Fame Host (https://fame.so) The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management https://podcasts.fame.so/the-canary-report https://feeds.fame.so/the-canary-report Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. Copyrights © 2025 All Rights Reserved by Yellow Bird en Fri, 09 May 2025 10:05:15 +0000 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:17:02 +0000 https://content.fameapp.so/uploads/vm17kv01/7c7d2e30-6e02-11f0-9a23-63088f97c22f/7c7d2f40-6e02-11f0-92eb-7df17c7211ff.png The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management https://podcasts.fame.so/the-canary-report Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. YellowBird Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. No No episodic YellowBird Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. Michael Zalle team@fame.so No No No Safety Is a Mindset, Not Just a Role with Michael Dupont https://podcasts.fame.so/e/58z7l22n-safety-is-a-mindset-not-just-a-role-with-michael-dupont Safety Is a Mindset, Not Just a Role with Michael Dupont 40 1 No No 81znypp1 “If you're being paid to do safety, why don’t you call yourself a professional?” In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Michael Dupont who shares why safety is not just a role, but a mindset. He says that the scope extends from redefining professionalism to building systems that prevent injuries and its impact. In this conversation, we look at safety and ownership with a new lens.
“If you're being paid to do safety, why don’t you call yourself a professional?”


In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Michael Dupont who shares why safety is not just a role, but a mindset. He says that the scope extends from redefining professionalism to building systems that prevent injuries and its impact. Together, we explore the difference between doing safety work and owning it as a profession.


Many people working in safety roles hesitate to call themselves professionals. Why? Because safety is often treated as a temporary role rather than a long-term commitment to excellence.


Michael shares lessons from more than two decades of experience across operations and global safety programs. He explains how real safety performance is not driven only by policies but also by systems and consistency. He also spoke about the Five Five Five approach, a framework built around clear metrics and accountability structures that keep safety efforts from fading over time.


What You’ll Learn:

  • Why many safety professionals hesitate to own the title
  • How mindset impacts safety performance more than policies
  • What the Five Five Five framework looks like in practice
  • Why safety programs fail when they are not designed for outcomes
  • How to lead without relying only on regulations
  • Why small actions define safety culture more than big initiatives
  • How to approach site visits with focus and intention


About the Guest:


Michael Dupont is the Senior Director of Global Health and Safety at Rayonier Advanced Materials, a company focused on high purity cellulose and sustainable materials. With more than twenty years of experience across safety, environmental, and operational leadership roles, he has led safety programs across multiple facilities and global teams. His approach focuses on building systems that are practical, measurable, and centered on people. He is known for translating safety from a compliance function into a leadership responsibility that drives real outcomes.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2981 “If you're being paid to do safety, why don’t you call yourself a professional?” In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Michael Dupont who shares why safety is not just a role, but a mindset. He says that the scope extends from redefining professionalism to building systems that prevent injuries and its impact. In this conversation, we look at safety and ownership with a new lens. “If you're being paid to do safety, why don’t you call yourself a professional?” In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Michael Dupont who shares why safety is not just a role, but a mindset. He says that the scope extends from redefining professionalism to building systems that prevent injuries and its impact. In this conversation, we look at safety and ownership with a new lens. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, EHS, Risk Management No No Military Discipline to Construction Safety Culture With Thomas Lippert https://podcasts.fame.so/e/x8vlv1x8-military-discipline-to-construction-safety-culture-with-thomas-lippert Military Discipline to Construction Safety Culture With Thomas Lippert 39 1 No No 70yprqx1 “I don’t ever want to have to give that speech in this job.” In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Thomas Lippert, Senior Vice President of Safety & Quality Assurance at Higley Construction, to talk about how to build a safety culture that goes beyond compliance. Drawing from his military background and years in construction, Tom shares how discipline and constant vigilance shape safer worksites. We unpack why OSHA is only the baseline, how success can breed complacency, and what leaders must do to keep safety front of mind every single day.

“I don’t ever want to have to give that speech in this job.”


In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Thomas Lippert, Senior Vice President of Safety & Quality Assurance at  Higley Construction. With over two decades in the military and 15 years transforming safety programs in construction, Tom brings a perspective that is both disciplined and deeply human.


We talk about why OSHA should be treated as a starting point rather than the goal, and how organizations can build systems that go further to protect people. Tom walks through his approach to leading indicators, structured training, and on-site accountability, sharing how he moves from reactive reporting to proactive prevention.


We also discuss a less obvious risk: success. When teams believe they are already “good at safety,” attention slips, and that is when incidents happen. From drug testing protocols to safety audits and pre-work meetings, Tom outlines a system that keeps safety active, visible, and embedded in daily operations.



What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why treating OSHA as a baseline leads to stronger safety outcomes
  • How leading indicators can help prevent incidents before they happen
  • The role of structured training in building long-term safety capability
  • Why complacency is one of the biggest hidden risks in mature safety programmes
  • How to design systems that keep safety consistent across teams and job sites
  • What leaders can do to keep safety top of mind, even in high-performing organisations



Thomas Lippert is a senior vice president of safety and quality assurance  Higley Construciton, where he has spent the past 15 years building and strengthening safety and quality programs across commercial construction projects. A former U.S. Army officer and helicopter pilot with over two decades of service, Tom brings a disciplined, high-consequence mindset to civilian safety leadership. His work focuses on creating structured, data-driven systems that prioritizes prevention, accountability, and the well-being of every worker on site.


If you are responsible for safety in high-risk environments, this conversation offers practical systems and a mindset shift that will change how you lead.


Episode Resources:

Thomas Lippert on LinkedIn
Higley Construction Website
Michael Zalle on LinkedIn
Yellow Bird Website
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management on Apple Podcasts 
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management on Spotify
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management on YouTube

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1544 “I don’t ever want to have to give that speech in this job.” In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Thomas Lippert, Senior Vice President of Safety & Quality Assurance at Higley Construction, to talk about how to build a safety culture that goes beyond compliance. Drawing from his military background and years in construction, Tom shares how discipline and constant vigilance shape safer worksites. We unpack why OSHA is only the baseline, how success can breed complacency, and what leaders must do to keep safety front of mind every single day. “I don’t ever want to have to give that speech in this job.” In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Thomas Lippert, Senior Vice President of Safety & Quality Assurance at Higley Construction, to talk about how to build a safety culture that goes beyond compliance. Drawing from his military background and years in construction, Tom shares how discipline and constant vigilance shape safer worksites. We unpack why OSHA is only the baseline, how success can breed complacency, and what leaders must do to keep safety front of mind every single day. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management EHS, Construction Safety, Safety Culture No No Why Safety Starts with People, Not Policies with Justin Short https://podcasts.fame.so/e/lnqw693n-why-safety-starts-with-people-not-policies-with-justin-short Why Safety Starts with People, Not Policies with Justin Short 38 1 No No 81nvql21 “Blue collar, the roughest and toughest, yet the most emotional, they want to be cared about too.” - Justin Short, Safety Director, Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company I sat down with Justin Short, Safety Director at Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company, for a conversation that goes beyond compliance and into what makes safety work on the ground. Justin’s journey from the trades to the Air Force and back into construction has shaped a leadership style grounded in respect, connection, and real-world experience. We talk about what it takes to earn trust in the field, why leadership behaviour matters more than policy, and how safety professionals can bridge the gap between systems and people.
In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I speak with Justin Short, Safety Director at Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company, about what it takes to build a safety culture that works in the field. Justin brings a perspective shaped by his early experience in the trades, seven years in the United States Air Force, and his return to construction safety leadership.


This conversation moves beyond policies and procedures and focuses on the human side of safety. Justin shares how his time in the field shaped the way he communicates with crews, why respect and connection drive better outcomes than authority, and how leadership behaviour can either build or break trust on a job site.


We also explore the operational realities of managing safety across dozens of active projects, each with different risks, teams, and regulatory requirements. Justin explains how he approaches this complexity, how he prioritises what matters, and how he builds systems that support people instead of slowing them down.


