146: Safety is not a priority (and other rules for the field)

Kevin Bohacs discusses his upcoming course, "Introduction to Field Safety Leadership." In Kevin's course, participants will learn how to prepare for, conduct, and document safe and effective field activities involving students (field camps) and/or local inhabitants (Geoscientist without Borders) by following SEG guidelines and generally accepted health, safety, security, and environmental (HSSE) practices. In this conversation with host Andrew Geary, Kevin shares why safety is not a priority, why hardships are a nuisance, and the most dangerous aspect of all fieldwork. Kevin also addresses specific geophysical field concerns and his one rule to rule all rules. RELATED LINKS * Register for Kevin's course (19-20 April 2022) (https://seg.org/shop/products/detail/411096497) * Discover SEG on Demand (https://seg.org/Education/SEG-on-Demand) * See the full archive of the SEG podcast (https://seg.org/podcast) BIOGRAPHY Kevin M. Bohacs is a sedimentologist and stratigrapher recently retired from ExxonMobil in Houston, TX, who has taught first aid and field operations safety for more than 50 years. He co-authored AAPG’s best-selling text on Field Safety in Uncontrolled Environments: A Process-Based Guidebook (second edition forthcoming, https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/1275/field-safety-in-uncontrolled-environmentsa-process) and taught field safety leadership more than 40 times in more than a dozen countries around the world. He serves as an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer in emergency response, CPR/AED, and water safety. He has volunteered and worked as a firefighter, paramedic, disaster response leader, lifeguard, water safety instructor, and camp director. Kevin is an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster. Kevin graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.Sc. (Honors) in Geology and earned an Sc.D. in Experimental Sedimentology from M.I.T. He joined Exxon Production Research Company in 1981 and has conducted fieldwork and scientific and safety training on six continents and in more than 42 countries. He has been honored with numerous outstanding instructor awards and is an Honorary Member of AAPG and a fellow of the Geological Society of America, Royal Geographical Society, and The Explorers Club. CREDITS SEG produces Seismic Soundoff to benefit its members, the scientific community, and inform the public on the value of geophysics. To show your support for the show, please leave a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It takes less than five seconds to leave a 5-star rating and is the number one action you can take to show your appreciation for this free resource. You can follow the podcast to hear the latest episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Original music created by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary at 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Cobb, Kathy Gamble, and Ally McGinnis.