EP 618 - Dr. Matthew Hallowell

Safety FM with Jay Allen

Welcome to a special episode of Safety FM with Jay Allen, featuring Dr. Matthew Hallowell, recorded at the Energy Safety Canada Conference 2024 in Banff. Dr. Hallowell, the founder and executive director of the Construction Safety Research Alliance and Executive Director of Safety Function, is a leading expert in the field of safety, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications on advanced safety metrics including leading indicators, energy-based safety, and precursor analysis. In this episode, Dr. Hallowell provides a detailed overview of his keynote presentation, "Power of Collaboration in SIF Prevention: From TRIR to HECA." While listeners did not hear the original speech, Dr. Hallowell offers an in-depth post-speech interview where he examines the philosophical and statistical flaws of using traditional injury rates as the primary measure of safety. He introduces High-Energy Control Assessments (HECA) as a superior alternative. HECA, grounded in the principles of human and organizational performance (HOP) and the science of energy-based safety, has been effectively operationalized and adopted on a large scale within a major economic sector. This model exemplifies the transformative power of collaboration, combining scientific precision with practical application. Join us in this episode as Dr. Hallowell discusses the innovative approaches to safety management that are redefining industry standards. This engaging conversation, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Banff scenery, provides valuable insights into the future of safety and the critical role of collaboration in advancing workplace safety practices.