Here are some highlights from my discussion with Justin:

  • Why field experience changes how you lead safety conversations
  • The leadership behaviours that build trust on job sites
  • How poor leadership drives people away from safety roles
  • Managing safety across multiple active projects
  • Why knowing your people matters more than knowing every rule
  • How to balance enforcement with respect in high-risk environments


Episode Resources


The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 3526 “Blue collar, the roughest and toughest, yet the most emotional, they want to be cared about too.” - Justin Short, Safety Director, Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company I sat down with Justin Short, Safety Director at Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company, for a conversation that goes beyond compliance and into what makes safety work on the ground. Justin’s journey from the trades to the Air Force and back into construction has shaped a leadership style grounded in respect, connection, and real-world experience. We talk about what it takes to earn trust in the field, why leadership behaviour matters more than policy, and how safety professionals can bridge the gap between systems and people. “Blue collar, the roughest and toughest, yet the most emotional, they want to be cared about too.” - Justin Short, Safety Director, Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company I sat down with Justin Short, Safety Director at Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company, for a conversation that goes beyond compliance and into what makes safety work on the ground. Justin’s journey from the trades to the Air Force and back into construction has shaped a leadership style grounded in respect, connection, and real-world experience. We talk about what it takes to earn trust in the field, why leadership behaviour matters more than policy, and how safety professionals can bridge the gap between systems and people. No No From Concrete Work to Corporate Safety Leadership with Zac Elliott https://podcasts.fame.so/e/18p716mn-from-concrete-work-to-corporate-safety-leadership-with-zac-elliott From Concrete Work to Corporate Safety Leadership with Zac Elliott 37 1 No No z1r4rkp1 Most safety leaders think about job-site hazards first. But what if one of your biggest risks isn’t on the jobsite at all? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Zac Elliott, Safety Director at Mead & Hunt, to talk about one of the most overlooked risks in modern operations: driving. With employees logging more than 5 million business miles per year, Zac shares how his team manages fleet risk, distracted driving, and fatigue while maintaining a culture that truly puts people first. We also explore why some of the best safety professionals come directly from the field, how strong company culture enables strong safety culture, and why sometimes the most effective safety conversations are the most human ones. If you’re responsible for protecting people across complex operations, this conversation will challenge how you think about risk and where it really lives.
In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Zac Elliott, Safety Director at Mead & Hunt, to explore what modern safety leadership looks like across a diverse, nationwide engineering and consulting organization.


Mead & Hunt operates across architecture, engineering, aviation, transportation, water infrastructure, and environmental services. With more than 1,500 employees and teams operating across the country, Zac’s role involves managing safety exposure in environments the company often doesn’t directly control like construction sites and client facilities.


What makes Zac’s perspective particularly valuable is his background. Before moving into safety leadership, he spent years working in the trades, cutting his teeth in concrete work as a laborer and cement finisher. That hands-on experience continues to shape how he approaches safety leadership today.


In our conversation, we explore why field experience can dramatically improve safety leadership credibility, how organizations can balance internal and external safety expertise, and why driving risk remains one of the biggest safety exposures for many companies.


But the deeper theme running through the conversation is culture. Zac explains how strong company values, including taking care of people, doing the right thing, and doing what makes sense, create the foundation that makes a real safety culture possible.


Here are some highlights from my discussion with Zac:

  • Why fleet safety and distracted driving represent one of the largest operational risks for modern organizations
  • The value of hiring safety professionals directly from the trades
  • How real-world experience builds credibility with frontline workers
  • Balancing internal safety training with specialized external expertise
  • Why a strong safety culture starts with a strong company culture
  • How organizations can maintain cultural consistency while growing through acquisitions


If you're responsible for risk management, workforce safety, or operational leadership, this conversation offers practical insights into how safety leadership works.



Episode Resources


The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1970 Most safety leaders think about job-site hazards first. But what if one of your biggest risks isn’t on the jobsite at all? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Zac Elliott, Safety Director at Mead & Hunt, to talk about one of the most overlooked risks in modern operations: driving. With employees logging more than 5 million business miles per year, Zac shares how his team manages fleet risk, distracted driving, and fatigue while maintaining a culture that truly puts people first. We also explore why some of the best safety professionals come directly from the field, how strong company culture enables strong safety culture, and why sometimes the most effective safety conversations are the most human ones. If you’re responsible for protecting people across complex operations, this conversation will challenge how you think about risk and where it really lives. Most safety leaders think about job-site hazards first. But what if one of your biggest risks isn’t on the jobsite at all? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Zac Elliott, Safety Director at Mead & Hunt, to talk about one of the most overlooked risks in modern operations: driving. With employees logging more than 5 million business miles per year, Zac shares how his team manages fleet risk, distracted driving, and fatigue while maintaining a culture that truly puts people first. We also explore why some of the best safety professionals come directly from the field, how strong company culture enables strong safety culture, and why sometimes the most effective safety conversations are the most human ones. If you’re responsible for protecting people across complex operations, this conversation will challenge how you think about risk and where it really lives. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, Safety Culture Work place Safety No No From the Field to the Boardroom: Reginald Shubert on Culture, Commitment, and What Safety Really Costs https://podcasts.fame.so/e/6nr72x68-from-the-field-to-the-boardroom-reginald-shubert-on-culture-commitment-and-what-safety-really-costs From the Field to the Boardroom: Reginald Shubert on Culture, Commitment, and What Safety Really Costs 36 1 No No 815r72v0 "Once you hear that rack of that shotgun, if you take another step forward, we all know the outcome of that. When we ignore these so-called near misses, we lead ourselves down the road to having an incident." – Reginald Shubert, Director of Safety, Barr & Barr Reginald Shubert didn't set out to be a safety professional. He was a union ironworker, happy in the field, until three people saw something in him that he didn't yet see in himself. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Reggie, Director of Safety at Barr & Barr, a 100% employee-owned construction management firm operating across the East Coast. We talk about what it actually takes to shift a workforce from compliance to commitment. They get into near misses, psychological safety, the trades gap nobody wants to talk about, and why tying safety back to home changes everything on a job site.
"Once you hear that rack of that shotgun, if you take another step forward, we all know the outcome of that. When we ignore these so-called near misses, we lead ourselves down the road to having an incident." – Reginald Shubert, Director of Safety, Barr & Barr


What does it look like when someone who has worked in the trades for decades brings that lived experience to safety leadership? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Reggie, Director of Safety at Barr & Barr, a 100% employee-owned construction management firm with a history stretching back to 1927, to find out.


Reginald spent years as a union ironworker with Ironworkers Local 401 in Philadelphia before being recruited into safety leadership, not once but three times. What finally convinced him wasn't a title or a pay raise. It was a foreman who walked into a job site trailer hunched over at 50, and a safety director who asked a simple question: do you want to be able to play with your grandkids?


In this conversation, we cover:

  • How a 30-year career in the field shapes the way Reginald approaches safety leadership today
  • Why psychological safety is the most underused tool in high-risk industries
  • The near miss analogy that will change how you think about incident reporting
  • The stigma around skilled trades and why the construction industry deserves more respect
  • His work with the Ebony Tie Affair Youth Symposium and what it means to give back alongside professional success
  • The technique he uses on job sites to make personal safety feel personal


Reginald Shubert brings over 30 years in construction, starting out as a union ironworker with Ironworkers Local 401 in Philadelphia before making his way into safety leadership. He is a firm believer in moving organisations from compliance to commitment, and he has spent his career building high-performing teams, reducing incidents, and managing multi-site programmes across some genuinely high-stakes environments. Outside of work, he is an EMT, a track and field coach, and the vice chair of the Ebony Tie Affair Youth Symposium. Reginald, thank you for being here. 


This episode is for safety professionals who came up through the field, for executives wondering why their culture programs aren't sticking, and for anyone who has ever had an almost-bad day at work and said nothing about it. Reginald makes a compelling case for why that silence is the most dangerous thing on any job site.



Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2004 "Once you hear that rack of that shotgun, if you take another step forward, we all know the outcome of that. When we ignore these so-called near misses, we lead ourselves down the road to having an incident." – Reginald Shubert, Director of Safety, Barr & Barr Reginald Shubert didn't set out to be a safety professional. He was a union ironworker, happy in the field, until three people saw something in him that he didn't yet see in himself. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Reggie, Director of Safety at Barr & Barr, a 100% employee-owned construction management firm operating across the East Coast. We talk about what it actually takes to shift a workforce from compliance to commitment. They get into near misses, psychological safety, the trades gap nobody wants to talk about, and why tying safety back to home changes everything on a job site. "Once you hear that rack of that shotgun, if you take another step forward, we all know the outcome of that. When we ignore these so-called near misses, we lead ourselves down the road to having an incident." – Reginald Shubert, Director of Safety, Barr & Barr Reginald Shubert didn't set out to be a safety professional. He was a union ironworker, happy in the field, until three people saw something in him that he didn't yet see in himself. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Reggie, Director of Safety at Barr & Barr, a 100% employee-owned construction management firm operating across the East Coast. We talk about what it actually takes to shift a workforce from compliance to commitment. They get into near misses, psychological safety, the trades gap nobody wants to talk about, and why tying safety back to home changes everything on a job site. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Construction Safety, Psychological Safety, Risk Management, EHS, Zero Harm No No How Safety Skills Scale Across Industries with Matt Shaffer https://podcasts.fame.so/e/2n6q5ql8-how-safety-skills-scale-across-industries-with-matt-shaffer How Safety Skills Scale Across Industries with Matt Shaffer 35 1 No No j02rprl0 "Everybody buys into safety. They just don't know how." Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies Most safety programs fail because of bad relationships, not bad rules. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I speak with Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies, to explore why ditching the "safety versus operations" mindset is the single highest-leverage move any safety leader can make. From transforming workers' comp costs at a major airport to building inspection cultures where foremen get excited when the safety team shows up, Matt's approach is practical, human, and deeply effective.
What if the secret to better safety wasn't stricter policies, but smarter ones?


