Leading and Learning Through Safety

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the contrast between managing people the easy way versus the right way. Sparked by a discussion with a fellow safety professional and the media’s coverage of the Texas floods, Mark reflects on how safety failures are often sensationalized, leading to blame instead of meaningful solutions. He argues that while it’s easy to point fingers and ...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French highlights the urgent need for proactive summer safety measures. As temperatures across the U.S. reach dangerous highs, several tragic workplace fatalities have occurred—many directly linked to extreme heat. Dr. French emphasizes that summer comes every year and should never catch companies unprepared. He cites multiple real-life cases, including th...

The episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, hosted by Dr. Mark French, centers on the pressing issue of summer safety, particularly heat stress and seasonal workplace hazards. Dr. French emphasizes the growing concern over heat-related illnesses due to rising temperatures across the U.S. He highlights ongoing OSHA hearings aiming to implement enforceable standards around heat stress, including rest breaks, hydra...

In this episode, Dr. Mark French explores the importance of onboarding new safety professionals through a leadership-focused lens. Reflecting on his experience guiding a newly hired safety team member, he emphasizes that onboarding should go beyond teaching technical safety skills. The real value lies in mentoring new professionals on how to apply their knowledge through effective leadership and influence, rather than relying on au...

This episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, hosted by Dr. Mark French, explores the use of euphemisms in leadership communication. Inspired by a recent article from the Journal of Applied Psychology, Dr. French discusses how euphemistic language—used to soften or reframe harsh realities—can diminish the perceived severity of serious issues like fraud, negligence, or safety violations. While euphemisms can serve...

In this episode, Dr. Mark French dives deeper into the psychology of listening, reflecting on how powerful it is to be truly heard—and the responsibility that comes with listening effectively. He explores how our personal biases, distractions, and assumptions can distort communication, and stresses the value of active listening, including recapping and confirming understanding to ensure clarity.

French highlights the importance of m...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the critical role of listening in leadership, particularly within safety-focused environments. The episode opens with a reflection on how genuine listening is often overlooked yet essential to inclusive and effective leadership. Dr. French emphasizes that active listening fosters open communication, trust, and ultimately, safer workplaces.

H...

🎙️ Podcast Summary: Tennessee Safety Conference Recap & Lessons in Leadership

In this episode, Dr. Mark French reflects on his experience at the Tennessee Safety Conference, highlighting both inspiring takeaways and sobering moments. A major segment featured Tennessee OSHA’s annual fatality recap, a powerful session showcasing real-world tragedies to underline the importance of prevention, risk management, and leadership accoun...

A podcast discussion led by Dr. Mark French about new safety legislation moving through the Kentucky House. The conversation centers on two key legislative changes:

1. State Plan Reversal: Kentucky’s OSHA program is under threat of being restricted to only enforcing standards that are as effective as federal standards, with no ability to exceed them. This change would strip the state’s power to address its unique workplace risks ef...

The podcast episode from "Leading and Learning Through Safety" hosted by Dr. Mark French focuses on the significance of ethics and values in safety leadership. Dr. French discusses how companies often face a disconnect between stated values and actual practices, leading to cognitive dissonance and weakened organizational culture. He emphasizes that true values must be lived and reinforced through actions, not just written...

The podcast episode discusses the relationship between ethical decision-making and workplace safety. Hosted by Dr. Mark French, the episode explores how distance from the work environment affects ethical judgment in safety-related decisions.

Dr. French references an article from the Journal of Applied Psychology (February 2025) titled Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How High-Level Controls Can Decrease the Ethical Framing of Risk-Mitigat...

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores mental health as a workplace issue, sparked by a Professional Safety Journal article on mental health and suicide in construction. He emphasizes that while work doesn’t necessarily cause mental health struggles, it can be a significant stressor, with leadership, culture, and supervision playing key roles in employee well-being.

A major insight is that d...

The podcast episode discusses a legislative proposal to abolish OSHA, introduced by an Arizona Congressman who argues that workplace safety should be managed by states and private employers rather than the federal government. However, similar efforts in the past have failed, and the speaker believes this attempt is unlikely to gain traction. OSHA plays a crucial role in setting, educating on, and enforcing safety laws, though compl...

This episode focuses on managing organizational change, particularly in the context of safety. Key points include:

1. Nature of Change: Change is inevitable and often disruptive. Effective leadership is crucial in managing, implementing, and measuring change.
2. Safety as a Moral Imperative: Safety-related changes should be the easiest to implement, as they address a universal priority—protecting human life. Organizations must clearly ...

This week's podcast focuses on workplace safety, particularly on whether all accidents and injuries are preventable. Key points include:

1. Safety Philosophy:
   • Initially, Dr. French believed all injuries could be prevented, especially in controlled environments like factories. However, his view has evolved to recognize that while striving for zero injuries is noble, some risks, particularly in public and uncontrolled environ...

The episode discusses anticipated trends in 2025 across leadership, HR, safety, and psychology. Key points include:

1. Shift in Hiring Practices: A move from valuing degrees to prioritizing skills, with organizations increasingly using AI to screen candidates. While this improves efficiency, concerns are raised about the loss of human judgment in hiring decisions.
2. Skill Development: The importance of evolving skills in the workplace...

OSHA’s Top 10 Cited Violations for 2024:

• Frequent safety issues such as fall protection, hazard communication, ladders, respiratory protection, lockout/tagout, powered industrial trucks, scaffolding, PPE, and machine guarding.
• The importance of addressing these life-critical hazards to prevent injuries and fatalities.

Leadership and Safety:

• Emphasis on the role of safety as a cornerstone of effective leadership.
• Connecting ...

The podcast episode focuses on a catastrophic explosion at a food additive manufacturing site in Louisville, Kentucky. The explosion was attributed to the failure of a ventilation system on a cooker, leading to overheating, overpressurization, and a subsequent explosion. The event caused significant community damage, including shattered windows and structural harm, injured 10-12 people, and claimed two lives. Notably, one victim wa...

The podcast emphasizes the importance of safety leadership in fostering a work culture that prioritizes employee well-being and risk management. Dr. Mark French, the host, shares personal experiences to illustrate the moral imperative behind safety initiatives, stressing that safety programs should not merely focus on compliance but aim to prevent catastrophic incidents. He highlights the need for strong leadership commitment to pr...