In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Nicole Stempak speaks with the current and previous two presidents of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) -- Monique Parker, Linda Tapp and Pam Walaski -- about strategies safety leaders can use to stay energized, the importance of mentorship, and how embracing change and diversity can lead to more effective safety initiatives.

Below is an excerpt from the podcast:

Nicole Stempak: Welcome to this episode of Talking EHS, part of the Great Question podcast series produced by Endeavor Business Media’s Manufacturing Group, a division of EndeavorB2B. Here is where you can get news, information and compelling conversations on the latest developments in workplace safety. I’m Nicole Stempak, managing editor of EHS Today, which you can find at ehstoday.com. Welcome to the podcast.

We have an extra special episode of Talking EHS today. Joining me is Monique Parker, the current president of ASSP and the past two presidents, Linda Tapp and Pam Walaski.

It's so incredible to have you all here. There are so many things I want to discuss, but first I want to mention something that's always struck me about ASSP, and it's that its beginnings came from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, which remains one of the deadliest workplace safety incidents in U.S. history. Most of those who perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire were young women. And it just always sticks in my mind that this is the event that prompted enough action that led to what is now ASSP, because it's very easy to imagine a world in which people would have just turned their heads. And I wanted to know if any of you had any thoughts you wanted to share, especially since I think at least one of you attended the memorial dedication a couple of years ago.

Pam Walaski: Both Linda and I attended. I'll go first and then I'm sure she'll have something to say. I've always understood that one of the reasons why that incident was so changed, made so many changes was because we entered a period where photographs started to appear in newspapers. And the photographs of the covered sheets laying on the ground really sort of galvanized people and got folks going. But the ASSP submitted a decent amount of money to pay for the memorial that was dedicated in New York City. And so as a result, our entire board got to go to the ceremony. 

There were two things that really struck me. The first was before the ceremony, we had a breakfast with all the attendees. And among the attendees were a lot of the descendants of the people who had perished. And they all had pictures, if they were available, and then how they were related to that person. And so it just made something that I heard about all my career, it made it so much more real. It just made it really real. 

And then during the ceremony, we were sitting there and behind us was a ladder truck, and they had them playing bagpipes, and the ladder truck went up, up, up, up, up, and it stopped two floors below where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located, and they did that purposely and left it there while they continued the ceremony to remind us that one of the reasons why so many people perished was because there was no way to reach them. They were above where the ladder truck could go. And I use that picture a lot to remind myself of that particular incident.

Linda Tapp: Similar to what Pam says with the photographs, I always think it ties to today very closely. So much that happens in the world today is all on social media. People always have their cameras out. And I think it stops all kinds of, you know, terrible things from happening because people are able share those videos really quickly. And like Pam says, that was kind of a turning point because the sidewalk was still with people watching this, the photographers taking photos of these women jumping. So I think that really made a huge difference. Plus there was 146 of them, which was a really big number in any kind of accident. I can imagine if it was six or eight women, they might have, like you said, looked the other way. These are just immigrant women. Let's not pay attention. But the numbers were so huge and they were so young. I think it really spurred that decision. 

And like Pam, the truck was really something that I remember as well. But also there were lots of school children there with all kinds of signs. So there's people still very, very young that weren't connected to the event that are paying attention to it. They had long sticks with Shirtwaist on top that represented different people who died and they were marchingthrough the sidelines. And just seeing those little kids think about it, I think is really important for the future of safety as well, that they're learning about safety at a really young age, and they're hearing about this terrible thing in the past.

NS: Oh, I've got goosebumps just listening to you talk about that. What a reminder of the importance of workplace safety and why you do what you do and the fact that every life matters.

So switching gears a little bit, it has been over 100 years. And I think in that time, you gain perspective. It's such a gift. But it's really difficult to get that when you're in the thick of things. And I wanted to ask all of you how you stay centered and focused on the present, while also working to address these historical, long-term challenges that safety has and working towards proactive, preventive solutions.

Monique Parker: One of the ways I stay grounded is staying focused on the workforce, the current workforce that we're dealing with, because we have so many generations in our current workforce and how they interact, the tools they use, technology or not use technology, and how they think and their risk tolerance and all the things. I mean, the list goes on and on. Focusing there helps me not only be able to respect the past and ensure that we understand why we do what we do, but it helps me focus on how do we maintain our current situation and how do we prepare the workplace, the workforce and industry for the next generation. Because when you can see the multi-generation in the workforce and you work with them and you know how they think and you see the differences, you know the next generation is going to think even more different and they're going to have more tools and technology that we can't even fathom today.

