E071_Safety Stories from the Field - Driven to Inspire, Resiliency, and Respect

In this episode, we're sitting down with Callum Kerr, a passionate safety leader who's made the leap from policing to health and safety. 

Callum's journey is all about inspiration, resilience, and respect—three values that have shaped his approach to safety leadership. He's here to share how these values can transform how we think about safety in our organisations.

We'll discuss the challenges he's faced, the lessons he's learned, and how his personal experiences have fuelled his commitment to making safety more than a buzzword. 

Expect to hear about the power of influence in driving a safety-first mindset, the role of respect in building trust and communication, and why real-world stories are so crucial in shaping a proactive safety culture.

Whether you're a safety professional, a leader in a high-risk industry, or someone who cares about creating safer workplaces, this podcast is for you. 

We're not just talking about safety—we're sharing the stories that inspire change and make a real impact. So settle in and join us as we dive into safety stories from the field.

Thanks for listening!

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This episode was produced under Safety Collaborations Limited and now continues as part of Karin Ovari Limited. While we are not currently releasing new episodes, the entire library remains active, and the topics covered are just as relevant today as when they were first recorded.

To learn more about my current work in leadership and communication, visit karinovari.com and the leadership community, The Supervisors Hub.

Connect with us on LinkedIn:  Karin Ovari, Nuala Gage,

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us spread the word and leave a review on your preferred podcast player. 
 
 Stay Safe, Stay Well
The Safety Collaborators

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:08

Welcome to In Conversation with the Safety Collaborators. I am Karen. And I am Nuala, whether you're a safety professional, a leader or an individual committed to making a difference we invite you to join the discussion on creating a culture of safety and care, enabling your team and leaders to design a safer and more productive and collaborative world.

Speaker 2 0:35

Welcome to Stories from the Field and our guest, Callum Kerr. Callum is a dedicated health and safety professional committed to safety excellence. He brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience to the field of workplace and industrial safety. With a deep commitment to fostering a culture of safety, he has dedicated his career to equipping individuals and organizations with the skills and knowledge necessary to prevent accidents, minimize risks and respond effectively in emergency situations. As a safety culture advocate, he believes that safety should be ingrained in an organization's DNA. Callum works tirelessly to foster a culture where everyone values safety as a top priority, contributing to reduced incidents and improved productivity. It is wonderful to have Callum with us today.

Speaker 1 1:29

Welcome, callum. It is so delightful to have you with us Thank you very much and to enjoy us for a conversation that matters, so we're looking forward to see what pearls of wisdom might come out of this. No pressure.

Speaker 1 1:48

None at all. So you and I met not that long ago actually it was earlier this year as you joined a safety leadership program which was really about leadership and designing culture and in fact, we did actually use the designer framework for that program. I know that we were really grateful to have you on that program because you participated, you have wisdom, you really brought what we would wish every participant to bring to a program as that, to the conversation and, as a result, where our journey continues. So really, really grateful for that. So I guess today we're going to talk a little bit more about, maybe, that experience, but also, before we get into that, what makes you?

Speaker 3 2:32

you, I suppose we'd have to. Really, if I looked at my maybe top three values of what would define me and for me it would probably be driven to inspire. Resiliency and respect that's probably my top three that really define me. And if I, if I, could take a moment to maybe delve into these, these three things, that would be great. So really, my, my drive to inspire I really want to inspire everyone around me by leading my example and I really want to inspire everyone around me by leading by example and I really want to feed that into the workplace as well.

Speaker 3 3:07

When it comes to health and safety, really leading, showing what the expectation is, showing that I am. You know, simple things like waiting the full PPE all the time is leading by example and showing there. But I suppose, on a personal note, for Driven to Inspire is really inspiring my son to show that anything is possible. My health and safety career. I've only been in health and safety for a couple of years now and I made quite a career change and I really want to show him that any point in your life you can change your environment or change a career or anything you want.

Speaker 2 3:45

I love that. That is just, I think, one of the greatest gifts that you can give to a child.

