Tag Archives: Leadership

Operational Integrity: The Operating Model Heavy Manufacturing Needs

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Chet Brandon

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cyber-Physical Risk in the Age of AI: How Safety Professionals Help Directors Make Better Operational Technology Investment Decisions – Part 4

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Chet Brandon

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stop Work Authority: The Ultimate Expression of Safety, Empowerment, and Respect

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Chet Brandon

In the realm of industrial safety, few practices are as powerful—or as underleveraged—as Stop Work Authority (SWA). When properly understood and embraced, SWA is far more than a compliance protocol. It becomes a declaration of trust, a signal of psychological … Continue reading →

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

AI as a Strategic Partner: Building a Digital Twin to Advance Safety and Sustainability

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Chet Brandon

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 , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Safe to Fail: How Digital Twins Can Rewire Workplace Trust

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Chet Brandon

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 , , , , , | 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

Effects of Culture on Complex Systems

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Chet Brandon

I have recently been considering the impact of culture on the safety of complex systems, specifically chemical operations covered by the Process Safety Management standard. My supposition is that engineering and procedures factors are important building blocks to safe operations … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, EHS Management | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

My Volunteer Leadership: Purpose and Meaning

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Chet Brandon

I discovered the field of occupational safety and health and knew within the first 30 minutes of my first class, that this was the career I wanted to have, and the kind of people I wanted to work with.  For … Continue reading →

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

Leadership is a Conversation

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Chet Brandon

There was a post a while back on HBR’s Blog site that caught my eye. It was titled: Leadership is a Conversation. It attracted me because I happen to believe this is very true. I worked once with a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Leadership, Technical Skills | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment