In this episode of the Leading & Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the psychological importance of the home-to-work transition (HWT) — the intentional process of mentally and physically unwinding after a workday. Drawing from a recent article in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Mark examines how continuous activation of stress systems throughout the workday requires a deliberate unwinding process to maintain long-term wellbeing. Mark reflects on his...

In this episode of the Leading & Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French continues his exploration of how organizational culture is built through both action and inaction. Drawing from research published in the Consulting Psychology Journal (APA, Sept. 2025), he highlights that while values are abstract, culture becomes real through observable practices—what people actually do every day. Mark explains that every organization operates within three behavioral zones: actions that al...

In this episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French dives deep into one of his favorite topics—organizational culture—and how emotional intelligence shapes the environment where people truly thrive. Drawing from research published in the Consulting Psychology Journal, Mark explores the concept of an EI-supportive organizational culture and unpacks what it really means to live out corporate values instead of merely displaying them on paper. Through his signature “garden a...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French takes a deep and heartfelt look at lone worker safety—a topic that tragically resurfaces too often in today’s workplaces. Inspired by a recent real-world incident where a lone distribution worker lost their life after a stack of boxes collapsed, Mark explores how training, resource constraints, and unrealistic productivity metrics can intersect to create deadly conditions. He reflects on the delicate balance b...

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores the timeless leadership principle of “inspect what you expect,” rooted in the lean concept of gemba—going to where the work is actually done. Safety and lean thinking should be natural partners, but too often leaders set expectations without validating them through presence and follow-up. Mark recounts observing a construction crew working without proper PPE, despite safety glasses being available. One worker wor...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety Podcast, Dr. Mark French explores how occupational fatalities and serious injuries are often underreported—or poorly reported—by the media. He emphasizes that every worker who leaves for the day but does not return home deserves more than a passing mention in the news. Instead, incidents are too frequently summarized through obituaries or crowdfunding pages, leaving little information for professionals to analyze, learn from, and use ...

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French shifts focus from technical safety to the broader issues of mental health, organizational justice, and fairness in the workplace. September marks International Suicide Prevention Month, and Mark emphasizes the importance of recognizing that mental health is real, even if invisible, and that everyone’s story matters. He critiques inconsistent workplace practices through a case study involving alleged violations of the Preg...

In this episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores the intersection of meaning, leadership, and generational diversity in the workplace. Drawing from his leadership training experiences, Mark reflects on the importance of making safety training meaningful to individuals. He explains that without personal relevance, training often fails to influence behavior. A powerful story from early in his career illustrates how meaning can shift when context changes—what on...

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French highlights the moral imperative of safety as a foundation for leadership. He emphasizes that prioritizing people’s well-being opens the door to empathy, innovation, and stronger organizational culture. Recent safety incidents underscore persistent risks. Roadway accidents—particularly during summer travel—remain frequent, reminding us of the dangers of distracted or inexperienced driving. Dr. French shares a personal refl...

This episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety shares a rare and inspiring safety success story from rural Kentucky. A 68-year-old farmer became trapped in soybeans inside a grain bin — a dangerous, permit-required confined space. Such incidents, often unreported in family farming, have historically caused fatalities, especially among youth. In this case, the local volunteer fire department, equipped with a “turtle tube” grain bin rescue device, performed a flawless rescue. The equipment...

In this episode of Leading and Learning Through Safety, Dr. Mark French explores the tragic consequences of neglecting workplace safety through the lens of a devastating explosion at a biofuels plant in Nebraska. The explosion killed a 32-year-old employee and his two young daughters, who were waiting at the site to go to a doctor’s appointment. The incident highlights the very real and human cost of safety failures—not just for workers, but for entire communities. Mark reflects on how preven...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French revisits the foundational topic of adult learning in the workplace, particularly in the context of safety training. He reflects on his own journey from nervous novice to experienced trainer, emphasizing how repetitive safety topics must still be delivered meaningfully to engage a diverse audience. Mark discusses the challenge of delivering impactful safety training to a mixed group—ranging from janitorial staf...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the increasingly blurred lines between safety and security, especially for field teams working in unpredictable public environments. Reflecting on a recent visit to a street lighting crew in a high-risk urban area, he shares his concern for worker safety amid uncertain external threats. Traditional safety protocols fall short in these contexts, and current de-escalation training—typically designed for...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the critical link between psychological safety, rest, and physical safety in the workplace. Traditionally, safety professionals begin with physical safety as a foundation, but Mark challenges that order by highlighting emerging research suggesting psychological safety—particularly the ability to truly rest—is foundational to overall well-being. Referencing a meta-analysis from the Journal of Occupatio...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French explores the contrast between managing people the easy way versus the right way. Sparked by a discussion with a fellow safety professional and the media’s coverage of the Texas floods, Mark reflects on how safety failures are often sensationalized, leading to blame instead of meaningful solutions. He argues that while it’s easy to point fingers and assign fault, true leadership requires deeper examination of s...

In this episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, Dr. Mark French highlights the urgent need for proactive summer safety measures. As temperatures across the U.S. reach dangerous highs, several tragic workplace fatalities have occurred—many directly linked to extreme heat. Dr. French emphasizes that summer comes every year and should never catch companies unprepared. He cites multiple real-life cases, including the death of a postal worker in Texas, a softball umpire in Sout...

The episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, hosted by Dr. Mark French, centers on the pressing issue of summer safety, particularly heat stress and seasonal workplace hazards. Dr. French emphasizes the growing concern over heat-related illnesses due to rising temperatures across the U.S. He highlights ongoing OSHA hearings aiming to implement enforceable standards around heat stress, including rest breaks, hydration, acclimatization, and emergency response plans. While som...

In this episode, Dr. Mark French explores the importance of onboarding new safety professionals through a leadership-focused lens. Reflecting on his experience guiding a newly hired safety team member, he emphasizes that onboarding should go beyond teaching technical safety skills. The real value lies in mentoring new professionals on how to apply their knowledge through effective leadership and influence, rather than relying on authority. Mark shares his personal leadership development journ...

This episode of the Leading and Learning Through Safety podcast, hosted by Dr. Mark French, explores the use of euphemisms in leadership communication. Inspired by a recent article from the Journal of Applied Psychology, Dr. French discusses how euphemistic language—used to soften or reframe harsh realities—can diminish the perceived severity of serious issues like fraud, negligence, or safety violations. While euphemisms can serve a respectful purpose, overuse may lead to reduced accountabil...

In this episode, Dr. Mark French dives deeper into the psychology of listening, reflecting on how powerful it is to be truly heard—and the responsibility that comes with listening effectively. He explores how our personal biases, distractions, and assumptions can distort communication, and stresses the value of active listening, including recapping and confirming understanding to ensure clarity. French highlights the importance of meeting people "where they are" in conversations, especially w...