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Carl Potter    

Safety Expert, Bestselling Author & Founder of The Safety Institute

Carl Potter works with organizations that want to put safety first in the minds of their employees, so that everyone can go home every day without injuries.

After working in the electric utility industry for over 17 years, he started Potter and Associates International in 1992. Through his presentations and consulting, he now spends his time bringing his frontline, hands-on experience of personal responsibility and safety to companies all over the US, Canada, and other countries including Africa, Cuba, and Haiti.

He is the founder of The Safety Institute – a resource for organizations that want to create workplaces where it’s difficult to get hurt. In addition, it is a community of independent safety professionals who are committed to preventing every workplace injury.

Potter is a certified safety professional and a certified management consultant. He is the author of 12 books, including the best-seller Who Is Responsible for Safety, authored hundreds of published articles, and writes a weekly safety blog read by thousands.

As a pilot who has owned and flown many different airplanes, he brings different perspectives to workplace safety. Potter is an Aircraft Commander and District Flight Safety Officer in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary – a division of the US Homeland Security He is involved in humanitarian efforts that involve safety and aviation including Angel Flight of Oklahoma and Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Speech Topics


Review Your Safety Culture

Every company has a safety culture; the question is, “Do we have the safety culture we want?” Most organizations are blind to their own situation. It is difficult to be honest with ourselves, like a parent with an ugly baby, or the situation created in the story of the king who thought he had beautiful clothes because all those around him told him what he wanted to hear. When the king decided to have a parade to show off his new clothes, it was a kid who spoke out and said, “The king has No Clothes!” Suddenly the king became aware of his real situation and was embarrassed. Many companies have

a similar situation because they do not have someone looking at their safety culture independently to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats using an acceptable framework. Take the guesswork out of your safety culture with an independent third-party review by Carl Potter.

Safety Past, Present, and Future

In this presentation Carl will take you back to a time when getting the job done was more important than the safety of the workforce. He will walk you through the evolution that has occurred and even make some predictions about what will continue long after he is gone. Understanding where we were and where we are today is essential to improve our ability to continue the journey to where we are going. This program challenges audiences to understand the past, recognize that change is inevitable, and bring forward the best into a new decade for one purpose – so that everyone can go home every day without injury.

Keep Safety Simple

When every person in the workplace who observes an unsafe condition or behavior that introduces a risk of injury, takes action to reduce the risk, that is the most effective and efficient safety management system. When creating a zero-injury workplace is the goal of every person, the organization will find the complex safety management system becoming more effective as well. The goal of the organization should be a network of committed individuals who want to create a workplace where it is difficult to get hurt. This means that every individual must be willing and able to learn, understand, and take action to mitigate. This is what it means to Keep Safety Simple.

Who Is Responsible for Safety?

Executives? Supervisors? Safety department staff? Or you? Why is it important to know the answer to that question? After all, everybody, at every level, talks about working safely. In this presentation the audience learns how to take personal responsibility and why it is important to them. Carl’s unique presentation impacts audiences because he knows of what he speaks! He has over 17 years of field experience and is an experienced supervisor and business manager. His presentation is credible to audiences at all levels.

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