The Safety Conversation with SHP (previously the Safety and Health Podcast) aims to bring you the latest news, insights and legislation updates in the form of interviews, discussions and panel debates from leading figures within the profession.
From working at height, lone working and other common workplace hazards, to safety culture and behaviours, occupational health and mental health & wellbeing, tune in for an easy way to remain up to date on the issues affecting your role.
Are we sleep walking into a new risk environment borne out of societal intolerance, and where does the issue sit in health and safety’s remit?
In this special episode of the Safety Conversation podcast, John Seddon at Peoplesafe leads a discussion on the intolerance epidemic and its effect on employer’s personal safety.
He is joined by Nicole Vazquez and Sue Parker-Tantush, two key voices in the lone working, security and health and safety sectors.
The conversation touches on the effects of Covid-19, a less patient public and where this new risk environment sits in the health and safety profession.
In this episode, Jason Killens, a former ambulance paramedic, and now Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust, explains how his perspective of health and safety has shifted as he moved into a leadership role from the frontline.
In April 2021, under Jason’s watch, a non-emergency ambulance, transferring a patient to another hospital, collided with a vehicle on the opposite side of the road. The patient, 76 year-old Janet Winspear died in the crash after her stretcher harness was not secured properly. After pleading guilty, the ambulance driver Emrys Roberts was jailed for eight months. Killens explains how the Trust dealt with the prosecution and what changes they put in place afterwards,
It’s rare to hear directly from Chief Executives on what health and safety means and in this unique podcast, Killens explains the extra responsibility it brings and how he continues to build it into the trust’s overall culture. It really is essential listening for any safety professional.
In this special episode of SHP’s podcast we speak to Jason Anker who reflects on his safety journey so far.
In this episode of the Safety Conversation podcast, Jason speaks to SHP Editor Mark Glover and reflects on his career, how the profession has changed (for better or worse) and looks ahead to future trends including the evolution of Proud2bSafe, which has created Proud2beSpeakers, a roster of motivational expert speakers further enhancing Proud2bSafe’s offering.
In this episode we speak to Andy Shenstone about NEBOSH’s new strategy which covers technology, diversity and ethical practice.
Published in April this year, NEBOSH 2024-2027 Strategy – Developing our potential, is formed of seven ‘building blocks’: Assessment and Quality; People and Culture; Learning Partners; Ethical Practice; IT-Enabled Business Transformation; Social Purpose; and Business and Market Development.
NEBOSH CEO Andy Shenstone talks to SHP Editor Mark Glover about the strategy and how he hopes it can ultimately make a difference to the world of work. “We have a real focus on equipping the workforce of the future to get home safe from work,” he says. “And that really is the bottom line.”
In the last of a three-part mini podcast series with both SHP and IFSEC Insider, Senior Technical Consultant at Firechief Global, Matt Humby talks about the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries with SHP Editor, Mark Glover.
Matt has over 22 years experience in the fire safety industry, and now provides advice and solutions to help mitigate the fire risk with fire safety products for both commercial and residential building projects.
The first episode discussed the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, while the second covered regulation and standards, and in our final episode we cover action plans organisations can take to reduce, prevent and mitigate the fire risk.
Tune in below!
In the second of a three-part mini podcast series with both SHP and IFSEC Insider, Senior Technical Consultant at Firechief Global, Matt Humby talks about the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries with SHP Editor, Mark Glover.
Matt has over 22 years experience in the fire safety industry, and now provides advice and solutions to help mitigate the fire risk with fire safety products for both commercial and residential building projects.
The first episode discussed the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, while this one will cover regulation and standards, and in the final episode we’ll cover action plans organisations can take to reduce, prevent and mitigate the fire risk.
Tune in below!
In the first of a three-part mini podcast series with both SHP and IFSEC Insider, Senior Technical Consultant at Firechief Global, Matt Humby talks about the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries with SHP Editor, Mark Glover.
Matt has over 22 years experience in the fire safety industry, and now provides advice and solutions to help mitigate the fire risk with fire safety products for both commercial and residential building projects.
The first episode discusses the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, while the next will cover regulation and standards, and in the final episode we’ll cover action plans organisations can take to reduce, prevent and mitigate the fire risk.
