The morning briefing does not last all day just because the paperwork does. At the start of the shift, the crew reviews the task, discusses the hazards, and confirms how the work will be done. The plan makes sense for the conditions in front of them. But work rarely stands
Design the work around your people. Practical lessons from distribution-center ergonomics, supplier collaboration, and leadership on the floor.
Prefer to listen? Here is the audio companion for this article. By Bryan Barker | The True North EHS After an incident, “they got complacent” can sound like an answer. Someone got comfortable, lost focus, or took a shortcut on a familiar job. The response seems straightforward: review the procedure, remind
Safety planning often explains failure in detail. But do our teams have an equally clear picture of what must go right?
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. The Longview Tank Failure and the Lessons Every Supervisor Needs to Hear Before Anything Else Eleven workers died at the Nippon Dynawave paper mill in Longview, Washington on May 26, 2026. Before this article says one word about inspections,
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. One of the more common mistakes organizations make in EHS is confusing closing something in a system with actually fixing it. An issue gets identified, a corrective action gets assigned, a due date gets added, and eventually somebody updates
Prefer to listen? Here is the audio companion for this issue. Welcome back to The True North EHS. John Wooden used to start by teaching his players how to properly put on their socks and shoes. Think about that for a minute. One of the greatest basketball coaches of all
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a 40-hour train-the-trainer course in Red Wing, Minnesota through DBI-SALA for fall protection. One of the things that stayed with me from that training was the discussion
Prefer to listen? Here is the audio companion for this issue. Welcome back to The True North EHS. One of the biggest influences on safety performance is usually not the policy, the slogan, or the annual plan. It is the supervisor. That is not meant to downplay leadership, systems, or
After witnessing the aftermath of a fatal electrical contact incident in Central America, Bryan reflects on why safety standards matter and why too many of them only exist because someone else paid the price first.
Prefer to listen? Here is the audio companion for this issue. July 2026 | Practical safety insight for real-world operations Lead Story: Don’t Be a Hero for the Company. Be Here for Your Family. Every day, people make decisions at work that feel small in the moment. Skip the
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion I have seen this happen more than once. A maintenance team is given a job that should take several days. The work gets finished early. Leadership is pleased. People get recognized. The team gets
Prefer to listen? Here is the audio companion for this issue. Listen to the audio companion Years ago, I had the opportunity to support and help build Starbucks Roasteries around the world, including Shanghai, Tokyo, Milan, New York, Chicago, and Seattle. This photo comes from a time when my beard
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion There are incidents you never really forget. One that has stayed with me happened during a trenching job where two excavators were digging a trench about 10 feet deep across a roadway to install
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this newsletter. Listen to the audio companion June 2026 Practical safety insight for real-world operations Lead Story: National Safety Month and the Importance of Sharpening the Axe June is National Safety Month, and I think it gives all of us
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion Why doing enough to stay compliant is not the same thing as operating well Over the course of my career, I’ve seen a lot of organizations put real effort into environmental compliance. They
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this newsletter. Listen to the audio companion May 2026 Practical safety insight for real-world operations Lead Story: Courageous Cultures Don’t Sound Normal at First A few years ago, I had the opportunity to sit in on multiple meetings with
Prefer to listen? Here’s the audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion Not every leader shows up in a way that's easy to appreciate at first. Sometimes the person with influence is not the one setting the tone you want. Sometimes he is the
Prefer to listen, here is the audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion True North EHS, Issue #4 The Story Your Safety Program Is Actually Telling Every organization has a safety narrative. The question is whether that narrative is being shaped by leadership statements, safety posters, and
Prefer to listen? Here’s the audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with fellow EHS professionals about something I believe is often overlooked in our field, the power of storytelling. In safety, we spend a great
Industrial hygiene is not just about protecting workers today. It is about making sure they can enjoy retirement. Plus: OSHA Heat NEP update, HazCom deadline, Casella APEX2 spotlight, and more.
Prefer to listen? Here's the podcast-style audio companion for this article. Listen to audio companion In 2009, while working at a mining site, our team faced significant challenges due to last time injuries. We had more than we wanted and did not like our results, so we
April 2026 | Practical safety insight for real-world operations Lead Story: OSHA Just Dropped a $4.7 Million Citation. Here's the Lesson. A Massachusetts construction contractor is facing nearly $4.7 million in proposed penalties after a fatal trench collapse in November 2025. Revoli Construction Co. received seven
Prefer to listen? Here's the podcast-style audio companion for this article. Listen to the audio companion There are moments in this profession that stay with you forever. One of those moments for me happened when I was working in the mining industry in a processing area. It