And so that's where I keep my focus and attention is the now and looking at and learning from the now because of the generations. And then trying to predict with my crystal ball, what the next generation is going to encounter and how they're going to think and try to react to that. AI a little bit helps us kind of think outside the box. But I don't think we can fathom what the future is, but we know that it will rapidly change. And we as professionals have to be ready for that change at all times.

LT: The [ASSP] board always talks about how worker safety is an inherent right of every worker. You know, it took us a while to get to that point and that word inherent was kind of a big discussion point, but we all support it and we were all behind it. And I think when you start to think about what you're doing and why and you might have fires to put out and all the other things. It all comes back to, it's a right of every worker. And it's not just the workers in the best of class companies who have 50 people in their safety department. It's every single worker, the temporary person who goes out, you know, gets picked up on the corner in the morning and goes to work out in the construction jobs all the time. So I think that's what really helps me just keep that that focus, what we're really doing and how important it is, even though I'm not on the board anymore, that comment, it's an inherent right, it's going to be ingrained forever.

PW: I remember that conversation and it was really an important conversation. And I think it was a turning point, as you said, Linda, when the board embraced that word. So two things keep me grounded. First of all, the through line back to what we were just talking about. During the course of my year as president, I had the opportunity to meet two moms of young people who had perished in workplace accidents, who were speaking at different conferences and events that I went to. And so having the opportunity to really be face to face, as opposed to a picture of someone on a pin, as was the case for the Triangle, that just kind of reminded me tha the work's not done. And we've come a long way. And as Monique says, there's some interesting and exciting things happening. But that's the perspective that we need to keep in place, that every person who perishes in a workplace accident or is severely injured is a person with a family and friends and coworkers whose lives are forever changed by what happened to them. And we can't ever forget that. 

And so having the opportunity to really have those in-person engagements with those folks who are survivors of workplace accidents really helped me during my year as president. And I'm still connected with two of the women that I met and stay in touch with them.

LT: Nicole, I'll add on, and Monique probably knows where I'm going with this. In May, I got to attend OSHA's worker memorial celebrations, or not actually a celebration, but the memorial in DC.  A three-day event, I went with someone from ASSP staff, and I really hope our full board goes in the future, or at least watch the full streaming of it. That was heartbreaking, honestly. Like children there are saying, I miss my daddy. I mean, these are families of people who lost someone, not just in the past year, but ever. And some of them travel across the country every year to go to this memorial. There was a wreath laying at the Lincoln Memorial. 

But Pam mentioned the survivors. What really, really struck me was that last day they had a survivors panel. They had about 12 family members who were the survivors talk about their loved ones in detail. And it was more at the anger there. And I was angry the whole time. I said, you think I'd be bawling my eyes out? I was angry because everything they talked about was so preventable. And the families blamed their loved ones for the most part, which, oh, my dad had only not been so tired and worked for 30 hours straight. Like things like that, which is so insane. I was fired up. Like, this is nuts. But hearing those people and how they're treated after the death of the work, like everyone gets the attention from the fatality, but after what happens, they can't pay their bills. They have to move. I mean, those stories were so heartbreaking that I really think every safety professional really needs to at least watch the ceremonies. Because it reminds you, it's not just a number. You know, you see the statistics, but these are like real people who have had like major life changes because of something that, and I didn't hear one case that wasn't preventable. And so often they're blaming their loved one. Oh, my dad didn't have his hard hat that day. It's like, there's, it's a bigger problem. So I think, you know, I'm giving my preach for OSHA, but it was a really an amazing event that I think everybody should go to.

NS: I know we often kind of just talk about the paperwork or the digital paperwork, but that is everything. And, hearing you, Linda, talking about how you were fired up, I wanted to ask about mission and energy and how do you all decide where to focus your energy and attention at any given moment, right? Because you could walk into your job and then get a phone call or see something, you know, 30 minutes, 3 hours from now, and it changes, the rest of the day, the rest of the week or longer periods of time.

MP: You’re spot on when you talk about, you can have a day planned because there are so many days I'm like, I'm going to do this or you have your calendar and you get that phone call or you get that e-mail. I'll say the thing that helps me keep my focus and energy and stay on task is what Linda said earlier. Every person has an inherent right to be safe, to have a safe environment and work. And that's what I focus on, the people. They are there for all the reasons we've talked about. They're there to support their family. They're there to progress their career. They're there to fulfill a purpose. And as long as for me, I keep the person at the forefront. 

