Dr. Timothy Ludwig

Appalachian State University’s Dr. Tim Ludwig keeps workers safe through his research and sharing of best practices related to industry safety and quality through behavior-based management. His niche field of psychology – behavioral safety – has contributed to injury reduction of 30-80 percent over a five-year period at more than 20 companies he has consulted. In 2016, Industrial Safety and Hygiene News (ISHN) cited him among its 50th Anniversary 50 Leaders for Today and Tomorrow, as well as its “Power 101” Leaders in the Safety and Health World in 2012.

He has over 25 years of experience in research and practice in behavioral safety where he integrates empirical findings into his safety consulting with over 30 international clients, in the following industries: oil and gas  (Marathon Petroleum Company), transportation (Union Pacific), mining (Alpha Natural Resources), manufacturing (Eastman Chemicals), construction (Costain of England), utilities (Tennessee Valley Authority), food distribution (SuperValu) and government (NASA). He has delivered keynote speeches on every continent for corporate, government and not-for-profit safety organizations.

Ludwig’s books include “Intervening to Improve the Safety of Occupational Driving,” which reviewed 10 years of behavior-based safety in the product delivery industry, and “Behavioral Systems: Understanding Complexity in Organizations,” which presented contributions from 15 top scholars and practitioners in the field of behavior systems analysis. His two upcoming books, “Behavioral Science Approaches to Process Safety” and “Dysfunctional Practices that Kill your Safety Culture” will be published in 2017. In 2015, he founded Appalachian’s Safety Summit, which annually brings more than 100 safety professionals from around the country to campus for two days of keynote presentations and instruction from the top behavioral safety scientists and consultants in the field.

Ludwig serves on the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies’ (CCBS) Behavioral Safety Accreditation Board that reviews best-in-industry safety practices and offers independent, objective feedback on safety programs. His popular website Safety-Doc.com is a content-rich resource of safety culture stories, blogs, research, videos and services.

Areas of expertise

• Behavioral Safety - Behavior-Based Culture
• Safety engineering
• Employee motivation
• Quality improvement
• Behavior change
• Occupational risk prevention
• Organizational Change