The Safety of Work

Ep 136: What is the symbolic purpose of injury rates?

David and Drew unpack six organizational uses of injury metrics — from controlling work and motivating the workforce to self-promotion and risk signaling — before distill

Ep. 135: Is speaking up always a good thing for safety?

Drawing on Edmondson's extensive psychological safety research, the episode provides practical guidance for safety leaders seeking to improve workplace conversations. The

Ep. 134: Does caring about psychosocial safety mean we have to stop telling jokes at work?

The conversation explores how humor serves psychological purposes beyond entertainment, often functioning to establish power hierarchies and devalue professional contribu

Ep. 133: How do policies and metrics shape the outcome of investigations?

The discussion explores three critical constraint categories: structural elements like mandatory timelines, organizational factors including resource capacity, and relati

Ep. 132: How much should we worry about the invasiveness of team support AI?

The findings reveal that invasiveness drives negative reactions more than the stated purpose of monitoring, with participants showing skepticism about AI's ability to acc

Ep. 131: How can we make automated systems team players?

The discussion centers on two key design principles: observability, which ensures humans can understand what automated systems are doing and why, and direct ability, whic

Ep. 130: What are the problems with Just Culture models?

You'll hear about BP's attempt to create a fairer process using eight new questions that focus more on system factors like management influence, procedural clarity, and o

Ep. 129: How can we use swapping as a strategy for decluttering?

You’ll hear six key principles for effective behavioral substitution, drawing parallels between healthcare and safety contexts. They discuss how these principles can guid

Ep. 128: What are the attributes of an effective supervisor?

The discussion challenges traditional views of supervision by emphasizing the importance of psychological safety and predictable relationships between supervisors and wor

Ep. 127: Should safety education focus on hard skills

Drawing on insights from business leaders and contemporary educational theory, we propose that effective safety professionals require both technical expertise and sophist

Ep. 126: Is it time to stop talking about safety culture?

In this discussion, we dissect various models of safety culture, scrutinizing how organizations perceive, measure, and manage these concepts. From artifacts like manageme

Ep. 125: Does ChatGPT provide good safety advice?

From discussing mobile phone use while driving to the challenges of giving advice to older adults at risk of falls, this episode covers ChatGPT’s responses to a wide rang

Ep. 124 Is safety a key value driver for business?

We challenge the notion that high injury rates are punished by market forces, as we dig into this article that posits the opposite: that safety should be a performance dr

Ep. 123: Is risk a science or a feeling?

From the perceived control in everyday activities like driving, to the dread associated with nuclear accidents, we discuss how emotional responses can sometimes skew our

Ep. 122: What makes a good presentation?

The discussion provides an in-depth examination of the principles of multimedia, modality, and redundancy, all of which are crucial for optimizing learning and informatio

Ep. 121 Is safety good for business?

We examine whether a safe work environment truly enhances productivity and engagement or if it stifles business efficiency. Historical incidents like the Union Carbide di

Ep. 120: What does the literature say about safety professionals?

David and Drew share insights into Dr. Provan’s PhD research journey, exploring the scarce guidance and fragmented views within academic research on safety practices. The

Ep. 119: Should we ask about contributors rather than causes?

Today’s paper, “Multiple Systemic Contributors versus Root Cause: Learning from a NASA Near Miss”  by Katherine E. Walker et al, examines an incident wherein a NASA astro

Ep. 118 How should we account for technological accidents?

Using the Waterfall incident as a striking focal point, we dissect the investigation and its aftermath, we share personal reflections on the implementation of safety reco

Ep. 117: Can digital twins help improve the safety of work?

Using the paper, “Digital Twins in Safety Analysis, Risk Assessment and Emergency Management.” by Zio and Miqueles, published in the technical safety journal, Reliability