Did History (Actually) Teach Us Anything?

The Great Chicago Fire - 1871

2 October 2026 | Season 1 | 20 mins 4 secs

chicago, city, cow, emergency management principles, emergency planning, fire, fire department, great chicago fire, great fire of london, health and safety, health and safety laws, international safety management, iosh, ism, mrs o leary, rrc

Join us as we journey through the mysteries, the enduring lessons of resilience and the haunting aftermath of this infamous historical event, the Great Chicago Fire.

The Balvano Train Disaster - 1944

2 September 2026 | Season 1 | 14 mins 14 secs

asphyxiation, balvano train disaster, battipaglia station, carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide posioning, disaster, health and safety, iosh, italy, italy train disaster, nebosh, osha, poisioning, potenza, rrc, safety, safety laws, train, train disaster, tunnel, tunnel poisioning, wartime, wartime disaster, wartime tragedy, world war ii

Join us as we travel back to World War II to uncover the perfect storm of factors that led to the tragic Balvano train disaster, and reflect on the human cost of wartime travel for the innocent people travelling that day.

The Great Fire of Rome - 64AD

2 August 2026 | Season 1 | 16 mins 48 secs

ancient history, arson, circus maximus, city, emperor nero, empire, fire, fire safeguarding, fire safety, fire safety practice, fire-resistant materials, firefighting, great fire of rome, italy, lire, rome, tacitus, urban safety, urban safety protocols

Join us as we uncover the mysteries, legends, and truths behind one of ancient history’s greatest tragedies — the Great Fire of Rome.

The Seveso Disaster - 1976

2 July 2026 | Season 1 | 13 mins 25 secs

2, 4, 5-trichlorophenol, chemical plant, chemical reactor, chemicals, cosmetics, environment, environmental pollution, ethylene glycol, hazardous industries, icmesa, industrial safety, italy, meda, pharmaceuticals, plant, pollutant, seveso, sodium hydroxide, sodium trichlorophenate, the seveso directive, the seveso disaster, toxic cloud, toxic dioxin

Join us as we uncover the devastating impact of the release of a toxic cloud over the Seveso area, causing widespread illness, environmental devastation, and a legacy in lasting reforms in industrial safety.

The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - 1986

2 June 2026 | Season 1 | 31 mins 32 secs

1986 aerospace disaster, aerospace, aerospace disaster, astronaut, disaster, engineer, groupthink, health and safety, iosh, nasa, nebosh, o-ring, osma, risk, risk management, ronald raegan, rrc, safety, safety culture, safety programme, solid rocket booster, solid rocket booster seal, space, space disaster, space mission, space shuttle, space shuttle challenger disaster, the normalisation of deviance, office of safety and mission assurance

In this episode we will discover the critical safety failures and serious errors of judgement that led to the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster of 1986, and the profound impact the disaster had safety and risk management in the aerospace industry.

The Station Nightclub Fire - 2003

2 May 2026 | Season 1 | 17 mins 8 secs

fire, fire safety, fire safety procedures, fire safety regulations, flammable materials, health and safety, international safety management, iosh, nightclub fire, public venues, safety procedures, safety protocols

Join us as we learn the health and safety causes behind one of the deadliest nightclub fires in U.S. history, and the lessons learned from this tragic event that led to significant changes in fire safety regulations.

The Sinking of the MS Estonia - 1994

2 April 2026 | Season 1 | 21 mins 18 secs

boat, health and safety, international safety management, iosh, ism, maritime tragedy, ms estonia, nebosh, passenger ferry, ro ro ferry, safety, ship, sinking, stockholm, tallinn, titanic

Join us as we uncover the mystery surrounding the sinking of the MS Estonia, and the lessons learned from this preventable tragedy that still shape maritime practices today.

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster - 2011

2 March 2026 | Season 1 | 18 mins 15 secs

2011, daiichi, earthquake, evacuation, fukushima, health and safety, iosh, japan, magnitude 9, meltdown, nebosh, nuclear accident, nuclear disaster, power plant, radiation leak, reactor, rrc, safety, tsunami

Join us on this episode as we discuss how in the wake of a powerful earthquake, a colossal tsunami struck, plunging three Fukushima Daiichi reactors into a nuclear crisis. This harrowing event, which unfolded on March 11, 2011, witnessed the near-complete meltdown of all three reactor cores within a mere three-day span.

The Stardust Nightclub Fire - 1981

2 February 2026 | Season 1 | 13 mins 45 secs

1981, dancing, disco, drinking, fire, fire safety, fire safety regulations, fire safety standards, food factory, health and safety, iosh, justice ronan keane, nebosh, nightclub, nightclub fire, rrc, rrc podcast, safety, stardust nightclub fire, the butterly family

Tune in as we delve into the Stardust Nightclub Fire of 1981 and discover how the causes of this tragedy reshaped fire safety standards and continues to impact regulations today.

The Black Death (The Plague) - 1347

2 January 2026 | Season 1 | 19 mins 1 sec

buboes, bubonic plague, church, covid-19, disease, europe, health, medieval europe, middle ages, outbreak, pandemic, ports, public safety, quarantine, rats, sanitation, sewers, ships, spread, the black death, the peasants' revolt, the plague, transmission, venice

In this episode, we'll discover how the Black Death spread across Europe, and how its devastating legacy shaped the foundations of modern public health today.

The Radium Girls - 1917

2 December 2025 | Season 1 | 17 mins 22 secs

cancer, factories, girls, health and safety, iosh, jaw necrosis, nebosh, necrosis, new jersey, orange, osha, poisoning, radioactive, radium, radium girls, radium-based paint, radium-poisoning, rrc, safety, safety laws, united states radium corporation, usa, war factories, war girls, watch-dial painting, world war i

We'll discover who the Radium Girls were, and how their tragic fate led to a change in workplace safety laws forever.

The Minamata Bay Mercury Poisoning - 1951-1968

2 November 2025 | Season 1 | 16 mins 16 secs

1950s, cat dancing disease, chisso corporation, environmental disaster, environmental issues, health and safety, iosh, japan, mercury, mercury poisoning, methylmercury, minamata bay, nebosh, rrc, safety

In this episode, we explore the heart-breaking story of Minamata Bay, its lasting impact, and the lessons it holds for environmental responsibility.