In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies, to unpack the leadership philosophy that has transformed safety programs across airports, construction sites, and critical infrastructure.


We explore: 

  • Why eliminating "safety vs. operations" language changes worker engagement immediately 
  • How a return-to-work program became a competitive advantage at Swissport 
  • The audit philosophy that measures leadership quality, not just compliance 
  • Why fresh eyes from different industries solve the blind spots veterans no longer see 
  • How to build safety cultures where near-miss reporting actually happens 
  • What "celebrating the 100%" looks like and why it sustains culture long-term


Matt Shaffer started his career in insurance and financial planning before being pulled into safety consulting at Dulles Airport. What followed was over a decade of leading programs across aviation, construction, and critical infrastructure. He is now the Director of Safety at Vision Technologies, a national low-voltage infrastructure company serving data centers, healthcare, and higher education. His reputation is built on one core belief: nobody comes to work wanting to get hurt, and your job as a safety leader is to build the systems that honor that.


For EHS leaders, compliance professionals, and executives navigating the complexity of distributed safety programs, this episode offers a genuine reset. Safety culture isn't built on fear or checklists but rather on trust, clear expectations, and leaders who show up as partners.



Episode Resources: 

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:20:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1938 "Everybody buys into safety. They just don't know how." Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies Most safety programs fail because of bad relationships, not bad rules. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I speak with Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies, to explore why ditching the "safety versus operations" mindset is the single highest-leverage move any safety leader can make. From transforming workers' comp costs at a major airport to building inspection cultures where foremen get excited when the safety team shows up, Matt's approach is practical, human, and deeply effective. "Everybody buys into safety. They just don't know how." Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies Most safety programs fail because of bad relationships, not bad rules. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I speak with Matt Shaffer, Director of Vision Technologies, to explore why ditching the "safety versus operations" mindset is the single highest-leverage move any safety leader can make. From transforming workers' comp costs at a major airport to building inspection cultures where foremen get excited when the safety team shows up, Matt's approach is practical, human, and deeply effective. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, EHS, Risk Management, Workplace Safety No No Disability as a Safety Advantage with Diego Mariscal https://podcasts.fame.so/e/1n2r5jkn-disability-as-a-safety-advantage-with-diego-mariscal Disability as a Safety Advantage with Diego Mariscal 34 1 No No 219932x1 “You're not going to be successful in spite of your disability. You’re going to be successful in many ways because of your Disability.” Diego Mariscal, CEO of 2Gether-International Most people still frame disability as a limitation. Diego Mariscal sees it as a training ground for entrepreneurship. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Diego, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, to unpack why the daily problem-solving required to navigate life with a disability mirrors the resilience required to build companies. We explore systemic funding barriers, the poverty trap created by benefits cliffs, and how designing for Disability unlocks innovation that benefits everyone.
What if Disability isn’t a disadvantage in business, but preparation for it? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I speak with Diego Mariscal, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, about transforming how society and investors think about disability and entrepreneurship.


We explore:

  • Why daily adaptation builds entrepreneurial resilience
  • The systemic “poverty trap” that discourages Disabled founders from scaling
  • ABLE accounts and corporate structures that protect independence
  • The principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”
  • Why curb cuts, iPhones, and audiobooks prove Disability-first design scales
  • How ecosystem-level change happens from startup cohorts to the SEC


Born prematurely in the United States but raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Diego grew up immersed in entrepreneurial culture. He launched his first company in high school, educating students on Disability experiences. That early exposure to innovation and systems thinking shaped what would become 2Gether-International, an organization dedicated to reframing Disability as a competitive advantage. 

Over the past decade, Diego and his team at 2GI have supported more than 1000 startups and helped them raise and generate millions of dollars in investment, revenue, and acquisitions. The organization itself has given more than half a million dollars in non-diluted capital to founders with Disabilities. Now, Diego is raising the first-ever multi-million dollar blended-capital fund exclusively for founders with Disabilities.

For EHS leaders, compliance professionals, and executives navigating complex workforce dynamics, this episode offers a powerful lens shift: inclusion isn’t charity, it’s a strategic advantage. If you’re serious about unlocking overlooked talent and building systems that reward resilience, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 05 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2190 “You're not going to be successful in spite of your disability. You’re going to be successful in many ways because of your Disability.” Diego Mariscal, CEO of 2Gether-International Most people still frame disability as a limitation. Diego Mariscal sees it as a training ground for entrepreneurship. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Diego, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, to unpack why the daily problem-solving required to navigate life with a disability mirrors the resilience required to build companies. We explore systemic funding barriers, the poverty trap created by benefits cliffs, and how designing for Disability unlocks innovation that benefits everyone. “You're not going to be successful in spite of your disability. You’re going to be successful in many ways because of your Disability.” Diego Mariscal, CEO of 2Gether-International Most people still frame disability as a limitation. Diego Mariscal sees it as a training ground for entrepreneurship. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Diego, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, to unpack why the daily problem-solving required to navigate life with a disability mirrors the resilience required to build companies. We explore systemic funding barriers, the poverty trap created by benefits cliffs, and how designing for Disability unlocks innovation that benefits everyone. The Canary Report, Leadership, Inclusive Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Risk Management No No Scaling Safety Without Losing People: Lessons from Eric Yates https://podcasts.fame.so/e/1833w028-scaling-safety-without-losing-people-lessons-from-eric-yates Scaling Safety Without Losing People: Lessons from Eric Yates 33 1 No No m0jpmkj0 "It's not me, it's the people that work around me. If you have a good, strong team and everyone's focused on the same goals, it makes everything a lot easier." Eric Yates, VP EHS at Balfour Beatty US Most organizations say they want to scale safety. Fewer are willing to scale accountability, trust, and the right expertise along with it. That’s where things break down. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Eric Yates, VP of Environmental Health & Safety at Balfour Beatty, to talk about what it really takes to build high-performing EHS teams across complex, multi-state operations. With 27 years in construction and heavy civil, Eric shares hard-earned lessons on navigating OSHA, state plans, MSHA, DOT, and FRA requirements, without losing sight of the people doing the work. We dig into why regional expertise beats one-size-fits-all staffing, how project-based safety professionals can scale with demand, and why chasing a “perfect” safety record may actually undermine reporting. If you’re serious about embedding a people-first safety culture at scale, this conversation will challenge you and equip you to lead differently.
"It's not me, it's the people that work around me. If you have a good, strong team and everyone's focused on the same goals, it makes everything a lot easier." Eric Yates, VP EHS at Balfour Beatty US

Most organizations say they want to scale safety. Fewer are willing to scale accountability, trust, and the right expertise along with it. That’s where things break down. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Eric Yates, VP of Environmental Health & Safety at Balfour Beatty, to talk about what it really takes to build high-performing EHS teams across complex, multi-state operations. With 27 years in construction and heavy civil, Eric shares hard-earned lessons on navigating OSHA, state plans, MSHA, DOT, and FRA requirements, without losing sight of the people doing the work.


We dig into why regional expertise beats one-size-fits-all staffing, how project-based safety professionals can scale with demand, and why chasing a “perfect” safety record may actually undermine reporting. If you’re serious about embedding a people-first safety culture at scale, this conversation will challenge you and equip you to lead differently.


Here are some highlights from my discussion with Eric:

  • How to build EHS programs across fragmented regulatory landscapes 
  • Why regional expertise matters more than centralized staffing 
  • The real difference between oil & gas safety culture and civil construction
  • How to scale on-site EHS representation without traditional staffing overhead
  • Why "perfect safety records" are the wrong goal 
  • The leadership principle that multiplies impact


Eric Yates is Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety at Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, where he leads the strategic direction of EHS programs across complex civil projects. With 27 years in construction and more than 15 in safety leadership, he champions a Zero Harm culture grounded in field experience and regulatory expertise. A CSP, ASP, and CHST, Eric is passionate about building high-performing teams, leveraging data and technology, and ensuring every worker goes home safely.



Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2105 "It's not me, it's the people that work around me. If you have a good, strong team and everyone's focused on the same goals, it makes everything a lot easier." Eric Yates, VP EHS at Balfour Beatty US Most organizations say they want to scale safety. Fewer are willing to scale accountability, trust, and the right expertise along with it. That’s where things break down. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Eric Yates, VP of Environmental Health & Safety at Balfour Beatty, to talk about what it really takes to build high-performing EHS teams across complex, multi-state operations. With 27 years in construction and heavy civil, Eric shares hard-earned lessons on navigating OSHA, state plans, MSHA, DOT, and FRA requirements, without losing sight of the people doing the work. We dig into why regional expertise beats one-size-fits-all staffing, how project-based safety professionals can scale with demand, and why chasing a “perfect” safety record may actually undermine reporting. If you’re serious about embedding a people-first safety culture at scale, this conversation will challenge you and equip you to lead differently. "It's not me, it's the people that work around me. If you have a good, strong team and everyone's focused on the same goals, it makes everything a lot easier." Eric Yates, VP EHS at Balfour Beatty US Most organizations say they want to scale safety. Fewer are willing to scale accountability, trust, and the right expertise along with it. That’s where things break down. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Eric Yates, VP of Environmental Health & Safety at Balfour Beatty, to talk about what it really takes to build high-performing EHS teams across complex, multi-state operations. With 27 years in construction and heavy civil, Eric shares hard-earned lessons on navigating OSHA, state plans, MSHA, DOT, and FRA requirements, without losing sight of the people doing the work. We dig into why regional expertise beats one-size-fits-all staffing, how project-based safety professionals can scale with demand, and why chasing a “perfect” safety record may actually undermine reporting. If you’re serious about embedding a people-first safety culture at scale, this conversation will challenge you and equip you to lead differently. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, EHS, Safety Culture, Construction Safety, Zero Harm No No From Crash Scenes to Crash Prevention: Rethinking Vehicle Safety with Jennifer Morrison https://podcasts.fame.so/e/08jylv1n-from-crash-scenes-to-crash-prevention-rethinking-vehicle-safety-with-jennifer-morrison From Crash Scenes to Crash Prevention: Rethinking Vehicle Safety with Jennifer Morrison 32 1 No No 41pqry20 "What we're trying to do is prevent (protect) the most precious cargo, the people. Right? And that's what the systems are designed for. That's why we're really proud to have some of those top safety ratings in the industry.”- Jennifer Morrison, Director, Vehicle Safety Strategy at Mazda Most of us don’t think about vehicle safety until something goes wrong. That’s a problem. Because the real work of safety happens long before impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jennifer Morrison, Director of Vehicle Safety Strategies at Mazda North America, to talk about what it really takes to prevent crashes, not just investigate them. With two decades of experience at the NTSB and NHTSA, Jennifer brings a powerful perspective on why affordability should never mean compromising protection. We unpack how data is proving that technologies like automatic emergency braking prevent up to 60% of rear-end crashes, why making blind spot monitoring standard is a leadership decision, not a luxury one, and how regulators, manufacturers, and human drivers intersect at highway speeds. If you care about fleet safety, workplace risk, or the people riding in your car, this conversation is for you.
"What we're trying to do is prevent (protect) the most precious cargo, the people. Right? And that's what the systems are designed for. That's why we're really proud to have some of those top safety ratings in the industry.”- Jennifer Morrison, Director, Vehicle Safety Strategy at Mazda

Most of us don’t think about vehicle safety until something goes wrong. That’s a problem. Because the real work of safety happens long before impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jennifer Morrison, Director of Vehicle Safety Strategies at Mazda North America, to talk about what it really takes to prevent crashes—not just investigate them. With two decades of experience at the NTSB and NHTSA, Jennifer brings a powerful perspective on why affordability should never mean compromising protection.


We unpack how data is proving that technologies like automatic emergency braking prevent up to 60% of rear-end crashes, why making blind spot monitoring standard is a leadership decision, not a luxury one, and how regulators, manufacturers, and human drivers intersect at highway speeds. If you care about fleet safety, workplace risk, or the people riding in your car, this conversation is for you.


  • How to shift from reactive crash investigation to proactive safety strategy
  • Why making safety standard, not optional, is both a moral and business imperative
  • The connected vehicle data advantage that most companies aren't leveraging
  • How to exceed compliance without becoming compliance-obsessed
  • Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) vs. autonomous vehicles
  • The overlooked intersection of occupational and vehicle safety


Jennifer Morrison is the Director of Vehicle Safety Strategies at Mazda North America Operations, bringing over two decades of expertise in crash investigation, regulatory compliance, and automotive safety innovation. With a background spanning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and 15 years as a highway crash investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer has witnessed firsthand the real-world impact of safety failures and the life-saving potential of prevention. At Mazda, she leads the company's vision for a no-fatalities society by 2040, spearheading the deployment of crash avoidance technologies, occupant protection systems, and evidence-based safety strategies that exceed federal minimums.



Episode Chapters:

  • 00:00 Intro: Welcome to the Canary Report: Risk Leaders and Safety Professionals
  • 02:23 From Midwest Freedom to Vehicle Safety Innovation
  • 12:42 From NHTSA Investigator to NTSB Crash Scene Responder
  • 18:19 The Toll of Emergency Response Work on Family and Career
  • 21:47 Translating Engineering Innovation Into Real-World Safety Compliance
  • 26:06 Connected Vehicle Data Proves What Actually Saves Lives
  • 28:51 Automatic Emergency Braking Prevents 50-60% of Rear-End Crashes
  • 30:53 The Moment Technology Saves Your Teen Driver
  • 32:32 Why Affordable Safety Should Be Standard, Not Optional
  • 34:14 Standardizing Measurements Across EHS and Vehicle Safety Ecosystems
  • 38:19 Fleet Safety Bridges Occupational and Vehicle Risk Management
  • 40:44 Human Behavior Remains the Primary Safety System
  • 41:35 SAE Levels Explained: Why Mazda Focuses on Level 0-2 ADAS
  • 45:26 Blind Spot Monitoring as Standard—A Philosophy, Not a Feature
  • 46:10 Key Takeaways: Prevention Over Reaction, People Over Technology



Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2819 "What we're trying to do is prevent (protect) the most precious cargo, the people. Right? And that's what the systems are designed for. That's why we're really proud to have some of those top safety ratings in the industry.”- Jennifer Morrison, Director, Vehicle Safety Strategy at Mazda Most of us don’t think about vehicle safety until something goes wrong. That’s a problem. Because the real work of safety happens long before impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jennifer Morrison, Director of Vehicle Safety Strategies at Mazda North America, to talk about what it really takes to prevent crashes, not just investigate them. With two decades of experience at the NTSB and NHTSA, Jennifer brings a powerful perspective on why affordability should never mean compromising protection. We unpack how data is proving that technologies like automatic emergency braking prevent up to 60% of rear-end crashes, why making blind spot monitoring standard is a leadership decision, not a luxury one, and how regulators, manufacturers, and human drivers intersect at highway speeds. If you care about fleet safety, workplace risk, or the people riding in your car, this conversation is for you. "What we're trying to do is prevent (protect) the most precious cargo, the people. Right? And that's what the systems are designed for. That's why we're really proud to have some of those top safety ratings in the industry.”- Jennifer Morrison, Director, Vehicle Safety Strategy at Mazda Most of us don’t think about vehicle safety until something goes wrong. That’s a problem. Because the real work of safety happens long before impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jennifer Morrison, Director of Vehicle Safety Strategies at Mazda North America, to talk about what it really takes to prevent crashes, not just investigate them. With two decades of experience at the NTSB and NHTSA, Jennifer brings a powerful perspective on why affordability should never mean compromising protection. We unpack how data is proving that technologies like automatic emergency braking prevent up to 60% of rear-end crashes, why making blind spot monitoring standard is a leadership decision, not a luxury one, and how regulators, manufacturers, and human drivers intersect at highway speeds. If you care about fleet safety, workplace risk, or the people riding in your car, this conversation is for you. The Canary Report, Vehicle Safety, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, ADAS, Fleet Safety, Human Centered Safety No No When Safety Looks Busy but Fails People: Plainspeak with Steve Davis https://podcasts.fame.so/e/l8qwv348-when-safety-looks-busy-but-fails-people-plainspeak-with-steve-davis When Safety Looks Busy but Fails People: Plainspeak with Steve Davis 31 1 No No 80nvr2x0 "There are five aspects to a safety program that if you align to these five elements and you connect them, the more connection points that you have between them, the better and stronger your safety program will be.” Steve Davis, VP of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies Most organisations I work with are investing heavily in safety, but still not getting the results they expect. That’s exactly why this conversation with Steve Davis mattered so much to me. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I talk to Steve Davis, Vice President of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies. Steve brings a rare mix of operational experience and practical clarity to a space that’s often cluttered with noise. We dig into why disconnected safety programs fail, even when they look great on paper. Steve walks through a five-element framework that helps leaders connect the dots between programs, processes, metrics, communication, and structure, turning activity into real protection. We also talk candidly about why “good catches” tell you far more about your culture than lagging indicators, why high-energy hazards require a different mindset, and how to turn data into lessons people actually remember.
"There are five aspects to a safety program that if you align to these five elements and you connect them, the more connection points that you have between them, the better and stronger your safety program will be.” Steve Davis, VP of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies

Most organisations I work with are investing heavily in safety, but still not getting the results they expect. That’s exactly why this conversation with Steve Davis mattered so much to me. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I talk to Steve Davis, Vice President of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies. Steve brings a rare mix of operational experience and practical clarity to a space that’s often cluttered with noise.


