nerve is the main nerve that extends down the arm to the hand and provides the sense of touch in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of the fourth, or ring, finger. When irritated, tendons housed inside the narrow carpal tunnel swell and press against the nearby median nerve. The pressure causes tingling, numbness, or severe pain in the wrist and hand. The pain is often experienced at night. The pressure also results in a lack of strength in the hand and an inability to make a fist, hold objects, or perform other manual tasks. If the pressure continues, it can damage the nerve, causing permanent loss of sensation and even partial paralysis. CTS develops in the hands and wrists when repetitive or forceful manual tasks are performed over a period of time. For example, the meatpacking industry is considered one of the most hazardous industries in the United States because workers can make as many as 10,000 repetitive motions per day in assembly line processes, such as deboning meats, with no variation in motion Consequently, stress and strain placed on the wrists and hands often results in CTS. Today, more than half of all U.S. workers are susceptible to developing CTS. Anyone whose job demands a lot of repetitive wrists, hand, and arm motion, which need not always be forceful or strenuous, might be a potential victim of CTS. CTS is common among meat and poultry workers, letter sorters, carpenters, garment workers, upholstery workers, shoe and boot makers, electronic and other assemblers, packers, product inspectors, machine operators, computer/keyboard operators, and cashiers. Since the early 1980s, CTS has been ...
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    29 m