In May 2025, Fluix’s Head of Sales, Nick Larsen, joined safety leaders at the recent HSE Global Learning Summit in Nashville, and it was big.
The summit brought together over 100 of the region’s most forward-thinking professionals. Across panels and workshops, people talked about legacy mindsets and a new kind of safety leadership (one that Fluix is readily supporting).
Here are the key takeaways Nick brought back – and what they mean for safety teams on the ground.
A Culture of Engagement
One pain point resonated with everyone: safety teams are often seen as the “bad guys,” especially when enforcing rules. People talked a lot about how to shift that perception through openness and empowerment.
Easy, anonymous reporting is one way out that can reduce the stigma around “snitching” and encouraging participation through gamified initiatives like “hazard hunts.” This resonates with the Fluix’s mission to make incident reporting intuitive and accessible in the flow of work, not as an afterthought.
Moving away from the “blame-shame-train” culture means building trust. As one speaker put it, “Any dumb-ass can do a form – real impact comes from engaging people.”
A Strategic Shift from Checklists to Culture
Safety documents matter and no one is pretending otherwise. But many talks repeatedly circled back to the idea that while regulations are essential, they’re not the end goal. Behavioral safety, proactive leadership, and engaging employees at every level are the new pillars.
“Don’t wait for your C-suite to invite you to the party – invite them,” said Walter Fluharty, summing up a recurring call to action: own your influence, connect priorities across departments, and reframe safety as central to operational and financial success.
Metrics That Matter (and Lead)
Another spotlight of the summit was the need for a full-cycle view: training → implementation → tracking → action.
One standout idea: tying safety performance directly to financial metrics. Whether it’s fewer incidents, lower insurance premiums, or boosted morale, HSE leaders need tools that speak the CFO’s language.
Read More Read More 10 Fluix’s powerful features for safety management
Tech with a Purpose, Not a Buzzword
Artificial Intelligence (AI) came up often, and sometimes with skepticism. As someone said, “There is no killer use case for Gen AI in health and safety yet”. But the consensus was clear: start small, choose low-risk, high-value applications, and always keep a human in the loop.
People Make the Difference
Dr. John Austin reminded us that while biology and history shape behavior, the environment is what we can change. That includes systems, yes, but also leadership shadows, psychological safety, and the ability to “fail fast” without fear.
From empowering younger staff to overcoming veteran resistance, several sessions touched on the generational divide in safety cultures. One powerful takeaway: identify internal “change agents” who can model and champion new behaviors.
Final Thoughts
The closing keynote by Jeff Skiles (yes, that Jeff Skiles – from the Miracle on the Hudson) left us with one core insight: preparation, clarity, and trust win the day. Not heroics or paperwork.
At Fluix, we’re committed to helping teams move beyond checklist – into cultures of curiosity, and impact. Because safety is a future you build together.
What do we offer to support our commitment?
- Pilot Project and Training: We’re offering early access to new reporting workflows for select partners met at the summit.
- Product Roadmap Updates: Exploring voice-driven reporting, predictive analytics, and ROI dashboards to bring more value to safety leaders.
- Internal Debrief: Aligning sales, product, and marketing teams to refine messaging around “culture-first” safety enablement.
Fluix helps safety teams do more than tick boxes – we help them transform operations, build resilient cultures, and drive measurable outcomes.