Tune in below!
In this episode, we speak to inclusive PPE campaigner, Katy Robinson, and chairman of SHP’s Editorial Board, Karl Simons, about raising awareness, changing attitudes and creating a movement for tangible change for inclusive PPE.
Both are supporters of SHP’s Inclusive PPE campaign; Katy discusses the need to place more importance on PPE for women and men, highlighting that it’s not just the end point of a risk assessment. She also mentions changing attitudes and creating a gold standard for best practice.
Then we hear from Karl, who discusses the process of creating a movement, the evolution of raising issues at work, whether physical or mental, and why change starts with the workforce to create a ‘learning culture’.
It’s a fascinating discussion – click below to listen in!
Mark Glover speaks to incoming IOSH President Stuart Hughes about his plans for the role and asks former President Lawrence Webb what he took from the last 12 months.
Just over a year ago we spoke to outgoing IOSH President Louise Hoskings as she handed over the baton to Lawrence Webb. Now it’s the turn of Lawrence to do the same as Stuart Hughes comes in as the 2024 President.
The pair engage in a candid discussion with SHP Editor Mark Glover, with Lawrence reflecting on the last 12 months of his tenure, and Stuart looking ahead in what is set to be a busy year for the institute.
Scott Gaddis at Intelex joins SHP editor Mark Glover for a special episode of the Safety Conversation that digs down into tech and asks if it really can improve your safety culture
A recent SHP webinar in association with Intelex on empowering the workforce through mobile devices gained much engagement with our audience, and in the Q&A section of the event, garnered broad questions about the role of technology and how it really can play a role in a safety management system but also a safety culture.
As such, we reached out to Scott Gaddis, Global Practice Leader, Safety and Health at Intelex (who presented that original webinar) to explore the topic more broadly.
In this episode of the Safety Conversation, SHP Editor Mark Glover speaks to Janet Hadley at Choose Sunrise about alcohol in the workplace.
In the final podcast of the year, and as we enter the Christmas party season, we hear from Janet Hadley at Choose Sunrise about how we can go about supporting colleagues in the workplace who might be experiencing issues with alcohol, and the importance of understanding the stigma and attitudes that can get in the way of helping someone.
Janet also shares her own experiences with alcohol, and while this isn’t a podcast that preaches the merits of not drinking, she explains how a sober curious approach could kick-start a healthier relationship with drink
SHP Editor Mark Glover speaks to the winner of last year’s SHP Rising Star Award, Jake Newell, about what it felt like to achieve one of the sector’s most coveted accolades, and how his work as an asbestos analyst continues to motivate him.
This year, according to figures from the HSE, 5,000 people in Britain are likely to die prematurely from asbestos exposure. For Jake Newell, these numbers serve as a daily motivation in his role as Asbestos Analyst at Acorn Analytical Services. “I could potentially be saving lives and preventing people from exposure to asbestos,” Jake tells the Safety Conversation Podcast. “I just want to make sure that work is carried out safely.”
SHP Editor Mark Glover, speaks to Evotix CEO Matthew Elson on technology adoption, attracting talent and why the concept of work/life balance needs a refresh.
In a conversation of many strands, Matthew shares his thoughts on why it’s critical to get technology into the hands of frontline workers. “Engaged employees look after safety for themselves and their colleagues, and they’re also more productive,” he says. “Why are they more productive? Well, engaged employees are more committed and so they are doing the tasks more effectively, but because they’re engaged on safety and contributing to safety.”
In this episode, SHP caught up with Rachel Butler, who is Head of Health, Safety and Risk at property development company, Bruntwood, on her current role and how she got into health and safety from early beginnings in the construction industry.
After developing her skills, experience and gaining qualifications in Occupational Health and Safety, Rachel became the youngest chartered female fellow of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health in the world in January 2022.
In this sponsored episode, we hear from two speakers from Proud2BSafe – an organisation of motivational speakers who share personal stories about the impact of workplace accidents.
Both Sean and Matt have highly motivational stories which aims to inspire and change people’s attitudes towards health, safety and wellbeing for the better.
How can organisations raise the profile of health and safety as a profession? What can be done to encourage the younger generation into health and safety as a lifelong career?
