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Hosted by Al Buczkowski & Allie Thunstrom, Radio Free Tenacity presented by Ergodyne is a podcast utterly obsessed with Making the Workplace a Betterplace. Featuring the latest work gear, stimulating convos with jobsite experts & innovators, & more than its fair share of surprises. Worksite safety has never sounded so good. So get switched on to Radio Free Tenacity, the Voice of Worker Safety.
21 Episodes
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In this episode of Radio Free Tenacity, we sit down with Nate Bohmbach, veteran PPE innovator and member of Ergodyne’s product team, to unpack the growing shift from traditional Type 1 hard hats to Type 2 safety helmets. Sparked by OSHA’s 2023 safety bulletin and their own internal transition, this trend has been gaining traction across high-risk worksites. We break down what’s driving the change, the resistance it’s facing on job sites, and how Ergodyne is designing Type 2 helmets that worke...
Heads up... there's a new bump cap standard and nobody has more insight into its development than Ergodyne President Greg Schrab. In this episode, he'll dive into: Why this new standard matters – Filling gaps in workplace head safety.Key features you need to know – Flexibility, performance and what sets it apart from other standards like Z89 + EN812.Bump caps vs. hard hats – What's the difference anyway? Tune in now for all that and more as Greg explains the latest head protection...
Often overlooked compared to outdoor work, indoor jobs can pose a heat stress risk, too. Lack of air conditioning and poor airflow can transform any indoor workspace into a sweatbox, with environments like foundries, refineries, welding shops, and mills being particularly hazardous. In this episode, we'll discuss how heavy-duty PPE, such as welding helmets, coveralls, and hazmat suits, further exacerbate these risks, and explore whether cooling PPE can effectively combat these challenges.
When heat stroke hits, irreversible cell damage can set in if the temperature isn't brought down fast — within a 30-minute window. Special guest Lexi Engelbert will demonstrate how one simple body cooling method can save lives.
The truth is, thermal ratings are a performance guide, not gospel—the best direction is available through exhaustive testing and consideration of three major factors. In this episode you'll get to know: What three main factors go into temperature ratings for thermal gearWhy temperature ratings are not as straight forward as you'd likeHow to choose the best thermal gearFeatured Guest: Claudia Weber, Queen of Cold Stress Circumspection, Ergodyne
In this quick-hitting episode we’ll take you through the essentials of staying warm & productive in cold working environments. Plus, we’ll hit you with a winter work fact that’ll shock you to the core. Ok, maybe that’s being a bit dramatic, but still, we wouldn’t have guessed it ourselves.
As the pioneer in tool tethering, Ergodyne has a long history of innovation in the category, and the Squids 3745 Tool Grip and Tether Attachment Point might be their most clever solution to date. Nate Bohmbach, Product Director at Ergodyne and Chair of the Dropped Object Prevention Group at ISEA, joins the pod to give you the scoop. In this episode, you'll get to know: The challenges and pain points of tethering screw and nut driversHow end user feedback helped solve those pain pointsHow thi...
In September of 2021, the US Department of Labor announced enhanced, expanded measures to protect workers from hazards of extreme heat, indoors and out. Those measures included the launch of a rulemaking process to develop a workplace heat standard and deployment of a National Emphasis Program (NEP). The NEP is the agency's first-ever nationwide enforcement measure specifically targeting heat-related hazards and greenlights heat-related inspections on worksites. In this episode you'll g...
Making sure eye protection meets and exceeds safety standards like ANSI Z87.1 is table stakes, but that doesn't necessarily mean those safety glasses are ready to take on the realities of the worksite. Ergodyne Product Director Tim Gallant joins the pod to discuss the most important standards in safety specs: the workers'. Through the lens (ha!) of the latest additions to Ergodyne's Safety Glasses + Goggles Series, he takes us through the considerations—big and small—his team puts into develo...
Slips happen. Like, a lot. And Ergodyne’s recent collaboration with Soles by Michelin looks to make them happen less. Like, a lot less. A few years after debuting the now best-selling TREX 6325 Spikeless Traction Device for winter conditions, Product Director Alsie Nelson's team has launched the TREX 6326 Spikeless Traction Device for oily, greasy and other slippery situations commonly (but not exclusively) found indoors. The new addition to the TREX line has been extensively tested and...
