Illusion of Safety

Can Safety and HR be besties? with Jamie Jackson

“Sounds like an HR issue.” “Talk to Safety about that.” What if instead of being at odds with one another, it turns out that HR professionals and Safety professionals can recognize that they share a lot of the same goals in their organization and can actually work together? That’s what the Illusion of Safety gang finds out when talking with Jamie Jackson, HR professional extraordinaire and co-host of the HR Besties Podcast. Jamie shares her insights on how HR and Safety pros can work together within their organizations to support workers in many different ways and how to navigate the corporate landscape. Let’s see how we can bridge that gap between HR and Safety and make the workplace better for everyone!

What's it like being a new safety professional? with Ahsan Manji

What's new in the safety profession? If you're Ahsan Manji...YOU are! There are more people jumping into the wonderful world of Safety and they bring their fresh ideas and passion for people to keep the profession moving forward. There's a lot to learn when you're new to Safety and Ahsan shares his experience as someone who got into Safety right out of school and where he hopes to take his career. More importantly, he knows he can learn from others and give back to the Safety community as his work moves forward. Whether you're new to the safety profession or you've been around for a while, there's something for everyone in this episode!

How do you become resilient? with Pete Evans

Aloha! Even on an island paradise life throws all sorts of curveballs your way, especially when you work in safety. As we hear from Pete Evans, building resilience is absolutely key...but it's far easier said than done. Listen in as Pete shares what he continues to learn about resilience, from an academic, professional, and personal perspective. Having the ability weather the storms at work and life is what resilience is all about, making us stronger and more capable of helping others around us.

What does it mean to leave a legacy?

Leaving a legacy at work ensures that your contributions have a lasting impact, benefitting the organization and your colleagues even after you've moved on. It reflects the values, skills, and innovations you brought into the workplace, inspiring others to build upon your efforts. Sounds great, right? It can be, but it takes thought and actions to help that legacy be one that you're proud of. We talk about what steps we can take regardless of the stage of your career or how long you may be in an organization. For safety professionals, making a long-lasting, positive impact on the people they work with and the organization they're in can help teams maintain momentum and allow them to adapt to future challenges. Join us as we share our questions, hopes, and possible actions on what it means to leave a legacy in our work!

Is safety consulting the career path for you? with Brandy Zadoorian

Imagine having a job where you get to just do "safety stuff" and you get to call the shots. You're the expert that companies call in when they need help and you get to work on your schedule. If that sounds like a dream job, maybe safety consulting is for you! Or is it? On this episode, we talk with Brandy Zadoorian, CEO and principal consultant of Triangle Safety Consulting, LLC. Brandy walks us through her journey of how she got into safety consulting and the ups and downs of doing it full-time. Guess what: there's a lot more that goes into it than walking jobsites and writing reports. If you've ever been curious about leaving a corporate job and going out on your own as a safety consultant with your own business, this is the episode to check out!

How can technology help the Safety Professional? with Abby Ferri

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, ChatGPT...all of it sounds exciting and wild and there's a lot of potential for it to really help the Safety Professional, but where do you begin even figuring out what all these things mean? We're right there with you, which is why we checked in with Abby Ferri, one of our favorite safety professionals who is passionate about STEM and how emerging technologies can be understood--and implemented--by Safety Professionals. Even with technology advancing at lightning speed, there are still ways to find what tools will work best for you.

How can the Safety Profession evolve? with Pam Walaski

What better way to find out how the Safety Profession can continue to iterate and develop than by hanging out with Pam Walaski, CSP, FSSP? Pam chats with us about how far the safety profession has come and where it can still continue to evolve. Whether you're trying to breathe new life into a tired safety program or starting from scratch with something new, Pam has some great wisdom to share. It's clear that Pam has a deep love for worker safety, both in her role as the President of the American Society of Safety Professionals and in her own personal life and hobbies.

How wild is zoo safety? with Domini Montgomery

Of all the guests we've had on the show, Domini Montgomery has the most unique workplace. Domini works in safety and risk management at the Saint Louis Zoo where she works with the amazing people who care for incredible animals. Beyond the obvious hazards and risks inherent in working with live animals, Domini has focused on the mental and psychological safety of the many teams at the zoo in order to build a culture where everyone can perform at the highest level. Even though workplace safety and risk management in a zoo or aquarium is a niche area of expertise, there are many lessons from Domini that can apply to any workplace, regardless of how adventurous.

What does sustainability mean for the safety professional? with Catryna Jackson

Sustainability. It's one of those cool terms that can be exciting, encouraging, but scary and confusing at the same time. Let's start with the basics: what does it even mean? And just because the "E" in EHS stands for "Environmental" does that mean that safety professionals know what to do when it comes to sustainability? It's a tricky subject and that's why we have Catryna Jackson, CEM on this episode. Catryna helps us explore why understanding sustainability and environmental impact is so important for organizations and why it doesn't have to be nebulous and daunting. In the end, safety professionals are in a unique position to help their organizations implement environmentally conscious practices that are helpful for the company and the environment.
Check out these great resources:
SASB: material topics by industry
Global Reporting Initiative: Get started learning about KPIs and material topics. They also have online learning available through the GRI Academy
International Society of Sustainability Professionals: learn from others who are specializing in the field of sustainability and even pursue certifications in this area

What's Going Right with Safety? with Tanya Conole

Oftentimes people focus on what went wrong in a situation and try to keep those things from happening again, especially when it comes to workplace safety. But there's a whole other side of the story that guest, Tanya Conole, likes to explore, which is what went right. Could we make worker safety even better by having conversations around what went well and acknowledging that it's part of the story?
Tanya is a certified OHS professional, auditor and host of the podcast "A Win for Safety" that you can listen to HERE