What if the safety data you’ve been collecting for years suddenly mattered to your CFO, investors, and customers?

In this episode of Safeonomics, we’re joined by Mary Foley, Expert Services Strategy Director at Enhesa | Forbes Contributor to unpack a major shift many safety professionals haven’t fully clocked yet: safety is becoming a financial reporting issue, not just a compliance one.

As new global reporting standards expand the definition of material risk, financial auditors are starting to scrutinize workforce health, safety, mental wellbeing, and climate-related impacts—across more than 40 sectors, not just traditional high-hazard industries.

Mary explains what this means for safety professionals in mid-sized organizations who may not be directly affected yet—but who can use this moment as an opportunity to elevate their work, speak the CFO’s language, and make a stronger business case for safety.

We cover emerging risks like remote work duty of care, heat stress, and climate impacts, how ISO 45001 provides a head start, and why a simple gap analysis can help you get ahead of what’s coming.

You may not be required to report today—but this episode shows how to turn what’s coming next into visibility, influence, and competitive advantage.

🎧 A must-listen for safety leaders ready to move from compliance to strategic value.

In this episode of Safeonomics, I sit down with Shawn Galloway to explore what safety excellence really looks like in today’s complex, unpredictable world. Drawing from his “Think Octopus, Not Tin Man” framework, Shawn challenges traditional, rigid approaches to safety and makes the case for adaptive systems, distributed leadership, and learning that happens where the work actually gets done. We discuss why many well-intentioned safety programs struggle to deliver results, how curiosity and experimentation drive real improvement, and what leaders must stop doing if they want safety to truly scale. This conversation is a must-listen for safety professionals who feel the old playbook no longer fits the realities they face every day. The article from LinkedIn: Think Octopus, Not Tin Man

Is your safety program stuck in compliance mode, or is it driving business sustainability?

In this episode of Safeonomics, we sit down with Sergio Valencia Krauss, CEO of SVK Consulting and the international bestselling author of "Become an Occupational Health and Safety Excellence Manager." With over two decades of experience transforming EHS departments for global giants like Teva Pharmaceuticals, Sergio joins us to bridge the gap between technical safety engineering and high-level business strategy.

We dig deep into the "economics" of safety, exploring why the most successful companies view EHS not as a rulebook, but as a pillar of long-term profitability.

In this conversation, we cover:

✅The transition from Manager to Leader: How to move beyond policing regulations to building a culture of care.

✅The "10 High-Impact Solutions": Key takeaways from Sergio’s bestselling book that you can implement today.

✅Mentorship in EHS: Why the next generation of safety pros needs more than just technical training.

✅The ROI of Sustainability: How to convince the C-Suite that safety is a smart financial investment.

✅Whether you are a seasoned EHS Director or a new manager looking to make your mark, this episode provides the blueprint for achieving operational excellence.

Connect with Sergio:

LinkedIn: Sergio Valencia Krauss

Book: Become an Occupational Health and Safety Excellence Manager

In the final episode of our special series, The Business of Safety, co-hosts Scott Cuthbert and Dorothy Riviere take you into the next frontier of workplace safety—predictive analysis.

Joining us is Dr. Rosemary Bernal-Gomez, a recognized authority on turning safety data into foresight. Building on our earlier discussions of the human element and strategic integration, this episode reveals how organizations are shifting from reacting to incidents to anticipating and preventing them before they occur.

Through real-world examples, we’ll explore how predictive analysis empowers leaders to spot emerging risks, make data-driven decisions, and create a resilient safety culture that protects people while strengthening the bottom line.

Learning Objectives:

✅By the end of this episode, you will be able to:

✅Explain the core principles of predictive analysis and how it applies to workplace safety.

✅Identify the types of safety data that can be used to forecast potential incidents.

✅Describe methods for integrating predictive tools into existing safety management systems.

✅Recognize the organizational benefits of shifting from reactive to proactive safety strategies.

✅Apply insights from predictive analysis to strengthen both safety performance and business outcomes.

Is AI the future of EHS—or just another buzzword? In this episode of Safeonomics, I sit down with Matt Hart, CEO of SOTER, to separate the signal from the noise. Matt shares how his team is using AI to solve real problems in safety, what the most practical use cases are right now, and how small EHS teams can realistically get started—even on a tight budget. We explore the difference between large language models and purpose-built vertical AI, the biggest misconceptions (no, it won’t replace you), and how to make a convincing business case for adoption.

Whether you’re AI-curious or already experimenting with tools, this is a must-listen conversation that balances big-picture thinking with actionable advice.

Join hosts Scott Cuthbert and Dorothy Riviere as they discuss the mindset, tools, and influence needed to elevate safety to a true business driver.

In this second episode, we build on our conversation with Dr. Maria Silva-Palacios by shifting from the “why” to the “how.” We’re joined by Chris Porter, a proven leader in operational excellence, to explore the real-world strategies and leadership behaviors that embed safety into the DNA of an organization. You’ll hear actionable insights on integrating safety into business operations, demonstrating value at the executive level, and using safety as a competitive advantage rather than a cost.

After listening to this episode, participants will be able to:

✅Identify practical strategies for integrating safety into core business operations and decision-making.

✅Recognize leadership behaviors that build organizational buy-in for safety initiatives.

✅Demonstrate how robust safety strategies can improve productivity, reduce costs, and drive competitive advantage.

✅Communicate the value of safety in terms that resonate with senior executives and business leaders.

✅Apply real-world examples from Chris Porter’s experience to strengthen their own safety programs.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for Part 3!

#Safeonomics #SafetyLeadership #BusinessOfSafety #WorkplaceSafety #EHS #SafetyCulture

Join hosts Scott Cuthbert and Dorothy Riviere as they kick off this 3-part series designed to help safety professionals think more strategically, elevate their impact, and align with business goals.

🎙️ In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Maria Silva-Palacios—a seasoned safety leader and educator who’s passionate about reshaping the way safety is perceived in the business world.

Maria shares her journey from frontline safety roles to influencing organizational strategy, offering real-world advice on:

✅ Speaking the language of business

✅ Becoming an internal consultant

✅ Navigating organizational culture and politics

✅ Moving from compliance enforcer to strategic advisor

If you're ready to transform your role and make a bigger impact in your organization, this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for Parts 2 and 3!

What if everyone on site—operators, accountants and executives alike—described risk the same way? In this follow-up conversation, Scott and Peter explore his third article, The Business Value of a Common Safety Language, revealing how shared definitions of “hazard,” “risk” and “safe” become a force-multiplier for operational excellence. Connecticut Department of Labor

Inside the episode

Why safety jargon often sounds foreign to other functions—and how a plain-English glossary dissolves friction and speeds decision-making. Connecticut Department of Labor

Peter’s “Good-Day vs. Bad-Day Controls” analogy (seat-belt vs. air-bag) that helps leaders instantly grasp the difference between behavior-dependent and engineered protections. Connecticut Department of Labor

A simple three-tier model—safe enough, not safe enough, unsafe—that lets frontline teams calibrate risk in seconds and act without waiting for permission. Connecticut Department of Labor

How a unified safety language fuels stronger hazard recognition, sharper metrics and a culture where everyone owns the conversation.

Listen in and discover how speaking the same safety dialect accelerates everything else you care about—quality, productivity and, yes, the bottom line.