Speaker 3 3:57

Absolutely any lessons you can hand on. I think that's really a great gift as well. But if I move on to the resiliency I had to, I suppose I'm built up that quality and value of mine was really recognizing, accepting that I suffered quite heavily from dyslexia and that really enabled me one to understand my challenges but also challenge and push myself, which has built in and created this more resilient personality almost. And then the final one that sort of fed in there was treating people with respect. So this feeds back into what you were talking about, karen, there, with the culture by design that you spoke about treating people with respect. That enables me to build this trust with people and really develop long-lasting and thriving relationships, and that can feed into personal life but more importantly, you know, into the health and safety aspect as well awesome, a couple of words that came up.

Speaker 3 4:52

So the before career before we became so before I entered into health and safety, I spent seven years as a police officer in Police Scotland. Five of those years were divisional response and roughly about two and a half years were in the roads policing. So part of that was investigating road fatalities and trying to reduce the leading causes of the fatalities as well. So a lot of campaign work speed campaigns, vehicle campaigns, suitability for the road and really looking at why these are occurring and trying to reduce the fatalities wow, that's quite hard hitting that is.

Speaker 3 5:40

It's a challenging environment. There's a lot of difficult parts to that role and anyone that does that has got my highest regards and respect. But yeah, that that sort of feeds into to my passion of where I am now.

Speaker 1 5:54

I bet you might have some interesting observations between industries as well.

Speaker 3 6:00

Yeah, there's. Probably the biggest similarity between them is your opportunity to educate and influence people and influence driver behavior, influencing the environment around them. That feeds into influencing employees and influencing the work environment and ultimately trying to make both as safe as possible as safe as possible.

Speaker 1 6:28

That word influence is enormous, I think, in the work that we do, all of us in our different ways, between the three of us because I think that's what we're trying to do all the time and when we're building a culture of safety or a safety culture, depends which way you look at it. And is there a difference? I think, influencer, it doesn't matter who you are on that journey of trying to build that organisational safety culture, how we influence each other and those around us can make all the difference in the world. And I guess in some ways influence can be no, I'm not going to use the word positive. What's the word I'm looking for? It could be impactful.

Speaker 3 7:09

Great minds thinking alike there I like that.

Speaker 2 7:13

We're all in the right place.

Speaker 1 7:14

Exactly Impactful In the right way is where I was going, because influence can happen in many different forms and I think in the way that we're talking about it, it is definitely in the right direction. I always try to avoid the words positive and negative. I don't like them.

Speaker 2 7:33

So, yes, it also brings to mind that whole thing around you can influence other people's paradigms. You can't change their paradigm or their way of thinking or being, but you can create a space or an environment which shows respect and where you are continuing to build that trust and inspire, versus trying to push and force a way of being onto people, because then you just kind of get that immediate resistance rather than a buy-in and a oh, that could actually be interesting. Maybe I should try something different absolutely.

Speaker 3 8:13

Yeah, I think you're speaking about the, the trust there, and we looked quite heavily at how we can build that and I've educated myself from the course that Karen delivered. And there really is a lot of impactful things that you can do to build that trust. Just simple things like taking the time to spend with that person listening, but not just being present and listening, but listening intently and responding as well. Ultimately, we're gifted with two ears and one mouth, so we should responding as well. That ultimately, we're gifted with two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we talk. But that ultimately gives us the time to really absorb what they're saying and think appropriately about how we're going to answer.

Speaker 3 8:57

I suppose another another part of that would be taking an interest in them as well. People are not just workers. People have got interests outside of work, things that they like. So I think taking the time to get to know that person, know their name, know their interests, know a bit more about them, that really builds that trust and that all feeds in exactly what we're talking about into that culture, because if we can get the trust, we can all work together to develop the culture.

Speaker 2 9:25

Isn't it amazing how just learning someone's name makes such a difference?

Speaker 2 9:30

As opposed to you over there and I'm great with faces. I find names a bit more difficult, but I will find ways to kind of, when I'm on site, clock every single person and repeat their name three times when I meet them so that it's solidified, and repeat their name three times, like when I meet them, so that it's solidified, and then if I do get it wrong or I go, I can't remember, be honest and say I am so sorry, but I've met so many people today. Please can you help me out and just give me your name again, because it just shows a little bit of care. Actually I am interested.

Speaker 3 10:04

I'm reading a very interesting book at the moment. There's a line and it sticks in my mind and it says there is no sweeter sound to a person than the sound of their own name, and that really resonates what you've just said there. People love it when you can call them by their own name and address them of who they are.

