Trending Safety, EHS & PSM Risks Managers Must Mitigate in 2025

Where will the top safety risks and threats fall in 2025?  Joe and Jen throw out their predictions for 2025.  Let us know in the comments what your predictions are! 

1. The Continuation of Key 2024 Trends into 2025
The episode kicks off with a reflection on 2024’s biggest safety and compliance trends, including the growing complexity of safety protocols and the rise of multi-stakeholder involvement in documentation.
Predictions for 2025 include heightened emphasis on process ownership and the need for more specialized training amidst rising turnover rates.

2. Who Should Be Signing Off on Safety Documents?
Understanding Documentation Responsibility: The discussion highlights the challenges of ensuring that the right individuals are signing critical documents like PSM protocols, environmental safety validations, and lockout/tagout procedures.
Role-Based Validation: Different documents require different expertise.
 
3. The Importance of Qualifications and Expertise
The team stresses the need for honesty in evaluating one’s qualifications. Managers and employees alike must assess their ability to handle specific responsibilities, from evaluating tie-off points for elevated work to managing ammonia refrigeration systems.
They discuss scenarios where managers are assigned tasks outside their expertise, highlighting the risks of improper sign-offs and the need for ongoing technical training.

4. Addressing the Experience and Training Gap
As turnover rates rise and companies promote from within, a critical gap in industry-specific knowledge is emerging.

5. Process Safety Management (PSM) Challenges
The conversation touches on the growing complexity of PSM responsibilities and the struggle to assign ownership.
Many organizations are stretched thin, with roles like safety, environmental, and even HR managers taking on PSM duties without sufficient training.
The hosts emphasize the need for subject matter experts (SMEs) who understand the technical aspects of systems like thermodynamics and leak mitigation.

6. Why Document Signatures Matter
Signing off on a document is more than just an administrative step—it signifies ownership, responsibility, and accountability for safety and compliance.

7. Practical Solutions for Safety Challenges in 2025
The episode closes with practical advice for organizations facing these challenges:

Conduct evaluations of education and baseline knowledge to ensure the right people are signing critical documents.  Develop training plans for onboarding. 

Utilize personnel at sister plants, or location subject matter experts to help fill in knowledge gaps. 

Call to Action:
This episode is packed with practical insights for professionals navigating the dynamic safety and regulatory challenges of 2025. For tailored support, visit AllenSafety.com or AllenSafetyCoaching.com to explore on-site evaluations and training options or access over 100 lessons on Allen Safety’s virtual coaching platform. If this episode was helpful, please like, subscribe, and share to help others stay informed and improve workplace safety!

This video is intended for educational purposes.  Solutions offered are not designed to take the place of an attorney or medical professional, and should not be taken as legal or medical advice.  It is recommended that viewers consult a safety consultant, medical provider or an occupational safety legal team as applicable to help navigate their specific circumstances.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Last week we did an episode on the biggest trends
that we saw in 2024.
This is our prediction of wherewe think some of the biggest
opportunities are going to liefor 2025.
Come on, join us and let'sbreak it down.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Here we go.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Here we go.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Hi, welcome back to the channel.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Welcome back everybody.
So biggest trend we think, orwe are predicting in January of
2025 that we're going tocontinue to see.
We saw a little bit of this in2024.
I think this trend is going tomove forward.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
And over the years we've seen versions of it.
It just keeps growing.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
it seems like, yes, we have I talked a little bit
about some of this at IAR in2024 back in Orlando.
It's this at IAR in 2024 backin Orlando.
It's growing right, so kind oflike driving on ice.
Impact is inevitable here, sowe've got to prep for some of
that, and so that's why we'retalking about it today.
And that thing is who can signoff?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
on the documents safety them.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
whatever the document is, we have signatures that
have to happen on documents bysomeone by someone.
We have to make sure that thatis the right someone, and that
right someone changes based onwhat the document is and what's
on it.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
So the break that down.
So the first one we look at iswe have to identify who's in
charge of that section.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Yeah, like is this environmental?
Is this?

