In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Zoë Nation, a human factors and safety expert with over 25 years of design and implementation experience across rail, oil and gas, logistics, mining, marine, manufacturing, and aviation industries.
Zoë challenges safety professionals to be more curious, move beyond ‘tribalism’, and adopt more context- and research-driven approaches to safety management: “There isn’t one right answer!”
She highlights the common pitfalls organizations face when implementing change and emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique maturity and culture of your organization.
Drawing on her extensive experience, Zoë stresses the critical role of end-user engagement, reminding EHS professionals that frontline workers don’t care about safety camps or jargon - they just need solutions based on their work realities.
Throughout the conversation, Zoë shares practical tools and insights to help EHS professionals learn from the workforce, influence decision-makers, avoid common blind spots, and create effective safety systems that resonate across all levels of the business.
Safety resources/authors recommended by Zoë:
The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error': Amazon.com: Dekker, Sidney
Bob's Guide to Operational Learning: How to Think Like a Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Coach: Amazon.com: Edwards, Bob, Baker, Andrea
Humble Inquiry, 3rd edition: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling (Humble Leadership): Amazon.com: Schein, Edgar H., Schein, Peter A
SafetyInsights.org – Home of safety & risk research summaries
Global Safety Innovation Summit
Zoë Nation on LinkedIn: Zoë Nation | LinkedIn
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