Speaker 1 10:21

It comes back to that word respect. If you care enough to try and remember a person's name, you're quite right. We're never going to remember everybody's name all the time. And what's worse is when you're standing next to a friend that you've known for 30 years and you can't remember their name. That's always embarrassing, but anyway, and in those moments you just go and you're who exactly? It's a bit embarrassing, but anyway, when you have those little mind moments that go away. You may not experience that yet, Karen, but anyway.

Speaker 2 10:52

Yeah, no, we started to call them senior moments.

Speaker 1 10:57

I try not to use that term, but yeah, so it reminds me of the early days when I used to run lots of experiential on-site workshops and that very subject about how do we help each other get through two or three days without name tags although that can be very useful, and in multicultural environments. So it's not just names that we are able to pronounce, but how do we do it with names that we're not so able to pronounce and the effort that we put into that.

Speaker 1 11:28

So we used to run this game and we used to make everybody stand in a circle and then with a ball it would be randomly thrown around and we'd talk about 20-odd-plus people Throw it around until everybody had repeated everybody's name at least once, and if we didn't, we'd go back to the beginning. So this thing would go around for quite some time and then in the end I would stand there and walk around the circle in front of every single person and say their name.

Speaker 1 11:57

I don't even think I could do that these days, to be honest, because it takes practice yeah that I'm out of practice, so yeah, but it worked really well and there was a huge amount of laughing that went with that, which helps. So respect, inspiration and resilience three fantastic words. If your friends and family had to describe you in one sentence, what would they say?

Speaker 3 12:22

yeah, well, I had to weed out the pc. I had to make sure it was politically correct and weed them out when I was getting responses about that. So I chose quite a sensible one. I chose hardworking and doesn't give up on his goals. Probably quite generic, but that one comes from my mum. She saw when I decided to make that change in career and at that moment she said moment you said, what are you going to do? I'm sort of struggled through school, never really had any going qualifications, got all my on-the-job training when I joined the police. So for me it was. There wasn't really much choice coming out. And when I said to my mum, I'm my goal, I want to be a health and safety advisor, and here we sit, 18 months, 24 months later I've done it. So not giving up on those goals. I totally accept that. Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 13:23

I think there's something else really lovely in all of what you've said, and that is that you made a statement. You said your dyslexia, which is potentially part of that struggle, is actually what has enabled you yeah, yeah, absolutely acknowledge the.

Speaker 3 13:40

The biggest challenge I felt in that was acknowledging that I had dyslexia and once I acknowledged it and I went through the assessment process and did a bit of research on it, understood, looked at what tools were available to assist me through that and I suppose one of the most important things and it was having no shame in telling people I had dyslexia and asking for reasonable adjustments. Even when I went to school, dyslexia was not really acknowledged, and that was only 16, 17 years ago. So now, as an adult, it's so important to let people know where you struggle and what you need assistance with, and really being able to do that has enabled me to push myself right to where I am now.

Speaker 1 14:31

How has that enabled you in the current role?

Speaker 3 14:36

I suppose in my current role, I suppose through the years I've had to learn better communication skills verbally than written. My written skills have always been relatively poor with the dyslexia, so to balance that out, I've really developed the skill where I can communicate with anyone. I feel confident speaking to people, I'm quite comfortable having difficult conversations as well and being honest as well. So I think that has enabled me to really meet that aspect of my current role and help me as well. So I think that has enabled me to really meet that aspect of my current role and help me as well.

Speaker 2 15:12

Isn't it amazing how you can see a challenge as something that can either stop you from going forward or, like you said, really built in that personal value of resilience and it's given you the opportunity to, I mean, what you've just said. There is open up so many other skills and so many other ways of being, but through that, because it does take vulnerability to be able to say you know what this is where I need adjustments, why I need something done differently vulnerable, have you seen a different way that people have maybe opened up to you and seen that as being impactful and giving them a safe space to say actually, you know what this is where I'm struggling, so can you help me out here?