Speaker 2 (01:25):
PSM.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Who is kind of the overarching person that manages
this subject first?
We have many stakeholders thathave an interest.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
It could be a forklift inspection Someone has
to validate it.
It could be a confined space,it could be PSM side, it could
be environmental.
It could be a contractor comingon site.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Each one of those have different people that could
be managing those Yep, so itcould be ops in some
circumstances.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Depending on where you are, and we talked about
this.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Like a lockout, tagout, validation that could be
ops all day long.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Absolutely, could be ops.
They may be in a betterposition because of their
understanding about how thatequipment works, the
troubleshooting, what has tohappen for sanitation to take
place.
They may have a betterunderstanding of what that
validation is for that lockout,maybe more so than the safety
person.
So they may be the subjectmatter expert.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
You've got to figure that out first.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
So I think really, what it boils down to and we'll
talk about solutions at the endis there are going to be subject
matter experts, and we want tomake sure that we identify who
that is for each of thedifferent forms so that's first
one, identify who's in charge ofthat problem, process, project,
whatever you want to call itwho owns it, who manages the
program, who trains the people?

Speaker 2 (02:37):
yes, absolutely the next one is you got to say to
yourself I'm in charge of it, amI qualified?
Yeah and the answer is it'sreally easy you know or you
don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, you got to be honest on this one.
You really have to be honestabout your limitations, right,
you've got to be true like ifyou had to evaluate a tie-off
point for elevator work.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
I have engineering background.
I have certifications.
I've been in industry a lotdegree.
I'm not doing that.
That's not my side that's no sojust because so you have so
many versions, differentpeople's backgrounds, is what
we're trying to say.
Yep, you have to say toyourself I've now been handed
this task and I'm in charge ofthis process.
Am I qualified to do thatAbsolutely.

(03:21):
And if you say no, now that'syour next thing.
You got to have the righttraining.
Absolutely you can wire lightsall day every day.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
I am not.
We know what we.
I am not gonna do theelectrical training for a plant.
Well, it's not so you gottaneed to be honest about there's
if there's someone who isgenuinely better qualified, and
it's just a better idea,especially if you're not the end
user absolutely and you'retraining other people to go and

(03:50):
do a task where they can getseverely injured on.
You got to really be honest onthis one.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
So we've got to figure out who's in charge of
what.
We got to figure out what Ifyou're qualified.
And then the next thing you doright when you say, yep, I've
got all that.
You got to say to yourself do Iunderstand the problems the end
user could have?
I cannot answer those problems.
My training and myqualification is not right so

(04:15):
I'll give you an example.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
So one of the big trends that we are seeing is sm
is shifting around right now.
Everyone is over leveraged.
The safety is like well, wedon't want it.
And engineering's like, but itwhich regulates it?
We don't want it, we're runningshort, we're trying to keep the
floors on, we don't want it.
Environmental is like well, wedon't really want it either.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
And sometimes safety is environmental same person and
so now you've got this likesometimes I'm hr now and I'm
running all of them because theydon't have the other positions
there yes, so now it's likewho's going to be in charge of
psm?

Speaker 1 (04:47):
what manager is going to be in charge?
What we really need to beasking, though, is who
understands thermodynamics, whounderstands how the product
flows?
through the pipes is the subjectmatter expert, the only subject
matter expert we have, correctat the plant.
The person who's gone operatorone, two or taking those classes
is the greatest certificationand is the hourly.

(05:07):
Is that the only person thatreally genuinely understands how
the system functions and how toget it back on track if we
start deviating and going thewrong way, having issues?
Do they understand how tocorrect from that deviation or
how to shut down a leak?
If we don't have any othertechnical experts that really
can supply those answers on site, that's going to be a flag.

(05:30):
We need to pause and startputting some other buffers in
place.
Start getting a hold of people,start figuring out a plan,
because I can't have someone whodoesn't understand the system
sign off on a line break, Right.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
So my last one is is I'm signing off on this hot work
.
My idea is we don't have a fireyeah if we do.
I'm signing off on a line break.
I don't have a leak, but whatdo we do?
I understand I'm signing off onthe forklift being repaired.
You got to look at that personsigning.
There's a reason.
They're signing something.
It's not just signing adocument.
They're signing it sayingthey're taking ownership of that

(06:05):
item.
So they need to be thinkingabout yes, I'm qualified, yes, I
understand.
I need to be planning for whatcould go wrong, because weird
things happen when you startsigning documents I'll give you
just a little bit of an example.

Speaker 1 (06:17):
So I have safety managers and I have engineers
and I have operators.
What happens if everyone is sixmonths or less, or a year or?
Less at that particularfacility.
Just because I'm a safetymanager, just because I'm a
maintenance manager or anengineer, that does not mean or
guarantee that I have ever hadany ammonia refrigeration

(06:40):
experience or training at all.
But typically those managerroles are asked to sign things
like management changes.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
PSSRs Update programs and procedures.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yep we have to sign off like yes, this SOP is
correct, but if I don'tunderstand the system, I'm not
sure what I'm looking for.
So how can I say that I, as amanager, Jen, this is correct
and train others on thisdocument.
That's saying, yes, this isgood to go.
I don't know what I don't know.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
Because now you don't know what could happen if you
do it wrong.
So because you don't know that,I'm just saying it seems fine.
You could be creatingcatastrophic.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
That's why there's different categories of it.
It's not just do one thing.
You have to break these down,look at them and then close out
with solutions.
Now Give me some ideas.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
So this kind of goes back to the trends that we saw
back last episode in 2024 isthat some of our managers don't
have that food industryexperience.
You know they're not at thesame location for 15 years, 30
years.
We're starting to see more ofthat turnover right.
We're starting to see lessexperience.
So people that are coming to usare coming from outside of the

(07:49):
industry.
They don't know or they'resomeone internal they promoted
and they're like hey, you,you've been here for 20 years,
so we're going to give you thisjob now promotion could have
been a prize or promotion, whichis awesome, but we do need to
evaluate and make sure thatwe're going to ask managers to
sign certain documents, thatthey have a certain baseline
knowledge to make sure that theyunderstand what they're signing

(08:11):
.
Otherwise, again, just throw itin the trash because the check
and balance that was intended tohappen when that manager signed
off.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
That's a control feature.

Speaker 1 (08:19):
That was the control feature and they didn't have the
knowledge to evaluate whetherwe were really good to go or not
Correct.
And then the last part of thatpiece of equation is that we
also can't have hourly signinglegal documents.
That's correct, right?
So that's.
The other piece is that wereally want to make sure that we
do have a manager signing thosedocuments, and if we don't have
the right training for them,there's a lot of great options

(08:41):
in terms of the differenttraining that they can get.
They can do internal, external.
There may be somebody withinyour company that is a subject
matter expert at anotherlocation that they can shadow.
So, there's all kinds ofoptions.
You know third parties.
There's some great ammoniatrainers and schools out there.
Dm us if you've got questionson LinkedIn.
But again, these are ouropinions.
These are our opinions.

(09:01):
This is just my prediction.
This is just what we have seen.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
We'd be a lottery taker if we knew exactly.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
I know I would play the lottery.
So this is just what we'reanticipating.
We'll see if it comes true andcomes to fruition.
Um, if you want some help onsite highlandaffsafetycom, we do
a lot of one day, two day psmevaluations, safety evaluations.
I don't love the word auditbecause it's not we call it a
like auditing paperwork on acomputer or in a conference.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
We call it a process improvement visit that has to do
with safety yeah, that's whatwe call it, safety related.
Yes, there you go.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
So we can do some on-site training we got you.
Otherwise, if in-personservices are not in the budget,
wellsafetycoachingcom is a greatin-between over a hundred
different lessons on theirvideos and it includes free
email-based coaching and I wouldbe amiss if I didn't say please
like, subscribe and share ifthis helped you.
Thank you for listening to Safe, efficient, profitable a worker

(09:57):
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(10:17):
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(10:39):
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