“Critical risk” usually brings up images of high-hazard, industrial sites. But what about the risks that don’t come with a hard hat? 

In this episode of The Safety Cast, host Craig Bleakley sits down with Nada Wentzel, CEO of The Jonah Group, to explore exactly what critical risk means when we move beyond physical hazards. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in high-consequence industries like aviation, mining, and oil, Nada breaks down the science behind human decision-making under pressure.

We’re diving deep into the fascinating concept of “limbic risk”, exploring why our brains default to autopilot when stress takes over and the limbic system acts like a boom gate to our logical prefrontal cortex.

Here’s what we’re unpacking in this episode:

• The 5 Danger States: How pressure, irritation, distraction, fatigue, and complacency hijack our logic and lead to risk blindness, “tick and flick” behaviour, and procedural creep.

• Frequency isn’t Severity: Why tracking high-frequency, low-consequence incidents won’t prevent fatalities, and why critical risks demand their own distinct strategy.

• The Triangle of Defense: Why over-relying on a single element, systems, physical assets, or people, sets organisations up for failure.

• The Verification Gap: Why a risk register isn’t enough, and why field-verifying your controls is the critical missing piece between the frontline and the boardroom.

“Every industry has critical risks, and we really need to start looking at critical risk with different strategies because there are different root causes associated with it.” – Nada Wentzel

If you’re relying on people as your last line of defense, you don’t want to miss this one!

Listen to the full episode in all major platforms.