We dig into why disconnected safety programs fail, even when they look great on paper. Steve walks through a five-element framework that helps leaders connect the dots between programs, processes, metrics, communication, and structure, turning activity into real protection. We also talk candidly about why “good catches” tell you far more about your culture than lagging indicators, why high-energy hazards require a different mindset, and how to turn data into lessons people actually remember. 


Here are some highlights from my discussion with Steve:

  • The Five-Element Framework that connects isolated safety programs 
  • Why measuring "good catches" is the leading indicator of genuine safety culture
  • How to stop measuring the wrong thing
  • Why high-energy hazards demand a completely different safety approach 
  • The "Take Two" tool that prevents catastrophic events before hands-on work begins
  • How to translate data into stories people actually remember


Steve Davis is Vice President of Environmental Health & Safety at Forbes Brothers Companies, and is known for building safety cultures that move beyond compliance into measurable, repeatable behaviour change. Drawing on leadership experience across five organisations, Steve integrates programs, processes, communication, and metrics into cohesive safety systems. His work blends quantitative and qualitative data with human performance and behavioural science to reduce mishaps and SIF risk. A recognised industry voice, Steve is a sought-after speaker and advisor to leading energy, construction, and nuclear organisations.



Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2477 "There are five aspects to a safety program that if you align to these five elements and you connect them, the more connection points that you have between them, the better and stronger your safety program will be.” Steve Davis, VP of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies Most organisations I work with are investing heavily in safety, but still not getting the results they expect. That’s exactly why this conversation with Steve Davis mattered so much to me. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I talk to Steve Davis, Vice President of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies. Steve brings a rare mix of operational experience and practical clarity to a space that’s often cluttered with noise. We dig into why disconnected safety programs fail, even when they look great on paper. Steve walks through a five-element framework that helps leaders connect the dots between programs, processes, metrics, communication, and structure, turning activity into real protection. We also talk candidly about why “good catches” tell you far more about your culture than lagging indicators, why high-energy hazards require a different mindset, and how to turn data into lessons people actually remember. "There are five aspects to a safety program that if you align to these five elements and you connect them, the more connection points that you have between them, the better and stronger your safety program will be.” Steve Davis, VP of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies Most organisations I work with are investing heavily in safety, but still not getting the results they expect. That’s exactly why this conversation with Steve Davis mattered so much to me. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I talk to Steve Davis, Vice President of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies. Steve brings a rare mix of operational experience and practical clarity to a space that’s often cluttered with noise. We dig into why disconnected safety programs fail, even when they look great on paper. Steve walks through a five-element framework that helps leaders connect the dots between programs, processes, metrics, communication, and structure, turning activity into real protection. We also talk candidly about why “good catches” tell you far more about your culture than lagging indicators, why high-energy hazards require a different mindset, and how to turn data into lessons people actually remember. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, Safety Culture, EHS, High Risk Work, Human Centered Safety No No Why Personality-Driven Hiring Changes Safety Outcomes with Victor Buhr https://podcasts.fame.so/e/x8y79j68-why-personality-driven-hiring-changes-safety-outcomes-with-victor-buhr Why Personality-Driven Hiring Changes Safety Outcomes with Victor Buhr 30 1 No No l04rmv70 "Brennan's really looking to take a different approach with employee safety. We're gonna start looking at bringing people on who have the personality for it and who are trainable." Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company OK everyone, this is one of those conversations that really reframes how we think about safety leadership. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company, a century-old marine construction and environmental remediation firm, operating in the US and Canada with over 600 employees. Together, they explore why the future of safety isn’t about being the “cop on site,” but about earning trust and genuinely caring whether people make it home. Victor breaks down why Brennan hires for personality and trainability before credentials, how they build safety training that actually sticks in a surge-demand, high-risk industry, and what it takes to manage compliance and skills verification at scale. At the heart of it all is a simple truth: safety isn’t paperwork, it’s people, their families, and the responsibility leaders carry every single day. This one’s for anyone ready to move safety from compliance to culture.
"Brennan's really looking to take a different approach with employee safety. We're gonna start looking at bringing people on who have the personality for it and who are trainable." Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company

OK everyone, this is one of those conversations that really reframes how we think about safety leadership. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company, a century-old marine construction and environmental remediation firm, operating in the US and Canada with over 600 employees. Together, they explore why the future of safety isn’t about being the “cop on site,” but about earning trust and genuinely caring whether people make it home.


Victor breaks down why Brennan hires for personality and trainability before credentials, how they build safety training that actually sticks in a surge-demand, high-risk industry, and what it takes to manage compliance and skills verification at scale. At the heart of it all is a simple truth: safety isn’t paperwork, it’s people, their families, and the responsibility leaders carry every single day. This one’s for anyone ready to move safety from compliance to culture.


Here are some of the topics that Victor and I explore:
  • How to reframe safety hiring from credential-first to culture-first
  • Why your safety program must extend beyond the jobsite to the families at home
  • The playbook for managing training across a dispersed and unionized workforce
  • How to operationalize skills verification with real-time
  • Why Power BI and automated compliance alerts beat spreadsheets 
  • The hidden advantage of niche industries in managing language and cultural complexity

Victor Buhr is Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company, a century-old, family-owned marine heavy civil engineering contractor operating across 48 states. With over a decade of experience in marine construction and underwater services, Victor oversees all risk management, training, and compliance initiatives for a workforce of 100+ professional divers and hundreds of additional field personnel. His expertise spans complex regulatory environments, from OSHA and MSHA to Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard requirements, across multiple high-risk divisions including environmental remediation, underwater dive operations, and hydroelectric construction.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2080 "Brennan's really looking to take a different approach with employee safety. We're gonna start looking at bringing people on who have the personality for it and who are trainable." Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company OK everyone, this is one of those conversations that really reframes how we think about safety leadership. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company, a century-old marine construction and environmental remediation firm, operating in the US and Canada with over 600 employees. Together, they explore why the future of safety isn’t about being the “cop on site,” but about earning trust and genuinely caring whether people make it home. Victor breaks down why Brennan hires for personality and trainability before credentials, how they build safety training that actually sticks in a surge-demand, high-risk industry, and what it takes to manage compliance and skills verification at scale. At the heart of it all is a simple truth: safety isn’t paperwork, it’s people, their families, and the responsibility leaders carry every single day. This one’s for anyone ready to move safety from compliance to culture. "Brennan's really looking to take a different approach with employee safety. We're gonna start looking at bringing people on who have the personality for it and who are trainable." Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company OK everyone, this is one of those conversations that really reframes how we think about safety leadership. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Victor Buhr, Director of Safety at J.F. Brennan Company, a century-old marine construction and environmental remediation firm, operating in the US and Canada with over 600 employees. Together, they explore why the future of safety isn’t about being the “cop on site,” but about earning trust and genuinely caring whether people make it home. Victor breaks down why Brennan hires for personality and trainability before credentials, how they build safety training that actually sticks in a surge-demand, high-risk industry, and what it takes to manage compliance and skills verification at scale. At the heart of it all is a simple truth: safety isn’t paperwork, it’s people, their families, and the responsibility leaders carry every single day. This one’s for anyone ready to move safety from compliance to culture. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, Safety Culture, EHS, Construction Safety, Human Centered Safety No No Making Construction Safety Easier to Follow and Harder to Ignore, with Kathryn Prus https://podcasts.fame.so/e/v8wpmjmn-making-construction-safety-easier-to-follow-and-harder-to-ignore-with-kathryn-prus Making Construction Safety Easier to Follow and Harder to Ignore, with Kathryn Prus 29 1 No No 80x24v40 "One of my phrases is make it easy for people to follow the rules. And I understand that if we've got a trade going from one general contractor to another, you want it to be as consistent as possible.” Kathryn Prus, EHS Director at Skanska OK, everyone, this one hits at the heart of what actually makes safety work at scale. The secret sauce isn’t stricter rules, but making it easier for people to follow them. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kathryn Prus, Environmental Health & Safety Director at Skanska, for a grounded and honest conversation about building safety cultures that people want to be part of. We dig into why consistency across trade partners matters more than adding another rule, how authentic leadership creates real psychological safety on job sites, and what it takes to engage crews beyond compliance checklists. Kathryn shares practical strategies, from standardising expectations across projects to using hands-on, gamified approaches that get workers actively spotting hazards instead of tuning out. We also talk openly about mental health in construction and why making space for those conversations isn’t optional anymore. This episode is about moving safety from paperwork to people, so everyone goes home safe at the end of the day.
"One of my phrases is make it easy for people to follow the rules. And I understand that if we've got a trade going from one general contractor to another, you want it to be as consistent as possible.” Kathryn Prus, EHS Director at Skanska