Strapless, brah. Aaron Skemp’s close collaboration with work crews––including some of the world’s biggest airlines––has helped evolve the fit, function and comfort of knee pads lightyears ahead of what many workers are familiar (and frustrated) with. And the newest work crew collabo erases THE number one complaint. These ain't your grandpa's knee pads, folks. In this episode you'll get to know: How Aaron worked with work crews to eliminate knee protection enemy #1How the world of athlet...
Show Highlights In 2020, dropped objects accounted for over 45,000 injuries, over 200 fatalities, and approximately $315,000,000 in financial costs. A major step in mitigating this damage was the development of ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 — a standard for design, testing, performance and labeling requirements for tool tethering systems and containers used when working at height. The “dropped objects standard” set best practices in place for dropped and falling objects prevention every safety manager...
Overview After professional football player Korey Stringer died from complications of heat stroke in August of 2001, his wife Kelci teamed with heat stroke expert Douglas Casa, Ph.D., ATC to form the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut in April, 2010. The institute has identified four “big ticket” items that, if followed, will almost certainly eliminate HRI's and fatalities on the playing field AND the job site. Margaret Morrissey, Director of KSI Laborer Division joins...
Overview: The traditional hard hat design actually does what it was designed to do really well, and that’s preventing head injuries from objects striking workers directly—linear impacts. What it doesn’t account for as well are glancing blows or angled impacts that create rotational forces to the brain which can have long lasting, detrimental effect to worker health. Olof Rylander, Sr Business Developer of Safety for Mips joins us to discuss how his company is addressing this worksit...
Bill Geddings, Sr. Safety Engineer at Zoox, joins the pod! Zoox is an autonomous vehicle company currently headquartered in Foster City, California, founded to make personal transportation safer and cleaner. The company is currently focused on testing on private and public roads as they move towards launching the first Zoox ride-hailing service. Show highlights: The power of continuous improvementHow next level companies approach safetyHow to leverage safety gear manufacturers as a partner ...
Overview: If over a quarter century of America’s Funniest Home Videos has taught us anything, it’s that people fall—a lot. But with falls accounting for over 30,000 deaths in the U.S. each year (the third highest among accidental deaths), it’s not always as funny as Bob Saget, Tom Bergeron, Alfonso Ribiero or *insert dad-joke machine here* make it seem. The cost of these accidents is steep—with the average disabling claim costing a hefty $28,000. The good news? The right traction devi...
Overview: ANSI/ISEA 121-2018 established minimum design, performance, labeling and testing requirements for solutions that prevent falling objects while working at height––including tool lanyards. But what does that mean to you? Ergodyne Product Director and ISEA member Nate Bohmbach played a key role in the creation of the standard, and he joins the pod to explain exactly what it all means to the typical work site (and why you should care). Show Highlights: Why the creation of ...
The best PPE is the PPE that gets worn. Knowing what PPE your worksite needs is one thing, knowing what your crew wants is quite another. Safety Superhero Abby Ferri and Greg Schrab (Ergodyne SVP of Product Mgmt) help us go beyond the basics to track the trends in PPE and discuss what’s hot, what’s not and what’s hip, now and wow. Show Highlights: How frontline managers are selling safety to their workers (and why the words they use matter) What you're saying about the value of ...
The last year saw PPE become a household acronym with the face mask as its breakout star. But the CDC's recommendation to "cover your mug" presented a unique set of challenges for safety gear manufacturers and those working (quickly!) to set and communicate a baseline of performance standards for this overnight PPE sensation. In this episode of RFT, we'll pick the brains of two prominent figures within ISEA (International Safety Equipment Association) to unpack those challenges, the mutual r...
Overview: One80 Solar is a commercial solar energy firm on a mission to create more clean, reliable and renewable energy sources. They also hold the honor of tackling the largest high-rise solar panel installation in US history. Faced with high winds and scorching summer heat, Patrick Attwater tells us how his team rose to the challenge to cover the tower and its six-story mid-rise companion with 2,912 solar panels (enough to generate 1 megawatt of power). Show Highlights: Fostering a culture...
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