Speaker 3 15:58

Very much so. And I suppose and if I maybe use an example so that I was really looking for some technical expertise with a risk assessment and this this individual was I wouldn't I wouldn't describe as resistant, but not forthcoming with the written risk assessment. And when I said, oh, I just through conversation, talking about risk assessments and said, oh, I've got dyslexia, it takes me quite, quite a while to check them, this individual then opened up to me and said, well, actually they had dyslexia as well. I think that was maybe the blocker that was stopping us moving forward with this risk assessment. So it was quite a nice opener. And from there, when we both acknowledged that there's potentially gonna be spelling errors or grammatical errors, we can solve all them because there's all these great bits of technology out there now that will proofread it and put grammar in it for you, so there's no need to worry anymore.

Speaker 2 16:51

So true, Isn't it amazing yeah.

Speaker 3 16:55

All those grammar police online must be very upset. Nowadays, nothing for them to do.

Speaker 1 17:02

I must admit, I use those tools a lot.

Speaker 2 17:08

So do I. Yeah, I mean, they've been a game changer in, yeah, not having to think about the little details, I can think about the big picture and what is the message I want to share. And then rammely goes and goes. And would you like to reword it like this? And I go I love you yes so true, so true.

Speaker 1 17:32

So what makes safety close to your heart? And this is always an interesting question, and I know that we've used it in different times at different places, in different countries, in different cultural settings, and it always brings up a really interesting initial reaction. And then sometimes I have asked people to draw it, which was a really interesting exercise what one year with one group, and there were the most. I've still got the pictures because they were so cool. I had a dragon, so they called themselves the dragons and they put a heart on the dragon. I can't quite remember why it was a dragon, but that's okay. So, but what is it that makes safety close to your heart?

Speaker 3 18:39

Yeah, I mean, if I can sort of delve back it had when you were delivering news telling them that their son, daughter, father, mother, granny, grandpa, whoever it was, wasn't coming home anymore, that they had sadly died in this accident.

Speaker 3 18:55

And I always thought at that point when I was in that role I would never want somebody to come and give me that news about my son. And I suppose when I decided to make that shift for a better work-life balance and to spend more time with my son, that going down that route to health and safety was an obvious choice for me, because I knew there that I can still do the same work and make the same impact, reduce fatalities in the workplace, do my best to ensure that no family has to go through that devastation or hear that news that I have been delivering to families previously before. So for me that's said really closely and known as well, that if I can make an impact on people and organisations now and enable them to thrive, by the time my son gets a job somewhere, hopefully somebody will have fed into that organisation as well and ultimately it will keep him safe.

Speaker 1 19:56

Yeah, what a beautiful answer.

Speaker 3 19:59

It's a hard-hitting one I don't find it difficult to talk about, but after seeing how you know there's another way of putting it how devastating that impact and that news is to a family, yeah, you don't ever want to have that happening. So doing as much as possible to prevent that is at the heart of everything that I can bring, and that's why health and safety was such a good choice and why it's so close to my heart.

Speaker 1 20:26

I wonder why it isn't close to everybody's heart.

Speaker 3 20:29

That's a very good question, and I think that the reason that probably is is because they haven't been indirectly or directly impacted by any adverse effects from it. If I think about covid, when I when covid was on the go, the lockdown was on I didn't know a single person that caught covid not anyone. I didn't know anyone that had died from covid I honestly would go around thinking what is the big deal now if, if I translate that into safety, the exact same principle could be applied in anyone's mind that I've never known anybody who's got injured using this tool. They always do it this other way. So why do I need to do it any other way? Because nothing ever happens and that's an expression that's used quite heavily across industries is it's always been done that way and nothing's ever happened. That's just because it hasn't happened yet is the key. So I really do think it's because these people haven't been impacted by it directly or indirectly.

Speaker 1 21:32

And I guess that leads a little bit to you know what we do. What we all do actually in different ways is how do we help the conversations. What we all do actually in different ways is how do we help the conversations, how do we have thriving conversations around the concept of being safe, and not just for oneself but for all of those around us. Now, everybody has different levels of risk tolerance. We know that. Different experiences I know nula's had very personal experiences, I certainly have and so they do make you think about certain things not everything and it's about sharing those. I think maybe it is about storytelling as much as anything. How do we influence people that maybe haven't had the same experience and really, how do we influence them in a way so that they don't have to have the experience? That's always the tricky bit, I think have the experience.

Speaker 3 22:21

That's always the tricky bit, I think.

Speaker 3 22:23

I think that is you know, I'm sure Nuala will agree with me keeping that open lines of communication.

