Catalyst: noun.
1. A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction
2. Someone or something that helps bring about a change.

As health and safety professionals, we often try to play this catalyst role – affecting the reaction among the managers and workers who ultimately determine the state of health and safety in a workplace. Many of us have found that, while our training has been in the technical aspects of industrial hygiene and workplace safety, our success is more dependent on the human dimension and the workplace relationships that affect the decisions and practices shaping the work environment.

This site is based on the premise that health and safety professionals can learn a lot from other disciplines – particularly those that examine how and why people make the choices they do.