Introducing the Culture of Safety Guy

Introducing: The Culture of Safety Guy

For nearly 25 years, I have been intimately and passionately involved in safety management - shaping safety programs, influencing safety cultures, and developing industry-leading approaches to risk management. My journey began in aviation in 2001, a pivotal year for the industry, as the events of 9/11 reshaped the landscape of aviation safety. From those early days, I dedicated my career to a number of different safety disciplines, including Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and operational safety across multiple transportation industries.

By 2010, I added another discipline, implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS) programs in aviation and began to understand that safety isn't just about compliance—it’s about culture. My work showed me that safety must be embedded in an organization’s structure, using its existing authority matrix to drive accountability and align risk ownership. My days of trying to “muscle” compliance were over, I would leverage the organization structure instead. This realization led me to explore deeper concepts, such as just culture principles, psychological safety, and how enterprise culture as a whole impacts safety outcomes. I found that safety performance is not only determined by structured programs but is deeply influenced by how employees are treated, their connection to the organization's mission, and their sense of fairness and respect in the workplace.

While I spent a good portion of my career in aviation—nearly two decades in the industry—I transitioned into the world of autonomous vehicles (AV) at the beginning of 2019, leading the implementation of the industry's first SMS program for AV development and testing. I was brought in to reshape the safety culture of a company recovering from a tragic fatal accident on public roads. Working alongside the NTSB and regulatory bodies, I helped introduce these safety frameworks inspired by aviation. My advocacy for SMS adoption in AV development continues today, as I push for its global acceptance, similar to the stringent safety standards found in commercial aviation.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with major companies, including JetBlue Airways, Uber, and Apple, as well as lesser-known organizations that had just as much of an impact on my knowledge and experience. I also have experience with regulatory bodies like OSHA, NHTSA, and international trade, oversight, and audit associations. I’ve collaborated with executives, frontline workers, regulators, powerful unions, and legal teams, gaining a holistic perspective on what it truly takes to build and sustain a safety-first culture.

Introducing ‘The Culture of Safety Guy’

I’m excited to launch my new blog post and video series, The Culture of Safety Guy. Through this platform, I’ll be sharing the knowledge, experiences, and lessons—both successes and failures—that I’ve accumulated over the past two and a half decades. My goal is to engage not only safety professionals but also organizational leaders across industries because, as I see it, if leadership doesn’t engage and participate in their safety programs, they will not be successful.

This initiative will explore key topics in safety leadership, risk perception, safety culture transformation, and the implementation of SMS across industries. I’ll break down complex safety management concepts into practical, relatable insights, helping professionals at all levels understand how to foster a safer, more accountable work environment.

Join Me on This Journey

I invite you to be part of this exciting journey as I share content across multiple platforms, including LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and soon, podcast apps. Whether you are a seasoned safety leader, an executive looking to strengthen your organization’s safety culture, or someone simply interested in how safety management influences industries worldwide, The Culture of Safety Guy is for you.

Follow me, Christopher SanGiovanni, The Culture of Safety Guy, and let’s start the conversation. Let’s learn, grow, and enhance safety management together.

Join me to explore safety culture, leadership, and risk management!