Author Archives: Chet Brandon

Unknown's avatar

About Chet Brandon

I am a highly experienced Environmental, Health, Safety & Sustainability Professional for Fortune 500 Companies. I love the challenge of ensuring EHS&S excellence in process, manufacturing, and other heavy industry settings. The connection of EHS to Sustainability is a fascinating subject for me. I believe that the future of industrial organizations depends on the adoption of sustainable practices.

What Makes a Great Chemical Plant Operator? – Safe Habits

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Chet Brandon

I have been developing ideas regarding improving spill and release events in chemical operations lately. People in these operations remain a central influence on the safety of the operation. Operators of the process units have the greatest influence over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Value: Reimagining Capital in Organizations

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Chet Brandon

A New Model for Business Decision Making The Capitals Model is a framework that helps organizations recognize that long-term value creation depends on more than just financial assets. Developed and promoted by the Capitals Coalition, the model encourages businesses and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

From Ambiguity to Action: Turning Weak Signals into Strategic Safety Gains

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Chet Brandon

As I stood reviewing yet another incident report, I found myself asking a question that’s become uncomfortably familiar: What could we have done differently—not after the fact, but before it happened? In high-risk, complex operations, it’s all too clear that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alone in the Air: Some Thoughts on Solitude

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Chet Brandon

I just finished reading Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins, a deeply personal and candid account of what it really meant to be an astronaut during the golden age of space exploration. Unlike many official histories, this book isn’t just … Continue reading →

Posted in Career Skills, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Empowering Future Leaders: EHS Drives Business Success and Offers Rewarding Careers!

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Chet Brandon

You never know where your career journey will take you or how the connections you make will circle back in surprising and meaningful ways. Recently, I had the privilege of reconnecting with Fred Eilts, a fellow senior leader from my … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Accumen, Career Skills, EHS Management, Leadership, Sustainability Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Wright Brothers’ Contribution to Safety

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Chet Brandon

The Wright Brothers were many things: pioneers, the first aviators, scientists, engineers, businessmen and safety professionals.  That last one may surprise you.  In this post I am going to explain how they managed risk better than any of their contemporaries, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Essential Mistakes for EHS&S Leaders to Avoid – 2025 Update

Posted on December 28, 2024 by Chet Brandon

I recently revisited an article I wrote for ASSP’s Professional Safety Magazine titled Essential Mistakes for OSH Managers to Avoid, published in the July 2018 edition. While the core principles I discussed remain highly relevant today, the evolving landscape of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Leadership 101: Positive Leaders Have a Healthy Dose of Skepticism Too

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Chet Brandon

One of the greatest pleasures of leadership is seeing those you lead succeed.  The more success that occurs, the better the team does.  However… in dynamic and complex situations things won’t always go as planned.  The experienced leader is always … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Accumen, Career Skills, Leadership, Leadership 101, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Embodying the Ideal: Rooseveltian Americanism and the Pursuit of National Unity

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Chet Brandon

We, as Americans, and as a nation, are not fully living up to the revolutionary ideals upon which our republic was founded. This deeply concerns me, particularly the increasing cynicism among younger generations regarding our nation and their role in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Leadership, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harnessing AI to Revolutionize EHS Management: A Vision for the Future

Posted on November 24, 2024 by Chet Brandon

“The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into business processes has created a paradigm shift in how organizations approach decision-making, efficiency, and now, employee safety. In the realm of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) performance, AI’s potential is especially transformative, due … Continue reading →

Posted in Artificial Intelligence, EHS Management, Ethics, Machine Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments