Safety and Advocacy with Holly Poplawski

Holly Poplawski of AlignOps joins Emily to discuss the vital role of advocacy in building a resilient safety culture. In recognition of NSSGA’s advocacy month this September, Holly shares her unique perspective on how safety professionals can influence change, build organizational support and help companies of all sizes strengthen their safety programs from the ground up.

This episode explores the four most common situations where organizations seek help - ranging from rapid growth and manual process fatigue to responding to serious incidents or audit findings. Holly explains why safety professionals should act as "internal investigators" to identify the gaps between written procedures and field reality. They also discuss the transition from speaking the "language of safety" to the "language of leadership," ensuring that safety goals are seamlessly aligned with operational success.

Main Themes:

• Identifying the four common triggers for organizational change

• The safety professional’s role as an internal investigator to bridge the gap between "paper safety" and field operations.

• Why technology is a tool for visibility but not a standalone solution for a broken process.

• Scaling safety programs to ensure that standardization supports growth rather than creating bureaucracy.

• Moving beyond "checking the box" after an audit to address the systemic causes behind a symptom.

• Developing the four essential traits of an effective safety advocate

• Building trust through one-on-one conversations and active listening.

Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions:

1. In this episode, Emily and Holly Poplawski explore the connections between advocacy and safety and how being a safety professional means advocating for your coworkers. Have you ever thought about this connection? 

2. Holly describes how safety professionals can advocate for shifting mindsets from compliance to risk management. How do you think this kind of safety culture would impact the rest of the company?

3. Does anyone have a story they would like to share about advocating for a safety issue on the jobsite? 

Key Takeaways:

"Safety professionals are advocates every single day. They’re advocating for employees, for better processes, for resources, and for training."

"You don’t have to win the entire argument on day one. You just need to create enough momentum for the next conversation."

"Standardization isn’t bureaucracy. It’s what allows you to maintain the same expectations across the organization."

"The best system is the one that makes the right thing easier to do."

"The goal is to move from ‘How do we close this finding?’ to ‘How do we make sure this doesn’t happen again?’ That’s a completely different conversation."

"Trust is one of the foundations of safety culture. You don’t have to transform the entire culture tomorrow. Start by finding one gap, have one conversation, and create one improvement."

Links:

• National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association Website: https://www.nssga.org/

• Take Control: Prevent Serious Injuries and Fatalities: https://www.nssga.org/industry-priorities/health-safety/take-control-prevent-serious-injuries-and-fatalities

AlignOps: https://alignops.com/

Could you prove it if OSHA or MSHA walked in tomorrow? Find out where you're already solid and where you're not. Take the 2-minute Safety Leader Self-Assessment → https://alignt.co/nssga-safety