In this episode, Mary Conquest talks with François Barton, CEO of the Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum in New Zealand - someone who knows exactly how to speak ‘executive’ and how leaders view workplace safety.

Effective safety management is very challenging when it simply doesn’t have the budget required to implement meaningful change.

François thinks that HSE managers can build stronger executive support by aligning safety initiatives with the bigger business picture. He encourages you to get familiar with organizational complexity and direction of travel and focus communication on context rather than content.

Sound judgment is preferable to a ‘passion for safety’ as François shares examples of how linking safety to the organization's objectives secured executive buy-in and created significant improvements.

This uplifting interview gives EHS professionals practical strategies to influence decision-makers and secure much-needed support for effective safety management.

Learn more about François’ work: Business Leaders Health & Safety Forum

Recommended reading: Health and Safety Governance: A Good Practice Guide

François Barton on LinkedIn: Francois Barton | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Dave Rebbitt, one of Canada's most respected EHS professionals, who is also a safety consultant and best-selling author.

Workplace harassment, bullying, violence, and toxic environments are now finally getting the attention they deserve. But are organizations managing harassment investigations effectively? And how can safety managers enhance this process??

Dave decided to specialize in this area after recent legislation changes and discovering there was minimal practical guidance available to the safety profession.

Drawing from his extensive research resulting in his book, Harassment and Workplace Violence Investigations, Dave explores the unique and complex challenges, the different types of complaints, best practices for interviewing, and methods to assess credibility.

Throughout this thoughtful discussion, he highlights the importance of balance, curiosity, fairness and emotional intelligence to give EHS professionals practical strategies to conduct effective investigations and foster safer, more respectful workplaces.

Dave’s best-selling book: Harassment and Workplace Violence Investigations: A Practical Guide

Learn more about Dave’s work: Rarebit Consulting - Safety Expert, Harassment

Dave Rebbitt on LinkedIn: Dave Rebbitt, MBA, CRSP, C. Tech, CD | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global

In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Gill Kernick, a consultant in high-hazard industries and author of Catastrophe and Systemic Change - a book she wishes she never had to write.

It analyzes the Grenfell Tower fire, where Gill had previously lived. On the 14th of June 2017, she watched it burn. Seven of her former close neighbors died, in addition to 65 other people. She promised to make their lives count, so dedicates her work to ensuring that we learn better.

Gill challenges EHS professionals to move beyond compliance and technical fixes toward embracing complexity, diversity and fostering genuine organizational learning.

Her deeply considered insights offer a powerful call to action for meaningful systemic change that can prevent future accidents and transform how the safety profession impacts organizations and society.

Gill’s book: Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters - LPP - The London Publishing Partnership

(Published on 18th June 2026, but is available for early ordering in the UK - and a small donation will be made to the Grenfell Foundation)

Her blog about Grenfell.

Grenfell Inquiry Reports: Publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report - GOV.UK

Details on the Archives of all evidence: Records of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry - The National Archives

Post Normal Science:

Menagerie of Postnormal Potentialities | Post Normal Times

Knowledge, power, and participation in the post-normal age - ScienceDirect

Cynefin Framework: About - Cynefin Framework - The Cynefin Co

Jose Torero (Link to a blog I wrote on this): ‘The real failure of Grenfell – complexity, ambiguity and competency.’ Prof. Torero Transcript – The Grenfell Enquirer

The play 'Grenfell in the Words of Survivors': Grenfell: in the words of survivors | National Theatre

LinkedIn profile: Gill Kernick | LinkedIn

Safety Labs is created by Safety Products Global, the world's leading manufacturer of safety knives. Through our trusted brands, Klever, Slice and PHC, we empower companies to prevent injuries by providing safer cutting tools for every material and application. Find us at www.safetyproducts.global

If you have any questions, please email us at safetylabs@safetyproducts.global