Manufacturing First is set to tackle the topic of a multigenerational workforce — a subject that has many facets, including safety. This week’s NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast guests from Spherion Staffing say Safety 2.0 will be a focus of their breakout session at the Resch Expo Oct. 28. Listen to episode 139 anywhere you get audio podcasts for a preview with co-hosts Kate Bruns of Insight and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance.
Guests on the latest episode, sponsored by Stoke RGA, include Senior Manager of Regional Risk & Safety Chad De Santo, who will be presenting the M1 breakout session “Strengthening Safety Across Your Workforce: Practical Strategies for Today’s Manufacturing Environment,” and Director of Revenue Operations Natalie Walsh, who says Spherion’s Manufacturing First sponsorship is one of many steps the locally owned and operated franchise serving Wisconsin and northern Illinois is taking to expand its presence in the New North region.
Speaking on the podcast, De Santo says some of his best insights come down to embracing the concept of Safety 2.0, which reflects a shift in focus around safety incidents from what did the person do wrong to what caused the incident to occur in the first place.
“The … industry now has started to shift away from blame, when we look at when things occur. Error and incidents will happen; it’s how we approach that that’s key. It’s really bridging the gap between what corporate safety policies exist and what’s happening on the floor, because I think there’s a difference,” De Santo says.
The focus on Safety 2.0 is also in many ways related to issues of the multigenerational workforce, De Santo adds, which ties nicely into Manufacturing First’s 2026 keynote from Phil Gwoke. Another topic De Santo tackles on the podcast, and will also address in his breakout presentation Oct. 28, is the impact of contingent staffing on workplace safety.
“When you have a contingent worker, there are shared responsibilities and I often see clients that don’t understand those responsibilities until there’s an issue, De Santo says. “It’s just about education … to generate more conversation and keep it out front.”
Hear more from De Santo about safety, and from Walsh about Spherion’s evolution, as well as find out what both guests consider their best leadership insights, when you listen and subscribe to NEW Manufacturing Insights.
NEW Manufacturing Insights is a joint project of Insight and NEWMA, produced by Woodward Community Media and distributed by Spreaker. New episodes are released every Thursday. Next Thursday’s episode will be recorded in front of a live studio audience at Robinson, Inc. in De Pere. Register online to be part of the morning networking event and recording next Thursday, Oct. 1 as Insight and NEWMA kick off Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin. Register to attend Manufacturing First at manufacturingfirst.com.
