Todd Jerome Jenkins, MS, CSP

Todd Jerome Jenkins is the author of the current Jenkins Industry Safety Journal collection. He holds a Master of Science in Occupational Safety and Health and the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential.

Areas of writing

His articles examine workplace incident investigation, the performance of controls, human and organizational performance, Learning Teams, and practical uses of AI in safety work. The emphasis is on asking useful questions, distinguishing evidence from assumptions and checking proposed improvements against actual conditions.

Publication and disclosures

The journal is published by Jenkins Research Institute. Its current collection contains practical guides, explainers, perspectives and case analyses and is not peer reviewed. Credentials establish relevant background; they do not establish independent review of an article.

Todd also authors related commercial books. Where a book relates to an article, the relationship is disclosed at the end of that article. Read the editorial policy for source, date and correction practices, or send a question or correction.

Articles by Todd Jerome Jenkins

• What Is OSHA? A Practical Introduction to Workplace Safety and Health

  Learn what OSHA does, how it differs from the OSH Act, who it covers, and the basics of employer responsibilities and worker rights.

• What Is an OSHA Competent Person? Knowledge, Authority, and Responsibility

  Learn what makes an OSHA competent person, how the role differs from a qualified person, and why hazard recognition and corrective authority both matter.

• How to Read OSHA Standards: A Practical Guide

  Learn how to read OSHA standards, decode CFR citations, check scope and definitions, and apply requirements in context.

• How to Conduct a Job Safety Analysis: A Practical Introduction

  Learn how to break work into steps, identify hazards, select controls, and review a JSA with your crew.

• How to Conduct a Workplace Incident Investigation

  Learn how to conduct a workplace incident investigation using evidence, timelines, interviews, control analysis, and corrective actions that address underlying conditions.

• What Is Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)?

  Learn what Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) means, its five principles, and how HOP changes safety, investigations, leadership, and organizational learning.

• How Safety Professionals Can Use ChatGPT

  Learn how safety professionals can use ChatGPT for investigations, JSAs, toolbox talks, training, data analysis and communication while maintaining human judgment and verification.

• Root Cause Analysis vs. Learning From Events

  Learn the strengths and limits of root cause analysis and how learning from events can reveal multiple contributing conditions, control weaknesses, and how work actually happens.

• The Five Principles of HOP Explained

  Learn the five principles of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), what each means, and how leaders can apply them to safety and everyday work.

• 10 ChatGPT Prompts for Safety Professionals

  Copy and adapt 10 practical ChatGPT prompts for safety professionals covering JSAs, investigations, toolbox talks, regulations, Learning Teams, data and procedures.

• 5 Whys Alternatives for Safety Investigations

  Explore practical alternatives to the 5 Whys for safety investigations, including barrier analysis, change analysis, cause mapping, bow-ties, fault trees, and Learning Teams.

• How Learning Teams Improve Workplace Safety

  Learn how Learning Teams improve workplace safety by helping organizations understand normal work, adaptations, controls, and the conditions employees actually face.

• Using AI to Write Better Toolbox Talks

  Learn how safety professionals can use AI and ChatGPT to create more relevant toolbox talks built around real work, verified requirements, critical controls and worker discussion.

• How to Interview Employees After a Workplace Incident

  Learn how to interview employees after a workplace incident using open-ended questions, neutral language, timely interviews, and evidence-based follow-up.

• Why Human Error Is Not a Root Cause

  Learn why human error is usually an insufficient root-cause conclusion and how safety investigations can examine context, controls and organizational conditions instead.

• Can AI Help With Job Safety Analysis?

  Learn how AI and ChatGPT can assist with Job Safety Analysis by structuring tasks, identifying questions, challenging controls and supporting field verification without replacing professional judgment.

• After the event, establish what the controls actually did

  Start with a supported account, then test the controls before deciding what to change.

• Learning can begin before an incident

  A Learning Team can examine a task that succeeds every day, especially when success requires adaptation.

• Accountability without reflexive blame

  A fair response asks what people did and what the work system made likely or possible.

• A Trailer-Ramp Incident: Following the Evidence Beyond the Immediate Action

  A firsthand investigation account examines a stuck latch, inspection follow-through and reported equipment changes, with clear limits on the available evidence.

• Safety Training for Adult Learners: What the Evidence Actually Shows

  A revised critique examines adult participation, hazard recognition and training evaluation while separating promising observations from demonstrated safety outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing Between Work Crews: Trust, Opportunity and Follow-Through

  An applied analysis examines why crew knowledge may not travel, how mentoring and work conditions interact, and what evidence can test proposed improvements.

• Hoeganaes: Learning From Repeated Dust Fires and a Hydrogen Explosion

  A revised analysis separates CSB findings from author interpretation and examines hazard recognition, controls and the limits of historical standards references.

• Employee Safety Suggestions: From Worker Input to Verified Improvements

  Build an employee safety suggestion system with clear ownership, prompt responses, worker feedback and verification that actions address the original concern.