Obviously, we all have jobs and we're there to make a product or do something for industry or for whatever that looks like. But at the end of the day, if you keep the person front and center, then therefore, for me, that personally allows me to be fulfilled and have the energy and want to do the next best thing. And that's where I keep my main focus is on the person.

And then also at the same time, how they interact with the work environment. Are we creating and designing a work environment that's going to allow them to safely engage? Or do we have a safe space for them to raise their hand if they don't feel comfortable or they don't have the tools they need or they don't have the right PPE? All of those things go into helping us stay motivated and energized to do the right thing. I've worked in some companies where you have to fight for the simple things to be able to make the environment safe or get the employees what they want. That's where you get drained. That's where you get just depleted. And what are we, why am I doing what I'm doing? But if you can wake up and know that you're going to end the day helping someone be better, do better, get better, then it fulfills most people. And I'm one of those.

PW: And even though I don't have a traditional job like Monique has, I think one of the things that has given me energy over the past years has been tying into what she said, some of what you would maybe consider to be evolving approaches to safety, where we have really pivoted away from compliance and have focused more on approaches like psychological safety and human and organizational performance (HOP), where we have flipped the script and have really learned to see the worker as the solution, not the problem, and where we've begun to appreciate that people are human and they make mistakes, and that we have to create, as Monique described, that environment where those mistakes don't necessarily lead to their downfall. Systems where they can interact and do their job, because I believe, and I suspect Linda and Monique do as well, people don't come to work not caring. They come because they want to do a good job. They care about their work and they want to do it well. And anything that we can do as safety professionals to help create those systems, I think is really important.

NS: You've all given me so much to think about, but something I think I'm hearing is talking about culture. And so I wanted to know, how do you all remain dedicated without burning out yourselves? We talk about it for others, but for yourselves.

LT: I'll just jump in because I’m fresh off [the ASSP 2026] conference. And for me, our conference is like an energy drink that lasts all year. You know, it keeps me going. I go to the conference and I'm ready to go for at least 11 1/2 months. You see those two weeks before, it's like, but you go to that conference and you leave energized because you see so many people doing such great things and some of them with so little at the same time. So I think about a lot of those people as well. As president, Pam's done it and Monique will get to do it. We travel a lot around the country and we talk to a lot of other people. And you see how much work is getting done on the ground level by chapters and people who care so much. It's really, it just keeps me going as well. Even now I can see what people are doing. I see their posts. People care so much, and that just keeps me energized.

MP: And for me, the one thing that I think is important, and when we had our conference in Orlando at the end, the closing keynote speaker asked the audience questions, and we got feedback from professionals within the organization about some of their personal challenges. And I think the thing that for me keeps burnout and that we need to think about is we see a lot, we hear a lot. So it's very easy for us to personalize that and hold it in. And so I think it's more about making sure that mental health is taken care of for the person, the professional. And so the way I do that is I have to recharge is, you know, you completely disconnect, you take a break, you go on a girls trip, you go on a family trip, you just go somewhere and do the things you like to do. Like I know what Pam loves fishing and you know, you find that thing that you love. For me, it's travel and eating. If I can do those two things and sit on a beach. If I can do those things, then I am in my happy place and it allows me to disconnect a little bit from all the heaviness. And then with that recharge, you're able to go back and put a plan together and have a way to move forward.

But I think it's very, very important to have an ability to disconnect. And I know some professionals don't get that. They have their computer with them 24/7, whether they're on vacation or not. And that's hard, but organizations need to help their professionals do better, be better, and be able to disconnect. But the person also needs to look at how can they set boundaries so that they can get that disconnection point to prevent burnout.

But for me, it's really being able to disconnect. And I'll be honest, I wasn't able to do that early in my career. And there were times when I'm just like, I would wake up and I'm like, do I have to go to work today? Because I would be so drained. And I was just like, I just want to rest. But I learned later in my career that if I don't take care of myself, I can't take care of those that I'm hired to help take care of. So that's how I function today. But early in my career, I didn't have the confidence to be able to do that.

PW: Yeah, I think I agree over the long arc of my career, I don't think you can avoid burning out. I think you get better at recognizing the signs that you're stressed and you're not doing as well as you want to, and you figure out what your ways of coping are. Like, as Monique said, for me, it's fishing or biking. Traveling, eating, whatever it is, you have to figure out what those are for you so that you can energize yourself. 