In this episode, SHP Editor Mark Glover speaks with Darren Ford, Head of Learning and Development and Organisational Development at Arco, on inspiring and encouraging the next generation into health and safety.
How did a global industrial gas distributor support and manage a driver diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea? Tune in to find out!
Kevin Bird is an experienced driver at Air Products, a leading, global industrial gas company that operates a global fleet of vehicles. However, on being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea he faced the possibility of losing his licence. Here, alongside his Manager, John Davies, he shares his story with SHP Editor Mark Glover, from that initial diagnosis to the support he received from his employers when revealing his condition.
Mark Glover, SHP Editor, introduces the eight members of this year’s SHP Editorial Board.
In a special bonus episode of the SHP podcast, we get to know those sitting on this year’s SHP Editorial Board; HS professionals who will help to guide, curate and advise on our content.
Mark Glover speaks to Nicole Rinaldi, Director of Professional Services at IOSH, about the Institute’s enhanced Blueprint tool.
In this episode of the SHP podcast, Nicole Rinaldi, Director of Professional Services at IOSH, talks to Mark Glover about the Institute’s enhanced Blueprint tool that helps members to self-assess, learn and record CPD, ultimately guiding users as they progress through their careers.
Mark Glover speaks to incoming IOSH President Lawrence Webb about his plans for the role and asks former President Louise Hosking for her highlights of the last 12 months.
“It’s like passing the baton in a relay race, you don’t stop running,” says Louise Hoskings describing the IOSH Presidency handover. After a year as President, she tells SHP about her time in the role; what she’s learnt about herself; and the importance of working closely with incoming President Lawrence Webb, who says the next 12 months will be a Presidency forged in collaboration with the sector and built on being “genuine and humble”.
After four and a half years at the helm of SHP, Ian Hart is moving on to pastures new and is handing over the safety baton. In this episode he speaks to the incoming Editor, Mark Glover to discuss his new role, sector themes and plans going forward.
Having worked on SHP when it was a magazine several years ago, Mark returns to the sector at an important time. With a stronger focus on health and wellbeing and a major shift in perception of the profession following Covid-19, Mark and Ian discuss the impact of such shifts and how might play out going forward. Mark also shares takeaways from his recent visit to the EHS Congress in Berlin while laying out his plans going forward including a focus on getting young people into the sector.
In this episode, we hear from Matt Birtles from HSE and Matt Powell Howard from NEBOSH, as they discuss musculoskeletal disorders, risk assessment and risk management. Both provide insightful tips on how to best identify, mitigate and manage risk.
Recorded in the Operational Excellence Theatre at Safety & Health Expo in May, this discussion from Matt Birtles and Matt Powell Howard focused on MSD risk management requiring us to identify potentially hazardous operations, assess them and then reduce the risks so far as we can and manage the rest.
We hear from Sukhy Hogwood who looks at safety in design and safety’s role in ensuring buildings are not only safe to construct, but also usable for those who will be living, working in, and recreationally using the space. Then, Paul Richardson discusses how digitalised safety processes can transform a workplace.
Sukhy speaks about how we can re-invigorate the approach to safety in design, how safety can capture the hearts and minds of engineers and designers and why the most inclusive work environments are the safest work environments, before Paul touches on why safety tech inspires him and how he visualises how safety with use technology in the future.
We bring you the full recording of Louis Theroux’s keynote session at Safety & Health Expo. Louis sat down in front of a packed Keynote Theatre audience to discuss all things, from communicating effectively and working in hostile to health and health and wellbeing.
In this interview, recorded at Safety & Health Expo on Thursday 19 May 2022, Louis sat down with SHP Editor Ian Hart.
We speak to SHE Manager at Kier Highways, Dave McPherson and Health and Safety Officer at Great British Communications, Jessica Collings about the work they do, how they got into health & safety and their thoughts on the future of the profession.
Dave talks about his slightly unorthodox journey into safety and the importance of building a rapport and establishing good relationships with the people around you. Then, Jessica discusses the challenges of starting a role in a new career in the midst of a pandemic, shares some of the initiatives that she has helped to implement and highlights the importance of mentoring.