OK, everyone, this one hits at the heart of what actually makes safety work at scale. The secret sauce isn’t stricter rules, but making it easier for people to follow them. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kathryn Prus, Environmental Health & Safety Director at Skanska, for a grounded and honest conversation about building safety cultures that people want to be part of. We dig into why consistency across trade partners matters more than adding another rule, how authentic leadership creates real psychological safety on job sites, and what it takes to engage crews beyond compliance checklists. 

Kathryn shares practical strategies, from standardising expectations across projects to using hands-on, gamified approaches that get workers actively spotting hazards instead of tuning out. We also talk openly about mental health in construction and why making space for those conversations isn’t optional anymore. This episode is about moving safety from paperwork to people, so everyone goes home safe at the end of the day.

Here are some of the topics that Kathryn and I explore:

  • How to make consistency your competitive advantage by standardizing safety rules 
  • Why gamification and hands-on engagement beat lecture-based training
  • The psychology of calculated risk in safety leadership
  • How to build psychological safety into construction culture 
  • The trade partner audit approach: review lift plans and certifications 
  • Why regional collaboration among competing contractors strengthens everyone's safety program

Kathryn Prus is the Environmental Health and Safety Director for Skanska's Oregon operations, overseeing commercial construction projects across schools, airports, hospitals, and complex infrastructure developments. With a career trajectory spanning administrative EHS roles to executive leadership, she has built a reputation for transforming safety culture through authenticity, clear communication, and strategic technology integration, moving well beyond compliance to create sustainable safety excellence. Her approach emphasizes making safety rules easy to follow for trade partners and subcontractors, recognizing that consistency across general contractors directly impacts worker safety and engagement.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 29 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1819 "One of my phrases is make it easy for people to follow the rules. And I understand that if we've got a trade going from one general contractor to another, you want it to be as consistent as possible.” Kathryn Prus, EHS Director at Skanska OK, everyone, this one hits at the heart of what actually makes safety work at scale. The secret sauce isn’t stricter rules, but making it easier for people to follow them. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kathryn Prus, Environmental Health & Safety Director at Skanska, for a grounded and honest conversation about building safety cultures that people want to be part of. We dig into why consistency across trade partners matters more than adding another rule, how authentic leadership creates real psychological safety on job sites, and what it takes to engage crews beyond compliance checklists. Kathryn shares practical strategies, from standardising expectations across projects to using hands-on, gamified approaches that get workers actively spotting hazards instead of tuning out. We also talk openly about mental health in construction and why making space for those conversations isn’t optional anymore. This episode is about moving safety from paperwork to people, so everyone goes home safe at the end of the day. "One of my phrases is make it easy for people to follow the rules. And I understand that if we've got a trade going from one general contractor to another, you want it to be as consistent as possible.” Kathryn Prus, EHS Director at Skanska OK, everyone, this one hits at the heart of what actually makes safety work at scale. The secret sauce isn’t stricter rules, but making it easier for people to follow them. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kathryn Prus, Environmental Health & Safety Director at Skanska, for a grounded and honest conversation about building safety cultures that people want to be part of. We dig into why consistency across trade partners matters more than adding another rule, how authentic leadership creates real psychological safety on job sites, and what it takes to engage crews beyond compliance checklists. Kathryn shares practical strategies, from standardising expectations across projects to using hands-on, gamified approaches that get workers actively spotting hazards instead of tuning out. We also talk openly about mental health in construction and why making space for those conversations isn’t optional anymore. This episode is about moving safety from paperwork to people, so everyone goes home safe at the end of the day. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, Construction Safety, EHS, Safety Culture, Psychological Safety No No Why 30 Safety Pros in 2 Years Beats 400-Page Manuals: Josh Brown's Playbook at B&S Site Development https://podcasts.fame.so/e/xn1293w8-why-30-safety-pros-in-2-years-beats-400-page-manuals-josh-brown-s-playbook-at-b-s-site-development Why 30 Safety Pros in 2 Years Beats 400-Page Manuals: Josh Brown's Playbook at B&S Site Development 28 1 No No 703r89x1 "I've been and seen 400 page safety manuals. I'm like, dude, nobody reads these. If we can make it relatable, if we can make it consumable for the people so that if you don't have to think as hard, it makes sense.” Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development, for a grounded, honest conversation about what real safety leadership actually looks like in the field. As organisations scale across regions and complexity grows, Josh makes a compelling case for why empathy, presence, and practicality matter more than bloated manuals and checkbox compliance. We talk about walking the job, listening to crews, and designing safety programmes that people will actually use, not just sign off on. Josh also shares how he scaled a safety function from a one-person role to a 30-person team in under two years, without losing trust or burning people out. This is a conversation about leading humans, not enforcing rules, about turning safety from an obligation into an advantage. If you’re building, scaling, or rethinking your safety approach, this one’s for you.
"I've been and seen 400 page safety manuals. I'm like, dude, nobody reads these. If we can make it relatable, if we can make it consumable for the people so that if you don't have to think as hard, it makes sense.” Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development

In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development, for a grounded, honest conversation about what real safety leadership actually looks like in the field. As organisations scale across regions and complexity grows, Josh makes a compelling case for why empathy, presence, and practicality matter more than bloated manuals and checkbox compliance.


We talk about walking the job, listening to crews, and designing safety programmes that people will actually use, not just sign off on. Josh also shares how he scaled a safety function from a one-person role to a 30-person team in under two years, without losing trust or burning people out. This is a conversation about leading humans, not enforcing rules, about turning safety from an obligation into an advantage. If you’re building, scaling, or rethinking your safety approach, this one’s for you.


Here are some of the topics that Josh and I explore:
  • How to audit your safety programs for "consumability," not compliance theater. 
  • Why walking in your workers' shoes isn't soft leadership, it's strategic risk reduction. 
  • The framework for scaling safety across new markets without reinventing the wheel. 
  • How to hire and structure safety teams that actually stay engaged 
  • Why executive coaching and self-awareness separate leaders from managers
  • The "it's not about us" principle that builds trust from the ground up.

