As I was catching up on the goings on of my friends and family on Facebook, I stumbled on a story of a teacher who truly knows how to communicate with students. First, the teacher made it a part of the job as a communicator to know and understand the audience. We, as safety leaders need to do the same.

Recently I was talking to colleagues on the subject of talking to strangers on airplanes. Like many safety professionals I spend a fair amount of time crammed into an uncomfortable seat, breathing stale air, and having my space invaded by a mouth-breather whose idea of a good trip is chatting up the stranger beside him.

Want to improve productivity by motivating workers, or maybe improving the look of their workzone? A new study showed some "small but significant" effects on work-related outcomes -- but with a twist.

One of the best ways to make your point is by using humor. As you know, you will more likely listen to a creative and fun airline safety announcement than the same old tired message. For years, I have been sharing the message that people need to use the handrail whenever they are using the stairs.

We all engage in activities outside of work that have risks. In our personal lives, it is normal for our risk tolerance to increase; however, with increased risk comes increased probability of injury. A recent National Safety Council (NSC) report revealed that about 70% of all medical case injuries occur off the job, along with about 90% of fatal injuries.

Transactional leadership is ok; transformational leadership is even better. That conclusion comes from a study by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), which surveyed more than 1,000 plumbers and pipefitters to find out what style of safety leadership yields the best results.