Richard Field

Richard Field is a Workplace Safety Speaker.

Richard has spent 30 years working as an African safari guide, operating in unpredictable and genuinely dangerous environments. He survived a near-fatal lion attack while guiding guests in Botswana.

Richard’s signature keynote “The Lion in the Workplace” is designed specifically for organisations operating in high-risk environments such as mining, electricity, construction, infrastructure and heavy industry.

He explores an important safety insight: serious incidents often occur not because of the hazard itself, but because decision-making becomes compromised through fatigue, distraction, complacency or pressure.

In the second half of the presentation, Richard take the audience on a virtual unarmed walk through the African wilderness, where elephants, buffalo, lions, hippos and other dangerous wildlife abound. Step by step, he shows how awareness and decision-making—not the animals themselves—determine whether everyone makes it home safely.   

Richard highlights the role that decision making plays in either building safety or creating unnecessary danger.  He then explores how the culture of a workplace will impact decision making and how each person can make their own positive contribution to that culture.

The keynote resonates strongly with frontline teams and leaders in high-risk industries where traditional safety presentations often fail to engage.  Richard is a sought-after speaker for workplace events organised by Safety Execs, Leadership Teams, Supervisors, Team Leaders, Safety Champions, Frontline blue collar (inc. Hi-Vis.) Workforce, Tradespeople.

Session Outcomes & Takeaways: Deeper awareness of psychological hazards, ownership, small behaviour shifts, influencing culture from the ground up, practical mindset reframes, early recognition, speaking up culture, engagement, deeper mindset resonance, storytelling-based learning, self-leadership, psychological safety, peer accountability

Why “The Lion in the Workplace” works exceptionally well for WHS audiences

• A gripping true story that holds even large high-vis audiences completely silent
• Immediate relatability for frontline workers and their leaders
• Clear, practical insights around complacency, fatigue, assumptions and pressure
• A memorable “walking safari” metaphor that translates directly into workplace decision-making
• A powerful message about how everyday behaviour shapes safety culture
• Never a lecture — Richard speaks as someone who still works in dangerous environments.  He leads safari tours in Africa every year.