We hear from two women at the start of their careers, speaking about their journey into health & safety and the challenges they have faced along the way.
Cindy Bell, SHE Advisor at Greggs, discusses her varied role and her advice for starting out in a career in health & safety. Then, Shari Bowen, HSSE Officer at Massy Distribution, talks about working in health & safety in the Caribbean and the challenges of working in a male-dominated environment.
We speak to campaigner and SHP’s Most Influential Individual in health & safety, Dr Mavis Nye about her work raising awareness of dangers of asbestos exposure, and we hear from Lisa Artis, Deputy CEO at The Sleep Charity, who provides three quick fixes to immediately improve your sleep.
Mavis lives with Mesothelioma every day of her life, having been diagnosed a few years ago, and spends her life campaigning for asbestos awareness and removal.
Lisa, a qualified sleep practitioner, speaks about how important sleep is, when it comes to people’s health and wellbeing.
The last two years have been challenging for most sectors, but the events industry has been particularly badly affected. That’s going to be the focus of this episode, as we move back to more regular face-to-face events in the UK.
Listen to an events venue, London’s ExCeL, and an events business, Informa Markets, discuss how they have worked alongside industry associations and government to secure a swift and safe return to face-to-face events, in a post-pandemic world.
Listen to Matt Birtles, Principal Ergonomics Consultant at HSE’s Science and Research Centre, discuss the different approaches to managing the risks associated with Musculoskeletal disorders.
Matt, an ergonomics and human factors expert, shares his thoughts on why MSDs are important, the various prevalent rates across the UK, what you can do within your own organisation and the Risk Management process surrounding MSD’s.
Registration for Safety & Health Expo 2022, taking place from 17-19 May 2022 at ExCeL London, has officially opened. Secure your place today!
Safety & Health Expo is a chance for anyone with a health, safety and wellbeing remit to source solutions across occupational health, wellbeing, PPE, site safety and more. It offers unique access to leading suppliers, as well as world-class education across the health and safety sector.
We are joined by both IOSH President, Louise Hosking, and Immediate Past President, Jimmy Quinn, to discuss overcoming the challenges of the last 12 months and look ahead to what’s in store for 2022.
We discuss Louise’ plans for her Presidency, including equality, diversity and inclusion and how the role of the health & safety practitioner is changing, and look back on the past 12 months with Jimmy Quinn.
We are joined by Sarah Waters, Professor of French Studies at the University of Leeds, to look at a study, published by University of Leeds and Hazards Campaign, which calls on the HSE to monitor, regulate and ultimately prevent workplace suicides.
Professor Sarah Waters is a specialist on French labour and the French workplace. The report investigated 12 suicide cases that occurred between 2015 and 2020 to discover whether they could be attributed to the workplace.
We are joined by Anna Keen, Founding Director at Acre Frameworks, who provides guidance on learning the relevant skills to progress your career and delves into confidence, including how to present yourself and tips for leaders when dealing with Imposter Syndrome.
The interview with Anna, forms part of a series for Women in Health & Safety, carried out by Charlotte Geoghegan, Event and content Manager for Safety & Health Expo, Workplace Wellbeing Show and SHP.
We are joined by Tanya Jenke, General Manager of Cority Australia, who has carried out a study, analysing over half a million occupational injuries in Western Australia between 2003-2019, to find whether economic growth following a period of recession has an impact on workplace injuries.
Tanya’s study, ‘An investigation of the influence of economic cycles on safety performance in Western Australia’, was carried out as part of her PhD and looked at the impact of external factors on safety and performance.
We drop in to a recent FIREX webinar, which looked at the legislative and systemic changes required in fire safety, and the wider building sector, to ensure buildings are made safer for occupants.
IFSEC Global Editor James Moore moderates the session, which includes an audience Q&A, and asks are the proposals enough, and how does the building safety sector work to encourage a wide adoption of a new safety-conscious culture in construction and building safety – from planning through to occupation?
Hear from former 10 Downing Street Director of Communications, Alastair Campbell, about the stigma around mental health in the workplace and tips for employers and those suffering with mental ill health.
Alastair provides some advice for employers and colleagues on how to support people suffering with mental ill-health, his thoughts on some of the common stigmas around mental health and why they exist and some words of advice on how he looks after his depression.
