In today's fast-paced world, where time is often prioritized over thoroughness, a common question arises: "Is good enough ever safe enough?" When it comes to safety in the workplace, this question carries significant weight. Safety Speaker Mike Hourigan offers valuable insights into why settling for "good enough" can be a risky gamble and how adopting a safety-first mindset is crucial for organizational success. The Illusion of "Good Enough" In...
“People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night. But safety – like light – is a façade. - Author, C.J. Roberts As a motivational safety keynote speaker and safety consultant, allow me to answer my own question, though I doubt many executive leaders or their safety officers will like my answer. What is the problem with safety day events? They are...
What do layoffs, mergers, location changes, acquisitions, new production facilities and changes of management all have in common? Hint: it’s not what you think – and that’s the problem. As a safety speaker who has been delivering safety keynote speeches on safety for many years, I will be “pleased” to give you the answer: whenever a change occurs, it is a virtual guarantee that serious accidents will increase. Of...
As a safety speaker, who speaks on safety nationwide, I often regret how the best source of safety data, U.S. Department of Labor, includes so many tragic accidents under the heading of “Slips, Trips and Falls.” The banner almost sounds like a song, a joke or the name of a jazz trio! Whatever “Slips, Trips and Falls” may sound like to you, the category resulted in 15-percent of all...
Last week, speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina in my role as a workplace safety motivational speaker, a sales person in the trade show area casually asked why everyone always made “such a big deal” about common sense stuff. “After all,” he said, “stupid mistakes get rid of stupid people, and there’s too many as it is.” Rather than challenge him, I nonchalantly asked him about his background. “I sold...
If Workplace Safety is a Negotiation, Why Aren’t We Talking More? As a manufacturing safety speaker, I stress that manufacturing safety is an ongoing negotiation. As a safety keynote speaker, I am passionately committed to doing everything I can to talk more on the importance of safety, encourage more safety conversations and to teach workers and supervisors to spotlight safety negotiation as their highest priority. “Letters from CEOs” As...
A Safety Silo is not a Disney Ride One of the highest purposes of my life is to be a motivational safety speaker. Speaking on safety is personal to me, because of the early years of my career. Long before I went into sales and became a keynote speaker, I worked in factories and steel mills. I saw far too many injuries that could have been avoided. “If you...
How Many Days Has It Been for You? My work as a Workplace Safety Speaker has taken me to many manufacturing, trucking and construction companies. Recently, the president of a company invited me to see the operation before I delivered a safety speech. Before I ever thought about becoming a keynote speaker on safety, I worked in construction, manufacturing, and transportation, so it always feels good to “come back...
As a workplace safety motivational speaker, I can’t tell you how many factories and worksites I’ve visited, where some 20-year-old is sitting there, smiling at me as I stress the seriousness of safety. Speaking on workplace safety is often a thankless job. The people who really need to hear the safety message need a lot of convincing because they can’t imagine the consequences. Workplace Safety is Forever I was...
A few years ago, I was asked in my role as a safety motivational speaker to speak at a major food industry tradeshow. One of the aspects of the tradeshow was that it was honoring women who had contributed to the industry. Indeed, as a keynote and break-out session speaker on safety I have met many women who have had outstanding careers in the safety prevention area. I am...
Why is being a safety motivational speaker so important to me? Earlier in my career, long before I was an executive and dressed in suits, I worked in production on the factory floor. I saw first-hand what happened to workers who took safety for granted. I am passionate about being a national safety speaker on safety topics and challenging organizations to reduce workplace injuries. More Aware, but Not Enough...