Speaker 3 22:29

One of the main things in my role is sourcing examples of these incidents that are coming elsewhere.

Speaker 3 22:36

So just because we don't need to hear about them in the UK or we don't hear about them in Scotland, or we don't hear about them in scotland or we don't hear about them in aberdeen, really start narrowing it down.

Speaker 3 22:43

If I go on to all these other safety organizations, find examples, share that with people, share that with employees, share that with people carrying out these hazardous tasks that look, this has happened in the same circumstances that you're potentially going to carry out that task. So we need to look at an alternative way of doing it or we need to follow the process that's safe and doing it. I think. I think keeping the open line of communication and again, I'm not there's not always saying that the process is the right way of doing it I think listening to them in a in a line of communication and hearing if they know of a better way of doing the task or they're the technical experts that are carrying out the task. Do they know of a new technology that can make it safer, quicker, so we really need to have a two-way street of communication.

Speaker 1 23:33

I think that just falls into that line of psychological safety in many ways, doesn't it? Norther? You said earlier, bringing in the word vulnerability is and maybe that's where a lot of this lies is how do we help people to understand that it's okay to be vulnerable and vulnerability doesn't mean that we're falling apart, it means well, I actually want to challenge the system, I want to be able to talk about an idea that I have, but I'm not that person, I'm not in a leadership role, so nobody's going to listen to me. So how do we, within our organisational cultures, make it okay for people to challenge the status quo or contribute in a way that they might not normally? Because, of course, the more we open up those channels, the more vulnerable we become as individuals, and it doesn't matter whether we're a leader, a frontline worker, a boots on the ground person or the senior VP I mean, it happens to everybody. So I think we have lots of work ahead of us.

Speaker 2 24:33

Still, we certainly do.

Speaker 2 24:36

For many, for a long time to come, whilst we're all human beings, I suspect yeah and one of the things we often talk about is how do we help people ask better questions? Yeah, and what you were saying. There is often the people with the boots on the ground. They know what can hurt them and maybe they don't have that sense of safety that they can speak up or they can put in an observation card or what have you. So some of the questions that work really well are things like you're about to do this task, you've done it plenty of times. If we had a new person come to site, what are you concerned about that could hurt them when they do this task for the first time. And then it opens up that conversation of well, I would tell them to look out for this, I would tell them to look out for that. And then it's like okay, well, what can we change that you don't even have to be worrying about?

Speaker 1 25:31

Great question.

Speaker 2 25:32

And the other one that I love is very similar to you've mentioned your son a few times is if your son was starting working here today, what would you be telling him to look out for?

Speaker 3 25:44

fabulous, now, let's go and fix those I think, really taking it on that personal level, that's what really sends these things home. Uh, yeah, I think that's a.

Building Trust and Communication for Leadership

Speaker 1 25:54

That's a great way of putting it it actually reminds me of a story that andrew, who kind of also knows from the program, and I remember he was telling me he was having a conversation, he was having a. Really it was one of those persons on a particular course not ours, but another one that was just being the classic sitting back in the chair, arms folded, going yeah, whatever. Why am I here? This is boring.

Speaker 1 26:20

I'm going to be the antagonist in the room and of course they went outside to have a break. So Andrew thought, andrew B, andrew, I need to go and have a conversation with this person. So he went and sat down with him and talked about the weather, all sorts of things, and the interesting thing with this particular person was his son worked there as well. Now I might get two stories mixed up here, but what was interesting is, yes, it was the son did work there. And then Andrew said so, when will your daughter be starting? And I said what do you mean? Why my daughter? He said yes, well, it's in the family. Your son works here, you work here. When will your daughter be starting to work here? I guess, oh, no, she's got to work here. And andrew says well, why not? Well, it's too dangerous, just like.

Speaker 1 27:09

That changed the rest of the program for that person. More importantly, because I started to look at it from a different perspective and went hmm, that's interesting, tell me more about that. Yeah, so you're right, it's. How do you get to that? To the heart, I suppose, isn't it? And and sometimes it has to be cognitive, not everybody wants to share their heart, but they'll think about the logical side of things you know, so why is that important to them? Not always easy to find, I guess you kind of chip away at it, don't you?