Then, in part two, we hand over to Heather Beach from the Healthy Work Company, for an interview with Vicki Simmonds, based on recent personal experience with burnout.
We focus on the SHP Awards and hear from four winners, SHP’s Rising Star UK and Rising Stars in construction and manufacturing and SHP’s Trailblazer in Positive Social Impact. Hear some interesting and innovative safety ideas from the construction and manufacturing sectors and learn how the perceived negative of struggles with mental ill-heath, can be turned into a positive.
Hear from Thomas Dunning, the Mental Health Runner, an award-winning TED speaker, who was named SHP’s Trailblazer in Positive Social Impact and Lucilla Cummings, HSE Improvement Specialist at Travis Perkins, who was the winner of the SHP Award for Rising Star UK.
We then chat to PepsiCo EHS Specialist, Sam Watts, SHP’s Rising Star in Manufacturing, and BAM Construction Training Managing Director, Matthew Durant, who was named SHP’s Rising Star in Construction.
We focus on the latest health & safety legislation updates, particularly around returning to work and the coronavirus vaccination programme. We’ll also hear from SHP’s Most Influential Person in health & safety, Hilda Palmer, and we’ll drop in some clips from a recent roundtable, hosted by SHP, about the role of smart PPE in protecting lone workers.
Turnstone Law Director, Simon Joyston-Bechal, discusses returning to work in times of COVID-19. Simon shares how far you can push the boundaries to get people back into the office lawfully.
Hilda shares her views on the health & safety system in the UK, the importance of protecting workers as they return to the office and talks about her work with Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK).
We hear from Peter Kelly, Senior Psychologist for the Health and Safety Executive about work-related stress and Inspector Phil Spencer, Blue Light Programme Co-ordinator at Cleveland Police, discusses the stress of working on the frontline during the pandemic.
Peter Kelly is Senior Psychologist for the Health and Safety Executive, primarily responsible with providing the HSE and the government with advice on work-related stress, mental health and wellbeing. He has also been working closely with the BSI on the new ISO45003 Standard, a voluntary standard which sets out what you need to have in place as an organisation to improve psychological health, safety and wellbeing.
We’re then joined by Inspector Phil Spencer, Cleveland Police’s Blue Light Programme Coordinator & Wellbeing Inspector. Phil has been a key component in driving forward the workplace wellbeing agenda and changing the way mental health is thought about in policing. He has transformed how Cleveland Police supports its staff in better understanding mental health, and how to cope with the trauma and difficulties of the working environment, especially during the pandemic. His work over the last 12 months saw him voted the winner of SHP’s Trailblazer in Workplace Wellbeing Award, in December.
We hear from Gill Kernick about the pressing need to improve building safety culture post-Grenfell. We then look ahead to 2021 with some news from the Women in Safety & Health Network, plus hear an update on the One Percent Safer Foundation.
Gill Kernick is a Master Consultant at JMJ Associates who specialises in safety leadership and culture. As a former Grenfell resident, moving out three years before the tragedy in 2017, she has been a high-profile voice on the subject. In this episode, she chats to SHP Editor Ian Hart and IFSEC Global Editor James Moore about the pressing need to improve building safety culture and prevent low probability, high consequence events – such as Grenfell – from happening again.
We’re then joined by Heather Beach, Chair of the Women in Health and Safety Network in the UK, to discuss how the pandemic has affected the network, it’s plans for 2021 and how you can get involved. Plus, learn about the new International Women in Safety Coalition.
Finally, Andrew Sharman, Founder and Chairman of One Percent Safer and Malcolm Staves, Corporate Health & Safety Director at L’Oréal, provide an update on the One Percent Safer book, the Foundation and the up-coming conference.
We revisit two recent SHP webinars and find out whether there is a difference between leadership and safety leadership and how to implement a successful safety culture within an organisation.
In the first part of the episode, the panel look at whether leadership differs from safety leadership and explain how to create leaders within teams and look at the future of the OSH profession and its leaders.
Then, in part two, our panel look at how to create a successful safety culture and the challenges that come with large, multi-national organisations. They also discuss how to change an organisation’s safety culture and provide some tips for influencing at board level, in order to implement those changes.