Josh Brown is the VP of OHS at B&S Site Development, a heavy civil construction firm specializing in underground utility installation and site development across the Mid-Atlantic and expanding nationally. With a degree in Safety Management from Slippery Rock University and a career built on hands-on field experience, Josh has scaled B&S's safety program from a single professional to a team of 30 full-time safety experts in just two years. His philosophy centers on empathy-driven leadership, getting into the trenches literally and figuratively to understand the real challenges his teams face, then building consumable, relatable safety programs that actually work in practice.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2304 "I've been and seen 400 page safety manuals. I'm like, dude, nobody reads these. If we can make it relatable, if we can make it consumable for the people so that if you don't have to think as hard, it makes sense.” Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development, for a grounded, honest conversation about what real safety leadership actually looks like in the field. As organisations scale across regions and complexity grows, Josh makes a compelling case for why empathy, presence, and practicality matter more than bloated manuals and checkbox compliance. We talk about walking the job, listening to crews, and designing safety programmes that people will actually use, not just sign off on. Josh also shares how he scaled a safety function from a one-person role to a 30-person team in under two years, without losing trust or burning people out. This is a conversation about leading humans, not enforcing rules, about turning safety from an obligation into an advantage. If you’re building, scaling, or rethinking your safety approach, this one’s for you. "I've been and seen 400 page safety manuals. I'm like, dude, nobody reads these. If we can make it relatable, if we can make it consumable for the people so that if you don't have to think as hard, it makes sense.” Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Josh Brown, VP of OHS at B&S Site Development, for a grounded, honest conversation about what real safety leadership actually looks like in the field. As organisations scale across regions and complexity grows, Josh makes a compelling case for why empathy, presence, and practicality matter more than bloated manuals and checkbox compliance. We talk about walking the job, listening to crews, and designing safety programmes that people will actually use, not just sign off on. Josh also shares how he scaled a safety function from a one-person role to a 30-person team in under two years, without losing trust or burning people out. This is a conversation about leading humans, not enforcing rules, about turning safety from an obligation into an advantage. If you’re building, scaling, or rethinking your safety approach, this one’s for you. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, Human Centered Safety, Construction Safety, EHS, Operational Excellence, No No Why the Phrase “Safety Is Number One” Is Holding You Back with Dylan Laser https://podcasts.fame.so/e/rn74mmv8-why-the-phrase-safety-is-number-one-is-holding-you-back-with-dylan-laser Why the Phrase “Safety Is Number One” Is Holding You Back with Dylan Laser 27 1 No No k18ywwn0 "If safety is number one, okay, all your employees are gonna stay home and wrap themselves in bubble wrap. And guess what? Bye bye, company." Dylan Laser, Director of Safety at Kinsley Construction. OK, everyone, this episode challenges one of the most familiar phrases in our industry, and honestly, it might change how you think about safety altogether. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Dylan Laser, Safety Director at Kinsley Construction, to unpack why saying “safety is number one,” often does more harm than good in real operations, and what actually works instead. Drawing from his experience overseeing safety across 2,500+ employees and multiple business divisions, Dylan shares why safety can’t live in isolation from productivity and efficiency. We talk about moving beyond checkbox compliance, building policies with field teams, and shifting from the role of safety police to trusted partner. Dylan also offers a candid look at where internal teams hit their limits, why smart outsourcing isn’t failure, and how connecting safety to business outcomes transforms culture, credibility, and results. If you’re serious about building safety that scales, and sticks, this one’s for you.
"If safety is number one, okay, all your employees are gonna stay home and wrap themselves in bubble wrap. And guess what? Bye bye, company." Dylan Laser, Director of Safety at Kinsley Construction.


OK, everyone, this episode challenges one of the most familiar phrases in our industry, and honestly, it might change how you think about safety altogether. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Dylan Laser, Safety Director at Kinsley Construction, to unpack why saying “safety is number one” often does more harm than good in real operations, and what actually works instead.


Drawing on his experience overseeing safety for over 2,500 employees and multiple business divisions, Dylan shares why safety can’t live in isolation from productivity and efficiency. We talk about moving beyond checkbox compliance, building policies with field teams, and shifting from the role of safety police to a trusted partner. Dylan also offers a candid look at where internal teams hit their limits, why smart outsourcing isn’t failure, and how connecting safety to business outcomes transforms culture, credibility, and results. If you’re serious about building safety that scales and sticks, this one’s for you.


Here are some of the topics that Dylan and I explore:

  • Why "Safety is Number One" is a dangerous myth that undermines safety culture
  • How to shift from compliance-driven safety to culture-driven safety
  • The power of narrative-based site inspections over checkbox compliance
  • How to leverage your deep industry knowledge to build credibility
  • Why outsourcing specialized functions like annual rigging inspections isn't a failure
  • The hidden ROI of transparency and expectation-setting

Dylan Laser is the Safety Director at Kinsley Construction, a $1B full-service construction company with more than 2,500 employees. With 12 years of experience spanning blasting operations and construction safety, Dylan has built a culture-driven safety program across four business divisions. An MSHA Part 46 and 48 approved instructor, he’s known for replacing the “safety cop” model with collaborative coaching, narrative-based inspections, and field-embedded safety leadership that balances safety, productivity, and efficiency.


Episode Chapters:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:04 From History Teacher to Safety Leader: Dylan's Journey
  • 14:08 Why Blasting Taught Him Everything About Safety Culture
  • 19:04 The "Safety Police" Trap and How to Dismantle It
  • 27:34 Building Safety Policies with Field Teams, Not from an Office
  • 33:19 From Checklists to Conversations: Narrative-Based Site Inspections
  • 34:49 When to Outsource: The Smart Scaling Strategy
  • 38:49 Keeping Training Fresh: Why External Partners Reset Engagement
  • 41:17 Safety Isn't Number One, And That's Exactly Why It Works
  • 43:21 Key Takeaways: Leading with Clarity, Not Compliance Theater


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2655 "If safety is number one, okay, all your employees are gonna stay home and wrap themselves in bubble wrap. And guess what? Bye bye, company." Dylan Laser, Director of Safety at Kinsley Construction. OK, everyone, this episode challenges one of the most familiar phrases in our industry, and honestly, it might change how you think about safety altogether. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Dylan Laser, Safety Director at Kinsley Construction, to unpack why saying “safety is number one,” often does more harm than good in real operations, and what actually works instead. Drawing from his experience overseeing safety across 2,500+ employees and multiple business divisions, Dylan shares why safety can’t live in isolation from productivity and efficiency. We talk about moving beyond checkbox compliance, building policies with field teams, and shifting from the role of safety police to trusted partner. Dylan also offers a candid look at where internal teams hit their limits, why smart outsourcing isn’t failure, and how connecting safety to business outcomes transforms culture, credibility, and results. If you’re serious about building safety that scales, and sticks, this one’s for you. "If safety is number one, okay, all your employees are gonna stay home and wrap themselves in bubble wrap. And guess what? Bye bye, company." Dylan Laser, Director of Safety at Kinsley Construction. OK, everyone, this episode challenges one of the most familiar phrases in our industry, and honestly, it might change how you think about safety altogether. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Dylan Laser, Safety Director at Kinsley Construction, to unpack why saying “safety is number one,” often does more harm than good in real operations, and what actually works instead. Drawing from his experience overseeing safety across 2,500+ employees and multiple business divisions, Dylan shares why safety can’t live in isolation from productivity and efficiency. We talk about moving beyond checkbox compliance, building policies with field teams, and shifting from the role of safety police to trusted partner. Dylan also offers a candid look at where internal teams hit their limits, why smart outsourcing isn’t failure, and how connecting safety to business outcomes transforms culture, credibility, and results. If you’re serious about building safety that scales, and sticks, this one’s for you. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, EHS, Construction Safety, Safety Culture, Operational Excellence No No Stop Siloing Safety: Turning EHS into Operational Excellence with David Payton https://podcasts.fame.so/e/x8vlm4r8-stop-siloing-safety-turning-ehs-into-operational-excellence-with-david-payton Stop Siloing Safety: Turning EHS into Operational Excellence with David Payton 26 1 No No 70ypmjl1 "My whole goal is to drive operational excellence, but operational excellence is part of EHS, or EHS is part of operational excellence, if you do it appropriately. It shouldn't be siloed and separate. It should be together." - David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction OK, everyone, this episode goes straight at one of the most persistent failures in our industry: treating safety like a standalone function instead of what it really is; an operational responsibility. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction, to unpack why siloed safety programs don’t just fail audits, they fail people and margins. Drawing on two decades of experience across construction, maritime, telecommunications, and large-scale operations, David breaks down how integrating EHS directly into operations changes accountability, leadership buy-in, and business performance. We talk about tying safety to P&L, building scalable training systems across 23 markets, and why executive hiring interviews may be your most overlooked risk control. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety systems that actually work, on the jobsite, in the field, and on the balance sheet.
"My whole goal is to drive operational excellence, but operational excellence is part of EHS, or EHS is part of operational excellence, if you do it appropriately. It shouldn't be siloed and separate. It should be together." - David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction

OK, everyone, this episode goes straight at one of the most persistent failures in our industry: treating safety like a standalone function instead of what it really is; an operational responsibility. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction, to unpack why siloed safety programs don’t just fail audits, they fail people and margins.


Drawing on two decades of experience across construction, maritime, telecommunications, and large-scale operations, David breaks down how integrating EHS directly into operations changes accountability, leadership buy-in, and business performance. We talk about tying safety to P&L, building scalable training systems across 23 markets, and why executive hiring interviews may be your most overlooked risk control. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety systems that actually work, on the jobsite, in the field, and on the balance sheet.


