This month we’re tackling one of the most cited OSHA topics out there — Lockout/Tagout (LOTO). If your company has a program that checks all of the audit boxes, but your employees are still having injuries, this episode explains why. ⚙️ Top 3 LOTO Problems We’re Seeing in the Field 1️⃣ Bad or outdated templates. If your LOTO template or format is wrong, every single lockout procedure built from it can have problems. 2️⃣ Verification is clear as mud “Verify” doesn’t mean much if no on...

A good part of our career has been spent in ag-business/agribusiness operations, with a huge part of them being at feed mills- for both day and night shifts. This episode covers a few big ticket items that we routinely see. This list can help raise a red flag that there may be some significant risk that can lead to an injury on the horizon. We hope this helps! Summary In this episode of Safe, Efficient, Profitable, Joe and Jen break down mill safety risks. Core themes...

Chemical safety: sounds straightforward, right? You’ve got your SDS, PPE, and eyewash stations. But what happens when your team mixes, sprays, or supercharges those chemicals in ways the manufacturer never imagined? With a CHMM on the mic, this is part coaching, part humor, and 100% actionable. Key Takeaways – 1. The SDS might not be helpful based on how youre using the chemical. Reality check: Most Safety Data Sheets are written based on lab conditions and "intended use"—no...

Welcome to the cage match no one talks about—but everyone in food and meat production lives through. This week, Joe and Jen are tackling the heavyweight showdown between two giants in every facility: Worker Safety vs. Food Safety. Who takes priority when things go sideways? Who gets to call the shots when it’s time to shut it all down? And most importantly—how do we keep from shutting down the whole operation when both teams are “just trying to do their job”? If you’ve ever sat in a Th...

Allen Safety takes a deep dive into SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) reviews, the blurry overlap of responsibility between teams, and why most documentation isn’t as airtight—or as collaborative—as it should be. The hosts challenge listeners to reconsider how procedures are developed, who reviews them, and how safety personnel can truly become competent stakeholders in the systems they’re expected to sign off on. This is more than just a compliance checkbox conversation—it’s a real-world, ...

Does your facility use this tool that creates over-looked safety risks? Episode Summary: In this episode of Safe, Efficient, Profitable: A Worker Safety Podcast, Joe and Jen Allen put a spotlight om an overlooked source of workplace injuries: hose handling. While hoses are a staple tool across manufacturing, sanitation, and agricultural facilities, the hosts reveal practices and conditions that can lead to significant injuries. Through real-world examples, the episode breaks do...

In this episode we're picking the top hot work safety risks that we've encountered over our careers that can create the perfect storm for a fire event during hot work activities, with luck playing a major role in why some buildings are still standing. Give this episode a listen, and see if your facility has any of these hot work process management risks: “Top Failures in Hot Work Safety – Not Your Typical Toolbox Talk” 🔥 Overview: In episode of Safe, Efficient, Pro...

Working at Farms, feed lots, and feed mills. They are absolutely an "if you know you know" type work place, which can create some risks if that person becomes a new hire! In this episode, Joe and Jen skip right over some of the more "traditional" Hazards and move right to things that make you go "huh."🤔 This was a fun one to make- we hope you guys enjoy it! Full episode summary below: Key Points: 1. Biosecurity & Industrial Hygiene Farm safety starts ...

We've all seen the boiler-plate electrical safe work practice & electrical awareness training. This isn't that. In this episode, we're challenging your program, what's covered in training, who gets training, and even your routine safety inspections to give you a fresh way to view electrical safety at your facility. If this helped you, please support us by liking and sharing the episode and thank you for listening! Full episode description below: This episode dives...

Where will the top safety risks and threats fall in 2025? Joe and Jen throw out their predictions for 2025. Let us know in the comments what your predictions are! 1. The Continuation of Key 2024 Trends into 2025The episode kicks off with a reflection on 2024’s biggest safety and compliance trends, including the growing complexity of safety protocols and the rise of multi-stakeholder involvement in documentation.Predictions for 2025 include heightened emphasis on process owner...

Join us for this 2024 worker safety trend wrap-up, where we're discussing the top worker safety gaps and opportunities we personally saw ourselves in the field as safety experts. Is this reviewing OSHA's list from Sept 2024? No. Is what we're listing possibly some of the root causes for why OSHA issued the citations they did? Maybe. Stick with us until the end to see the actionable, budget conscious safety strategies for 2025 and let us know if we missed any that you s...

This video is intended for educational purposes. Solutions offered are not designed to take the place of an attorney, career advisor, or medical professional, and should not be taken as legal, career, or medical advice. It is recommended that viewers consult a safety consultant, career advisor, medical provider or an occupational safety legal team as applicable to help navigate their specific circumstances.

It seems like there are people claiming to be "experts" everywhere- so how do you spot the true experts among all the noise? This video helps you identify exactly that with some red flags and key questions to ask then next time you hire a third party for PSM or Safety audits or training. This video is intended for educational purposes. Solutions offered are not designed to take the place of an attorney or medical professional, and should not be taken as legal advice.&n...

Could something as simple as a microwave be driving up injuries at your manufacturing facility? We think it very well could be, but it goes deeper than that. It goes all the way to the culture and environment your employees are working in. Does your facility have any of these top risks that can drive up stress, and in turn risk of injury? Join us with special guest George Mazzuca this week where we break it all down, and talk about our experiences working in the plants, alon...

Its the holiday season, a dinner topic that may be brought up at a lot of tables centers around job and career changes. For safety managers, a driving force for contemplating a job starts with if they feel the company they work for doesn't have safety values that align with their own. Is it the company, or is it how the manager is presenting the concept of safety? Listen to this episode to learn more!This video is intended for educational purposes. Solutions offered ar...

In this episode, Joe and Jen dive deep into the world of training costs and provide practical insights on how to manage your facility’s training budget without sacrificing quality or compliance. From in-house vs. third-party training to hidden fees and travel expenses, they break down the key factors that can make or break your training program.As a plant manager or safety leader, it's essential to ask the right questions when evaluating training vendors. The episode touches on everything fro...

In this episode, Joe and Jen cover all of the tangible costs of an injury, but dive deep into the intangible costs that injuries bring that are typically not calculated. These underlying costs can cause the start of a cycle that can end up repeating for years to come. Is your business in one of these cycles? Episode summary below:Cost of Workplace Injuries:This episode focuses on the cost of workplace injuries, highlighting both tangible and intangible expenses such as medic...

In this episode, Joe and Jen debate if making changes based on ergonomic evaluations are worth the money, and how to get a return on any ergo projects. If you're wondering if JHAs, JSAs, and Ergo assessments are worth the time and effort, this one is for you!Key Takeaways:Ergonomics Is Often Overlooked: When businesses are under pressure, ergonomic improvements are frequently postponed, yet neglecting them leads to higher injury rates and long-term costs.New Hires at Risk: In physically...

In this episode, Joe and Jen try to give you a step by step guide on how to manage the chaos that can be left after regulators visit your facility. What do you do next? Where do you start? It can be so overwhelming, and this episode was designed to help you sort through it all. Initial Preparation and Documentation: Jen and Joe emphasize that businesses should have a pre-existing plan in place to handle regulatory inspections. A key point here is that the plan should clearly...

Esta semana tuvimos un episodio extra en español con nuestro consultor de seguridad George Mazzuca. Nos divertimos mucho haciendo esta breve capacitación sobre HAZCOM y Hojas de Datos de Seguridad (SDS). ¡Déjanos un comentario abajo y cuéntanos qué te pareció y si quieres más capacitaciones cortas de seguridad en español como esta!