Because this is a very challenging and a tough profession to be in. You know, we are helpers. And as helpers, much like healthcare professionals and other folks in the helping professions, it's very easy to take on all of that stuff that you deal with every day. And it's really hard sometimes to leave it behind. But if you're going to survive for a long term over the course of your career, you got to figure out how to do that. And everybody has their own ways to do that.

NS: You both have mentioned something that I wanted to talk to you about, Pam, I know you teach. So what can, what have you learned or what do you think the industry can learn from these younger workers?

PW: First of all, I teach grad school, and so it's not always the youngest. It can be some sort of folks who've been in the field for a while, but it really is important that we understand the stresses and the struggles of emerging professionals and what we do. And I think ASSP has a really active emerging professionals group that really works to promote that.

The other thing that I do in addition to teaching is I do peer-to-peer mentoring groups with emerging female leaders. And over the course of eight months, we get together every month and we meet and we talk about different themes about navigating your career journey and your leadership journey. And I find a lot of the similar kinds of themes among them. And that is, you know, that challenge of finding your place, finding your voice, and finding your support network who will help you get through those things. And I think those are the things that we can best do to help emerging professionals. Let them know they have a voice, let them know they have a place, and make sure that they find people that they surround themselves with so that they can navigate those challenges. 

I've always been a consultant and all of my most long-term colleagues and friends at ASSP are also consultants. They're all over the place. They're not here in Western Pennsylvania where I live. But I don't know what I would have done without the 25-plus years of relationships that I've had with some of those folks, including Linda being one of them. That's really that network is really just, to me, that's the key.

LT: And I'll jump in, Nicole. I think what I've seen, and we have Facebook groups, various ones for ASSP, and you see a lot of people saying they're burned out, or what can I do? And it's a lot of younger people and my boss doesn't listen, but so many people in that younger age range, however you want to define it, are so much more willing to walk away from that.

I think back in my day, you know, old as I am, people just did it. Like you just did it. Like you wouldn't complain and you wouldn't do it. But I think they're making such progress and speaking up for balance and mental health issues. And no one's as afraid as they used to be in a lot of places for speaking up that they have, they have stress, they need some time off, they need help. They need to use their EAP program. I think that's a lot that we can learn from that generation. 

I have three kids in their 20s, and they'll be the first to tell you, hey, I'm not doing this. It's too stressful. I'm not doing the grind that I grew up doing the grind, or my husband did the grind. So I think that'll have a really big influence on the future of total worker health in the workplace, because that generation seems very willing to say no. I'm just not doing it.

MP: I would agree, because I have a lot of mentees that are at various levels within their career and their whole span of professional life. And that's the one thing I respect about them. They know how to set boundaries. I've learned how to set boundaries, watching them set boundaries, to be completely honest. And I think, for me, that's the shining star I see in our younger generation is they know how to manage. We've taught them better to respect themselves. 

I know when I was younger, it was like, you go do a good job, you do your best, you show up, you go to work even if you're sick, you know, all those things. And we now don't teach this next generation that. We teach them to stand up for themselves, to speak up for themselves, to know who they are and what's important. And that's the pride that I have in the next generation and the confidence I have that we're going to be in great hands. We have to help them understand some of the historical aspects so they can respect it, but we also have to give them the freedom and flexibility to add their flair and twist to things because they're going to be able to communicate. They're going to be able to connect with the workforce in a very different way. They're going to use technology differently because the young generation is very quick to say, let's create a TikTok video and teach everybody how to do this or to educate them on this, because they know that the bandwidth and the ability for people to listen and learn is so much shorter than what we would accept, that they're using that information in order to do better, be better, and help progress our profession.

PW: I'll just kind of tie into everything that's been said so far. And one of the things that I feel frustrated about is when people denigrate the younger generations and stereotype them as not caring or not loyal enough or, you know, too willing to jump ship. I think both Linda and Monique have hit on the most important thing, and that is they know themselves and they know what they want, and they're not afraid to go out and get it. My father worked for the same company from the time he was 18 years old until he retired at 65. That just doesn't happen anymore. And so wanting that past where you saw that kind of loyalty, we have to get away from that. 

When people do those multi-generational conference presentations about, here's how you deal with Millennials and here's how you deal with Gen. Zs, I just cringe because I think that that's just the wrong approach. It's really understanding each person as an individual and just because they fit into a certain age group doesn't mean that they're going to behave in a certain way. Except that I think as a parent also of kids in their 20s, I do see the same behaviors that both Linda and Monique see in my kids.