Heather MacDougall Profile

Influencing Your Operational Partners for Safety Excellence
Speaker Session

Safety professionals understand that sustainable operational excellence is only possible when safety is fully integrated into how work is designed, planned, and executed. While safety leaders are often highly skilled technical problem-solvers, lasting impact requires a broader capability set: the ability to influence operational decision-making, align safety with business priorities, and build shared ownership across functions—including operations, engineering, finance, frontline leadership, and other critical partners.

This session focuses on the practical leadership and influencing skills safety professionals need to move beyond functional silos and become trusted partners in operational planning, continuous improvement, and execution. Drawing on real-world examples from complex, multi-site operations, the session explores how to shift safety from a support function to a core driver of operational excellence.

Key Topics and Takeaways
Participants will learn how to:
• Build cross-functional partnerships with operations, engineering, HR, and finance to embed safety into planning and execution
• Influence operational decision-making by framing safety in terms of risk, reliability, productivity, and business outcomes
• Align safety priorities with organizational goals and performance metrics to create shared accountability
• Drive leadership ownership at every level, from frontline supervisors to senior executives

What Participants Will Leave With
Attendees will leave with a clear, practical roadmap for influencing operational partners, strengthening leadership engagement, and embedding safety into everyday operational decisions. Rather than abstract concepts, the session provides actionable tools, language, and strategies that can be applied immediately to improve both safety outcomes and overall business performance.

The Digital Blueprint Panel
From Paper to Performance: Operationalizing Consensus Standards via Technology
Panel Session

How do we bridge the gap between high-level safety standards and daily operational reality? This panel explores the “Why” and “How” of a landmark initiative designed to transform ASSP standards into actionable digital frameworks. By exploring how consensus-based safety principles can be integrated into scalable technology platforms, organizations can move beyond abstract goals toward measurable safety outcomes. This session offers a deep dive into the evolution of the profession, demonstrating how a tech-standard hybrid can shift the industry from static compliance to a dynamic, data-driven maturity model.

The Panel
• The Moderator: Jennifer McNelly (Setting the stage on ASSP’s role as the “Trusted Source” for safety excellence).
• The Visionary: Linda Tapp (Discussing the Standards-Based User Groups (SBUGs) framework as a strategic B2B imperative for modern enterprises).
• The Tech Engine: Systems Integration Expert (Discussing how technology can translate safety principles into actionable, data-driven workflows).
• The User Perspective: Safety Practitioner & SBUG Member (Providing insight on how integrated digital tools can drive organizational change and move the needle on safety performance).

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Conceptualize Digital Integration: Identify how ASSP consensus standards can be mapped into digital workflows to create a more consistent and scalable safety culture.
2. Analyze Maturity Modeling: Evaluate the methodology for using technology to convert qualitative safety observations into measurable, benchmarkable data.
3. Strengthen B2B Safety Strategy: Visualize how the SBUG framework to move beyond traditional compliance and foster high-performance safety standards across the supply chain.