James Quinn, Senior Health and Safety Manager at Multiplex and Vice-Chair of the IOSH Construction Group, and newly appointed IOSH President, talks about how the pandemic has affected the construction sector and the mental health of those working within it, his work promoting veterans and his plans for his tenure as IOSH President, including how the importance of providing the correct support and guidance people starting out on career in safety. James was recently voted one of the most influential people in health & safety by SHP readers.
We also hear from four recruitment experts, Elliot Fisher from Acre, James Irwin from Irwin and Colton, Phil Muston from Shirley Parsons and Laura Aucott from HSE Recruitment Network, who provide some insight into health & safety recruitment during the pandemic and how it’s changed looking for a new job. The quartet discuss the challenges of job hunting at this time and how to overcome them, tips for interviewing via video or telephone call and advice on how to integrate in a new company and its culture, when you might not have physically been on site or met any of your colleagues when you start.
In this episode, hear from Robert Jukes, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Wax Lyrical and the 2019 SHP Rising Star in Manufacturing and SHP Rising Star UK, as he talks about the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has brought to the manufacturing sector.
Robert’s firm, Wax Lyrical, has remined open throughout the pandemic, pivoting to produce hand sanitizer for the NHS. In this episode, hear Robert speak about his experiences of the last few months, how his year has been as SHP Rising Star in Manufacturing and SHP Rising Star UK, his involvement with the IOSH Future Leaders programme and his plans and goals for 2021.
Teresa Higgins and Lisa Lewington from Barbour EHS and Martin Baxter, Chief Policy Advisor at IEMA, will update you some of the recent health, safety and environmental legislation changes. We’ll also dip in to Barbour’s recent legislation webinar, which featured lawyers Simon Joyston-Bechal and Kizzy Augustin.
You can listen to the webinar in full, here. Click here to download the SHP and Barbour EHS October legislation update eBook. Published in October 2020, it covers coronavirus legislation, Brexit, Grenfell, Fire Safety Bill, Building Safety Bill, environment and much more…
In part two, we pick up on last month’s interview with outgoing IOSH President, Professor Dr Andrew Sharman. Hear Andrew talk about his views on the future of the health and safety professional, his year as IOSH President and what is next for him.
Professor Dr Andrew Sharman, Managing Partner of RMS Switzerland, author and President of IOSH shares his experiences of lockdown and talks about his latest book, One Percent Safer, described as an ‘anthology of the world’s best thought leaders, all in one place’.
The book contains 142 chapters, written by 142 different contributors, each one giving their best nugget of wisdom to make your organisation one percent safer.
Then, in the second part of the episode, we speak to Giles Rhys Jones, Chief Marketing Officer at What3Words about how the geocoding system can be used to keep lone workers safe. What3Words is being used by around 80% of the emergency services in the UK to help find an exact location quickly, and also allows lone and remote workers to check in with their employer when they arrive at a job, pinpointing their location to a 3x3m square, anywhere on the planet.
Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
Heather Beach is Founder and Managing Director of The Healthy Work Company. For this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, Heather sits down with Stacy Thomson, award winning mental health nurse & Cognitive Behavioural Coach, to provide insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
To read in more depth about the subject of burnout, read Heather’s SHP article ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, where you can also listen to the rest of this interview, in full.
If you, or anyone you know are suffering from some of the issues mentioned in this episode, please do visit the stress, anxiety and depression section of the NHS website.
In May 2019, Thames Water’s Chief Health, Safety and Security Officer, Karl Simons, was named the Most Influential Person in health & safety by SHP readers.
In this episode, which was due to be released ahead of announcing the shortlist for SHP’s Most Influential for 2020, we caught up with Karl to find out how he felt when he learned of the award and what he has been doing since.
A leading figure within health & safety, Karl discusses his role in lobbying government for changes in the way mental ill health is viewed in the workplace, how Thames reduced work-related illness by 78%, how public perception and accolades help the company and his role in SHP’s Rising Stars initiative.
SHP’s Most Influential for 2020 will be announced in December, following the postponement of Safety & Health Expo to May 2021, due to the coronavirus outbreak.