Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author of the book “Zero to Hero: How to Jumpstart Your Reliability Journey Given Today’s Business Challenges” and the creator of the Joe Kuhn YouTube Channel, which offers content on starting your reliability journey and achieving financial independence. In our monthly podcast miniseries, Ask a Plant Manager, Joe considers a commonplace scenario facing the industry and offers his advice, as well as actions that you can take to get on track tomorrow. This episode explores practical reliability leadership lessons for maintenance and operations teams in 2026. Bonus: The psychology behind New Year's resolutions?

Fall protection violations remain the most cited OSHA issue, emphasizing the need for continued focus despite some recent decreases in violations. In this interview with Phil Jacklin, continuing education program manager with Diversified Fall Protection, you'll hear that progress is being made through increased awareness, proactive safety practices and better data tracking, but challenges persist, particularly in the construction industry.

This year-end wrapup episode collects clips from three of the most popular Plant Services episodes from the past 12 months. In these clips, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk talks about:

• "How oil analysis can boost equipment reliability, but only if you use the data," with Mike Holloway, 5th Order Industry
• "How PM optimization improves reliability and reduces unplanned downtime," with Brian Hronchek, Eruditio
• "Reshoring in 2025 – strategies for navigating tariffs and trade uncertainty," with Rosemary Coates, Reshoring Institute