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Tag Archives: business
Contractor Safety Management: The Contractor Operational Integrity Model
I’m pleased to share my latest article: “The Future of Contractor Safety Management: The Contractor Operational Integrity Model.”
The impetus for this piece came from my participation on a contractor safety panel at the Avetta annual conference in Chicago in mid-May. The discussion reinforced something I believe strongly: contractor safety management is moving into a new era.
For too long, contractor safety has often been treated as a compliance and prequalification process. Those elements still matter, but they are not enough. The future is about work readiness, verified control of work, and operational integrity at the point where risk is real.
In the article, I introduce the Contractor Operational Integrity Model, built around six core elements:
Critical Risk Definition
Capability and Capacity Verification
Control of Work Discipline
Field Verification and Leadership Cadence
Performance Intelligence
Corrective Learning and System Improvement
The central message is straightforward:
Compliance is the foundation. Operational integrity is the standard.
Contractor safety is not just a safety department issue. It is a test of how well safety, operations, procurement, maintenance, and contractors operate as one system under real field conditions.
I appreciate the Avetta team for hosting a strong discussion and creating space for practical dialogue on where contractor risk management needs to go next. Continue reading
Posted in AI, Artificial Intelligence, contractor safety, enterprise risk management, Innovation
Tagged AI, Artificial Intelligence, business, contractor operational integrity, contractor risk management, contractor safety, contractor safety management, control of work, EHS leadership, ehs-leadership, field verification, heavy industry safety, news, safety management systems, technology, work readiness
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Operational Integrity: The Operating Model Heavy Manufacturing Needs
Heavy manufacturing does not fail all at once. It usually fails in layers.
A workaround becomes normal. A critical control weakens. A maintenance backlog grows. A near miss is explained away because no one was hurt. Over time, the operation drifts from discipline into exposure.
That is why I believe Operational Integrity needs to be treated as an overarching operating model, not just another safety, reliability, or compliance initiative.
In this article, I outline a practical framework for Operational Integrity built around five elements:
Operating Envelope | Strong Systems | Reliable Equipment | Leadership Cadence | Disciplined Operations
The goal is simple: help manufacturing organizations run with greater control, consistency, resilience, and accountability — for the benefit of employees, customers, communities, owners, and all stakeholders who depend on the enterprise. Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Employee Engagement
Tagged Artificial Intelligence, business, critical control management, equipment reliability, heavy manufacturing safety, industrial safety leadership, Leadership, manufacturing leadership, manufacturing risk management, manufacturing-operational-integrity, manufacturing-resilience, operational excellence, operational integrity, process safety management, safety culture, safety-innovation, technology
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Cyber-Physical Risk in the Age of AI: How Safety Professionals Help Directors Make Better Operational Technology Investment Decisions – Part 4
As the final article in this four-part series, Fay Feeney and I bring the conversation into the boardroom. Operational technology is no longer just an engineering concern—it is a governance test. As AI-enabled assets reshape industrial operations, directors are approving new risk profiles, resilience assumptions, and value-creation models. Continue reading
Posted in AI, Artificial Intelligence, EHS Management, enterprise risk management, Leadership, Machine Learning, Sustainability Leadership
Tagged AI, AI operational technology risk, AIOT Resilience Index, Artificial Intelligence, board oversight cybersecurity, business, cyber physical risk management, cyber-physical risk management, enterprise risk management OT, industrial cyber resilience, Leadership, operational technology governance, OT capital investment risk, OT cyber risk, safety professionals and cybersecurity, technology
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Cyber-Physical Risk in the Age of AI: How Safety Leaders and Boards Can Protect Operational Technology – Part 2
AI is changing the rules of cyber risk—and in OT environments, the consequences are no longer just digital.
From process instability to SIF potential, cyber threats are now operational threats. The real question isn’t if this risk exists—it’s whether we’re integrating safety, cyber, and operations fast enough to manage it.
Part 2 explores how AI is both accelerating the threat—and becoming a critical part of the defense. Continue reading
Posted in AI, enterprise risk management, Technical Skills
Tagged AI, AI cyber risk industrial systems, AI in industrial cybersecurity, artificialintelligence, business, critical infrastructure cybersecurity, cyber physical risk management, cyber physical security strategy, cyber risk governance board oversight, cybersecurity, enterprise risk management, industrial control systems security, operational technology cybersecurity, operationaltechnology, OT cyber resilience, process safety and cybersecurity integration, risk management, riskmanagement, technology
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AI as a Strategic Partner: Building a Digital Twin to Advance Safety and Sustainability
Introduction The challenges of leading Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) efforts across global, high-risk operations have never been more intense. Executive leaders today are asked to navigate volatile regulations, emerging technologies, ESG mandates, cultural transformation, and shifting workforce expectations—all while … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged #DigitalTwin #EHSLeadership #SafetyLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #AIinEHS #SustainabilityLeadership #FutureOfWork #StrategicInnovation #ArtificialIntelligence #LeadershipTransformation, AI, Artificial Intelligence, business, Digital Twin, EHS, Executive Leadership, Leadership, technology
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Safe to Fail: How Digital Twins Can Rewire Workplace Trust
Digital twin technology—virtual representations of physical systems or processes—can significantly enhance psychological safety in the workplace by providing environments where employees feel secure to speak up, experiment, and make mistakes without fear of negative consequences. These virtual environments enable organizations … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged AI, Artificial Intelligence, business, Leadership, psychological-safety, technology
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You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Value: Reimagining Capital in Organizations
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 business, finance, human-capital, risk-abatement, risk-assessment
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Essential Mistakes for EHS&S Leaders to Avoid – 2025 Update
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 business, Leadership, risk management, sustainability, technology
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Leadership 101: Positive Leaders Have a Healthy Dose of Skepticism Too
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 business, Leadership, philosophy, Politics, trust
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