Would a personal story help keep your people safe?
More of an impact in 40 minutes than I've had in 4 years!
Louise tells Michael’s Story because he isn’t here to tell it himself. It’s an engaging and emotive tale, which appeals to the head and heart in equal measure.
Louise talks through the failings in health and safety leadership, culture, processes and practices which resulted in her wee brother’s death. And leaves attendees in no doubt about the impact this has had on her and Michael’s family and friends.
The aim is to stop this from happening to you or your colleagues. Louise wants to stop any other family from ever having to walk in her family’s shoes.
Tell me more about Michael's Story...
This is a powerful and hard hitting 40 minute presentation which will be long-remembered by you and your colleagues.
– Michael’s death was the result of an electrical incident. But there are lessons to be learned across multiple industries and sectors. Because, by the end, this is a story which prompts the audience to be asking themselves questions like these (among others!):
- Is there the right training and level of competence among operatives, supervisors, managers and directors?
- Are we sure we keep our risk assessments live?
- Do operatives have access to the correct equipment to do their jobs safely?
- Is there confidence to say no if it’s felt something is unsafe?
- Are our safety leaders effective at what they do?
- Have unsafe “cheeky wee shortcuts” crept into our working practices?
- Is there an “accident waiting to happen” here?
– Listening to Louise talk through the night of her brother’s death, your attention will be captive from when she starts to describe getting the call from her mum and dad to say Michael had been in an accident. And it will remain so until the point where the “invisible man” is found guilty of the health and safety failings which resulted in Michael’s death.
– This is more than a tragic story. It’s absolutely one which lessons can be learned from. Because Louise carefully dissects the failures that accumulated to result in her wee brother’s death.
– It is never just one thing that goes wrong and leads to a fatality. Multiple failures accumulate.
– You and your colleagues will leave a Michael’s Story session with a renewed commitment to stopping failures from occurring, by taking action to keep yourself, and one another, safe from harm.
Who is Louise and why will she have a positive impact on your colleagues?
A lawyer in a past life, Louise now dedicates her time to ensuring no family has to face the pain and heartache her own has endured. Her wee brother, Michael, died in an electrical incident at the age of only 26. She shares the painful details to workplaces around the world to ensure loved ones go home safe to their families.
She hates being referred to as a motivational speaker. But she’ll just have to get used to it, because that is exactly what she is. She will motivate your workforce to ever greater levels of safety leadership and care.
Louise has built an enviable reputation in the industry. She is a current NEBOSH Ambassador, received the REHIS Meritorious Endeavours in Environmental Health Award for 2019 and was voted SHP’s most influential person in Health and Safety in 2018.
Some ideas for when Michael's Story could be used...
SAFETY STANDDOWNS
Holding a safety standdown can be a potent way to refocus minds. You might choose to hold one as staff come back to work from furlough, after the lengthy summer holiday period, or else after the winter break, particularly so if there has been an enforced closure over the Christmas and New Year period. There are also standdowns held after a serious incident, or after a run of near misses. And it’s particularly important to get the tone of these right. That it’s not about blame. It’s about future prevention.
BOARD OR DIRECTOR BRIEFINGS
“Strong and active leadership from the top: visible, active commitment from the board;” is the very first “essential principle” set out in the joint Institute of Directors and Health and Safety Executive publication “Leading Health and Safety at Work”. While a legal briefing on latest sentencing guidelines will push many a director’s buttons, combining this with a real-life story will push those buttons even harder. On having spent the day with a company’s Group Executive Council in Cologne, the Chairman brought Louise to tears at the session’s end, leaving her with the words “We are fighting for you” ringing in her ears.
AHEAD OF A CRITICAL PROJECT STAGE
The opportunity may be taken at the very outset of a project to get all those involved together for a pre-start meeting, particularly where a number of sub-contractors are being used. As it’s been described to us, this might be part of a “relentless drive to instil a total safety culture in the team as it develops in advance of construction start.” Use of a personal story helps bring to life the importance of the expectations that are being set. Alternatively, it may be that a particular stage is reached in a project where it’s felt there’s a need to take a bit of time out and issue a reminder about the hazard that is about to be introduced. Understandably, Louise is approached most often at the “critical stage of “power on””.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Pre-presentation discussion(s) to clarify messaging.
- 40 minute presentation (up to twice in one day).
- Question and answer session after each presentation.
- Pre-recorded motivational safety videos for future use.
- Safety Shorts Videos to use as toolbox talks.
THE IMPACT OF MICHAEL'S STORY
FAQ
Questions You Might Have
Absolutely! Louise has spent a lot of time in airports, train stations and hire car booths, while travelling around the UK, extensively in Europe and even spending a week delivering her brother’s story in Australia in 2019.
You’ll appreciate that it can be quite emotionally draining, so the maximum number of presentations Louise delivers in a day is 2, with a decent break between them.
She can stay for more than one day where further presentations are required.
Of course. Louise has previously operated Framework Agreements with other organisations, which have included, for example, a certain number of sessions of Michael’s Story, Mock Trial Workshops, Safety Walkrounds, and involvement in an Electrical Safety Working Group.
If you feel that Michael’s Story could support your organisation’s safety journey, please get in touch.
For in-person delivery, the optimal numbers per session are usually between 50 and 150.
But Louise has delivered to anything between 3 and 900 people at a time in the past.
PRICING
Outwith the UK and Ireland
- For bookings in 2025
- Day Rate
£3000
+ VAT (where applicable)
Within the UK & Ireland
- For bookings in 2025
- Day Rate
£2200
+ VAT