The Safety Leadership Collective

Latest Episodes:

Cut the Safety Noise: Keep It Simple Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

Episode 309: When leaders prioritize safety over production and speed, employees follow procedures and report hazards. This episode emphasizes the "tone from the top" and the importance of clear, consistent leadership to drive real safety culture.

Justin DeFlumeri, CEO of Optimal Safety Inspections, joined us to discuss keeping safety simple, engaging frontline workers with practical activities like "find it, fix it," and using measurable actions to turn employee feedback into faster, lasting safety improvements.

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-deflumeri-ms-5271a7b8/

To learn more about Optimal Safety Inspections, check out their website at: https://www.optimalsafetyinspections.com/

For more information on the Portage County Safety Council, please visit our website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

Beyond Tired: Recognizing Burnout and Fatigue Before Safety Suffers Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Episode 308: Fatigue and burnout aren’t just personal challenges—they’re workplace safety risks. Dr. Michael Atta and Dr. Xuan-Lan Griffith of Summa Health break down the key differences between the two and explain how each can quietly undermine safety, decision-making, and productivity.

Through real workplace examples, they highlight what happens when warning signs are missed.

This episode delivers practical steps for employees, leaders, and organizations to recognize risks early, improve communication, strengthen culture, and implement policies that safeguard both people and performance.

To learn more about Summa Health, please visit their website at: https://www.summahealth.org/

For more information on the Portage County Safety Council, please visit our website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

Servant Leadership in High-Risk Roles: Building Trust Not Orders Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Episode 307: In this episode of the Safety Leadership Collective Podcast, Nic Coia, Mike Thompson, and Ralph Suppa from Cervitas Solutions explore servant leadership in safety roles. They discuss how trust, vulnerability, and leading by example strengthens teams, prevent incidents, and create value within organizations.

Listeners will hear real stories from fire and special operations experience, practical steps for middle managers and frontline leaders, and a clear call to build trust as the foundation of effective safety leadership.

To learn more about Cervitas, please visit their website at: https://www.cervitas.com/

For more information on the Portage County Safety Council, please visit our website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn: How Trauma Shapes Behavior at Work Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

Episode 306: Clinical therapist and Mental Wealth Consultant, Kelly Younkins, explains how trauma and stress responses—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—show up at work, why these reactions depend on individual capacity more than the event itself, and how they drive burnout and disengagement.

The episode offers simple, practical guidance for leaders and coworkers: be curious and compassionate, invest time in regular check-ins and mental health checkups, use EAPs proactively, and adopt language and behaviors that create psychological safety and improve performance.

To learn more about Kelly, please visit her website at: https://www.kellyyounkinsclinicalconsultant.com/

For more information on the Portage County Safety Council, please visit our website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

Mastering Impairment: Protecting Workers from Marijuana, Psychedelics, and More Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Episode 305: In this episode, Chuck Marting, author of Mastering the Impairment Code, discusses how legalization of marijuana and psychedelics, increasing medical treatments like ketamine, and evolving workplace policies affect safety and impairment. He shares real examples from law enforcement and employers to show why testing, supervisor training, and compassionate intervention can prevent accidents and help employees get treatment.

To learn more about Chuck, please visit his website at: https://www.chuckmarting.com/

For more information on the Portage County Safety Council, please visit our website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

Introducing The Safety Leadership Collective: Our Podcast Relaunch and Rebrand Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Episode 304: Join the Portage County Safety Council as they relaunch the podcast under the new Safety Leadership Collective brand. After humble beginnings in 2017 and 2018, the show has grown to 303 episodes, 141 experts, over 87 hours of content, and listeners in more than 81 nations.

This episode outlines the relaunch goals for 2026, the focus on safety, leadership, and well-being, and invites safety professionals and listeners to join the collective and share expertise.

For more information, please visit our podcast webpage at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/podcasts/

For more information on the Portage County Safety Council, please visit our website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

From Prisons to Boardrooms: Values That Transform Organizations Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Episode 303: Bernie Torrance, the International Director of the La Red Business Network and Founder of Global Priority Solutions, joined us to talk about values-based leadership and the roundtable model that transformed prisons, courts, and workplaces across Latin America and the U.S., cutting violence and turnover dramatically.

Bernie explains how short, weekly roundtables build trust, create measurable behavior change with simple action steps, and deliver real business results — including a documented $1 million improvement in one year.

Check out some of the organizations that Bernie mentioned in the interview:

For more information about the PCSC, visit their website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

2025 NE Ohio Safety Expo Preview Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

Episode 302: Ruth Bowdish of On Demand Occupational Medicine and Dave Constantino joined us to chat about the 2025 NE Ohio Safety Expo! This event will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2025, 9am-4pm, at the Holiday Inn in Boardman, OH.

Now available on your favorite podcast app!

For more info on the 2025 NE Ohio Safety Epo, visit the website at: https://ondemandoccupationalmedicine.com/neo-ohio-safety-expo/

For more information about the PCSC, visit their website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

[OSC25 Preview] Psychosocial Hazards – The Silent Killer Mar 30, 2025

Show notes

Episode 301: Martin Franchi & Shelly Meadows, Co-Founders of Navigation Consulting & Training, joined us to talk about the importance of mental health and psychological safety at work. They will be presenting on this topic at the 2025 Ohio Safety Congress in April at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Now available on your favorite podcast app!

For more info on OSC25, visit the website at: https://www.ohiosafetycongress.com/

To learn more about Martin & Shelly, visit their website at: https://navct.ca/

For more information about the PCSC, visit their website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

[OSC25 Preview] Influencing Without Direct Authority Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

Episode 300: Merle Heckman, a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, joined us to talk about the importance of relationships when it comes to leadership & safety. He will be presenting on this topic at the 2025 Ohio Safety Congress in April at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Now available on your favorite podcast app!

For more info on OSC25, visit the website at: https://www.ohiosafetycongress.com/

To learn more about Merle, visit his LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merleheckman/

For more information about the PCSC, visit their website at: https://portagecountysafetycouncil.com/

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