Speaker 3 27:43

I was just going to say there that I suppose that's feeds back into taking the time to get to know everyone, and then that gives you an idea of what they're responsive to you answered the question I was going to ask you we are so in tune, it is unbelievable so what do you know now that you wish you would have known at the start of your career?

Speaker 3 28:14

well, the second career, or both yeah, probably applicable across both and you have really given me a lot to think about since we met is the importance of building trust. I I recently changed workplaces so it was to go in there and quickly and establish that trust. Start meeting everyone you know. So my first week I've been there mostly resolved around or rather than meeting people, learning their names, learn a bit about them, learn about what they do, asking them questions, so really already starting to build that trust with everyone before I even start looking at the safety within the premises and looking at the culture as well you made my heart so happy, yeah.

Speaker 3 29:02

I love to hear that. I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad what I'm saying can have that impact as well. And you put that. You put that word in my mind. I can't get out impact.

Speaker 3 29:11

This is gonna be everything brilliant, I suppose the other side, the other side of that coin of me. Building trust with people is also that they can build trust in me. I want them to feel that I'm approachable and that they can approach me and voice any concerns without the without fear of ridicule or without thinking that it'll go anywhere else. Knowing that I can help and give a solution or part of a solution is really what I want, and you know we've spoke about it already as well importance of listening. That what I said to you before about two years one mouth my mummy said all the time when you go to school you've got two years for listening to that teacher on one mic. So you speak less, you should be listening more. And that always stuck in my mind.

Speaker 3 29:55

So and just obviously expanded on that and we discussed it again earlier was there's two different. There's two ways to listen. There's listening to being present in that room, but there's listening and listening intently and I feel, even looking in discussing with you two here people when they speak to you and acknowledge what they're saying and, yeah, taking a genuine interest in people. We spoke about it learning their names and really all these ideas they fed out of what we discussed, karen, going further and looking into it, and these are all things I wish I had known years ago, because I think that had a bigger impact that I could have made even seven years ago if I had known these.

Speaker 1 30:44

Wow, that's an enormous compliment. I think that's such an important lesson for anybody who's moving into a leadership role or might already be well and truly entrenched in one but might be feeling a bit jaded by just making that shift, by putting it out to the person in front of you or to the environment in front of you, instead of keeping it in or thinking right, this is all about me. When we talk to newer leaders, it's really the job is about you, but it's about understanding where you fit into something. When we work on oil rigs, first month that we're out there, all we're doing is building reports, because until you have rapport, you don't have a conversation.

Speaker 2 31:30

And especially when you've been introduced as a safety auditor, a safety coach, and honestly, I would go out on deck and they would gather it would be seagull on deck Like wildfire. And it took me a month before the guys would actually not just run and hide and put over the radio that I was the auditors out there.

Speaker 2 31:54

But it wasn't quite a month, less than that, but it was a lot of work. Yeah, especially when you go in and people are defensive because they think that you're going to come and tell them what they're doing wrong, whereas actually what you're coming into is go and say what are you doing right and what do you think needs to be done differently?

Speaker 3 32:13

isn't it interesting there how I would imagine potentially somebody from leadership has wrongly introduced you, just the difference in those words, how the impact that's had when you've been there it's just made me laugh.

Speaker 1 32:26

I landed on a rig helicopter door and the guy looked at me said oh, you're a girl. I'm like you're very clever, right. So that was really the beginning of that journey wow right and I was there for a month. His whole thing was, and it was the the rig site safety guy. He went oh, you're a girl. Oh shit, I've got to change all the sleeping arrangements. That would be helpful. I mean really, I'm okay, you know, it's fine oh no, no, no, oh, my goodness me.

Speaker 1 33:07

So, yeah, that lack of communication across from here to there is causes what we like to call conversational waste. So many of these things can be avoided if there's a little bit better communication and people have an understanding of the different types of conversations that we might need to have with people or to get things done.

Speaker 2 33:30

I just want to go back to something that Callum said earlier, and it was about your first week in your new role, because if people going into a new position can just grasp that that don't worry about technical, don't worry about what's happening, what procedures in place, don't worry about going into the detail, but just go and meet people where they're at, and I am dying to see in a really good way how that is going to play out for you over the next few months and years well, even just to give a short sight of it.

Speaker 3 34:09

So I spent the first what my three I think it is potentially First week meeting everyone. Second week sort of settling in, finding the feet, finding what's been done, sending out some communications and you'll be well aware that this week is Mental Health Awareness Week Sent out some campaigns, sent out some campaigns and somebody that works in the other office actually came through and said to me it's so nice that you've come here, hit the ground, running and spent time to speak to everyone and are putting out positive campaigns already. And I actually thought to myself no one has ever thanked me for sending out campaigns and it actually made me feel great. I think she knew, because I couldn't wipe the smile off my face either. I was ear to ear. But you know, and I just thought, if I had never gone through and introduced and spent the time, well then, and there's other things that are fed into that through lines of communication.

Speaker 3 35:05

You know we're looking at implementing some new areas, so I put out a consultation. This is what we want. What do you is? What does everyone think? Does it work for you? Has anyone gotten suggestions? And I generally think, with all that, open lines of communication of me putting out I have received back and it has been positive and it was, it's great and I think that just being able to keep doing that that'll just bring the culture right up. It's. It's great. Honestly, it's fantastic.

Speaker 1 35:31

I felt great I have to say to everybody, absolutely to anyone listening to this, you can hear and feel his smile absolutely wonderful my mom will kill me for this.

Speaker 3 35:43

She always says to me I can hear you smiling down the phone she'll probably listen to this. I can hear him smiling right now. I love it yeah, all right.

Speaker 1 35:55

So we have one last quick question. If you were granted one miracle that would change safety culture in our industries, what would that miracle be?

Speaker 3 36:07

there's a lot of things I would like to wish for, but you only give me one. I couldn't even have a lamp and have three wishes and a genie, but I've got one.

Speaker 3 36:15

Miracle is all I'm allowed, but I guess for me yeah I would really want a proactive and holistic safety mindset from everyone at all levels of the organization. For me, that just means that every individual, from the top to the bottom, would prioritize the safety in every decision that they're making and in every action that they carried out. And really, for me, that is the one miracle I could ask for. I don't think I can make it any. I don't think I can go any further than that. I think that's one great miracle that I'd love.

Speaker 1 36:52

What a miracle that would be. Interestingly, what came to mind is, I wonder if the word safety would even be used.

Speaker 3 36:59

It would just be normal.

Speaker 1 37:01

It would just be normal.

Speaker 3 37:03

You've given me a lot to think about now.

Speaker 2 37:07

That was deep.

Speaker 3 37:10

I feel like I can feel a campaign coming there you go safety is the new normality.

Speaker 1 37:18

There we go, there we go oh my goodness, how do we spell safety? You have to put a special pink in there indeed so any last second thoughts as we close off you know.

Speaker 3 37:36

I just want to say thank you to both of you, um and for inviting me on. Thank you for this podcast, anyone that's listening. There's a lot you can take from this. Go and do some further reading. Take the points that are spoken about in here, use them, learn them, develop them and they will help you in your safety career.

Speaker 1 38:01

Brilliant thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you very much any final thoughts Nuala.

Speaker 2 38:08

It has been a fabulous and very inspiring conversation and I'm going to walk away with the reminder of trust, listen and show genuine interest and if you can just do those three things and they're not easy, they take effort, but they are so worth it at the end of the day so thank you so much for sharing those with us, and the impact that it's had on you is, in the short time that you've really embraced them and gone. This is going to make a difference in my career.

Speaker 3 38:43

Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 38:44

Thank you, it's been a joy. My day didn't start out so great, but I find I'm smiling, so thanks.

Speaker 3 38:52

We're all smiling.

Speaker 2 38:56

Thank you for joining us today. It is always lovely to have conversations that matter To learn more about creating a culture of safety and care. Please visit our website safetycollaborationscom to access our show notes, resources and guides. Leave us a message via the message us section on the show notes page and we'll get back to you.

Speaker 1 39:18

You can also join our community on social media by following us on our LinkedIn pages Safety Collaborations Karen Avari and Noorla Gage and on our new Safety Collaborations social channels YouTube, facebook and Instagram. Our handle Safety Collaborations is much the same Sharing is caring. Follow us on your favourite podcast platform. Leave us a five-star review. It would be awesome. Doing these things helps us to grow and share our collective conversations. Till next time stay safe and stay well.