Here are some of the topics that David and I explore:

  • Why "safety incidents" are really operational failures
  • The operational integration strategy that stops EHS from being sidelined
  • How to build a flexible, scalable training infrastructure across 23+ markets 
  • Why your $35,000-per-person training only pays off if you align hiring culture with safety values
  • The risk management mindset that beats compliance theater
  • How to staff practical testing and field verification at scale

David Peyton is Vice President of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) at TSC Construction, a leading telecom construction and services provider operating across 23 markets nationwide. With over 20 years of experience spanning ironwork, commercial construction, maritime operations, and telecommunications, David has built a reputation for operationalizing safety by integrating EHS into core business strategy rather than siloing it as compliance overhead. His expertise lies in designing scalable training ecosystems, including TSC's network of 15 training centers and mobile subject matter experts, that translate safety knowledge into consistent field implementation across complex, high-risk environments. 


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 08 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2640 "My whole goal is to drive operational excellence, but operational excellence is part of EHS, or EHS is part of operational excellence, if you do it appropriately. It shouldn't be siloed and separate. It should be together." - David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction OK, everyone, this episode goes straight at one of the most persistent failures in our industry: treating safety like a standalone function instead of what it really is; an operational responsibility. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction, to unpack why siloed safety programs don’t just fail audits, they fail people and margins. Drawing on two decades of experience across construction, maritime, telecommunications, and large-scale operations, David breaks down how integrating EHS directly into operations changes accountability, leadership buy-in, and business performance. We talk about tying safety to P&L, building scalable training systems across 23 markets, and why executive hiring interviews may be your most overlooked risk control. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety systems that actually work, on the jobsite, in the field, and on the balance sheet. "My whole goal is to drive operational excellence, but operational excellence is part of EHS, or EHS is part of operational excellence, if you do it appropriately. It shouldn't be siloed and separate. It should be together." - David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction OK, everyone, this episode goes straight at one of the most persistent failures in our industry: treating safety like a standalone function instead of what it really is; an operational responsibility. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Payton, VP of EHS at TSC Construction, to unpack why siloed safety programs don’t just fail audits, they fail people and margins. Drawing on two decades of experience across construction, maritime, telecommunications, and large-scale operations, David breaks down how integrating EHS directly into operations changes accountability, leadership buy-in, and business performance. We talk about tying safety to P&L, building scalable training systems across 23 markets, and why executive hiring interviews may be your most overlooked risk control. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety systems that actually work, on the jobsite, in the field, and on the balance sheet. The Canary Report, Risk Management, Safety Leadership, Operational Excellence, EHS, Construction Safety, Human Centered Safety No No Listening Before It Breaks: Safety Leadership Lessons with Brian Biancavilla https://podcasts.fame.so/e/xn120z28-listening-before-it-breaks-safety-leadership-lessons-with-brian-biancavilla Listening Before It Breaks: Safety Leadership Lessons with Brian Biancavilla 25 1 No No 703r25r1 "You don't just train everybody one time and say, okay. Everybody's good. You don't need any more training. You have to constantly be reminding people." - Brian Biancavilla, Director of EHS at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics OK, everyone, this one cuts straight to the heart of what actually separates real safety leadership from safety theatre. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Brian Biancavilla, EHS Director at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics, and a 35-year veteran of emergency response, hazmat remediation, and EHS leadership at scale. Brian challenges the idea that safety is something you can manage from a spreadsheet or a policy binder, and shows why your frontline teams are your most powerful early warning system, if you’re willing to truly listen and follow through. We get into building vendor partnerships that actually work, navigating corporate gatekeeping without stalling critical safety investments, and the thinking behind a $400K fire alarm system that became the most advanced in the county. This conversation is about paying attention to the subtleties, investing where it matters, and building people-driven safety cultures that hold up under real-world pressure.

"You don't just train everybody one time and say, okay. Everybody's good. You don't need any more training. You have to constantly be reminding people." - Brian Biancavilla, Director of EHS at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics 

OK, everyone, this one cuts straight to the heart of what actually separates real safety leadership from safety theatre. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Brian Biancavilla, EHS Director at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics, and a 35-year veteran of emergency response, hazmat remediation, and EHS leadership at scale. Brian challenges the idea that safety is something you can manage from a spreadsheet or a policy binder, and shows why your frontline teams are your most powerful early warning system, if you’re willing to truly listen and follow through.


We get into building vendor partnerships that actually work, navigating corporate gatekeeping without stalling critical safety investments, and the thinking behind a $400K fire alarm system that became the most advanced in the county. This conversation is about paying attention to the subtleties, investing where it matters, and building people-driven safety cultures that hold up under real-world pressure.


Here are some of the topics that Brian and I explore:
  • Why using third-party auditors for industrial hygiene surveys is a liability shield
  • How to navigate the vendor onboarding gauntlet without losing your best safety talent 
  • The architecture behind a $400K fire alarm system 
  • Why your hourly floor workers are your best early warning system
  • How to build compliance continuity across high-turnover operations
  • The framework for risk-based investment decisions when resources are finite

Brian Biancavilla is the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Director at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics, bringing over 35 years of hands-on expertise in hazardous materials, emergency response, and complex EHS management. His career spans from industrial firefighting and clandestine drug lab closures to regulatory compliance across OSHA, EPA, and DOT frameworks, experience that shapes his pragmatic approach to safety culture and risk mitigation. At Trelleborg, Brian has spearheaded a $400,000 fire alarm and voice evacuation system overhaul and champions a philosophy centered on listening to frontline workers and following through on their concerns.



Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1924 "You don't just train everybody one time and say, okay. Everybody's good. You don't need any more training. You have to constantly be reminding people." - Brian Biancavilla, Director of EHS at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics OK, everyone, this one cuts straight to the heart of what actually separates real safety leadership from safety theatre. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Brian Biancavilla, EHS Director at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics, and a 35-year veteran of emergency response, hazmat remediation, and EHS leadership at scale. Brian challenges the idea that safety is something you can manage from a spreadsheet or a policy binder, and shows why your frontline teams are your most powerful early warning system, if you’re willing to truly listen and follow through. We get into building vendor partnerships that actually work, navigating corporate gatekeeping without stalling critical safety investments, and the thinking behind a $400K fire alarm system that became the most advanced in the county. This conversation is about paying attention to the subtleties, investing where it matters, and building people-driven safety cultures that hold up under real-world pressure. "You don't just train everybody one time and say, okay. Everybody's good. You don't need any more training. You have to constantly be reminding people." - Brian Biancavilla, Director of EHS at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics OK, everyone, this one cuts straight to the heart of what actually separates real safety leadership from safety theatre. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Brian Biancavilla, EHS Director at Trelleborg Engineered Coated Fabrics, and a 35-year veteran of emergency response, hazmat remediation, and EHS leadership at scale. Brian challenges the idea that safety is something you can manage from a spreadsheet or a policy binder, and shows why your frontline teams are your most powerful early warning system, if you’re willing to truly listen and follow through. We get into building vendor partnerships that actually work, navigating corporate gatekeeping without stalling critical safety investments, and the thinking behind a $400K fire alarm system that became the most advanced in the county. This conversation is about paying attention to the subtleties, investing where it matters, and building people-driven safety cultures that hold up under real-world pressure. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, EHS Life, Manufacturing Safety, Human Centered Safety, Operational Excellence No No Pivoting From Compliance to Clarity with David Leff https://podcasts.fame.so/e/r874w99n-pivoting-from-compliance-to-clarity-with-david-leff Pivoting From Compliance to Clarity with David Leff 24 1 No No k08yk441 "You don't wanna just walk in and say, okay, here's your new program, now implement it. You gotta figure out, does it work? Why is it working other places? Why isn't it working here?" - David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio OK everyone, this one cuts right to the heart of what’s broken in how we approach safety, and how to fix it. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio, and a 25-year veteran in insurance and risk management. David challenges the idea that safety starts and ends with compliance and shares what he’s learned leading risk programmes across 77 international facilities, in 11 countries, for a 15,000 head count, and why the most effective safety systems are built on understanding why the rules exist, not just enforcing them. We dig into data-driven site assessments, high-risk roles like forklift operations, and how real ownership beats fear-based training every time. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety programmes that protect people, perform at scale, and stand up to real-world pressure.
"You don't wanna just walk in and say, okay, here's your new program, now implement it. You gotta figure out, does it work? Why is it working other places? Why isn't it working here?" - David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio 

OK everyone, this one cuts right to the heart of what’s broken in how we approach safety, and how to fix it. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio, and a 25-year veteran in insurance and risk management. David challenges the idea that safety starts and ends with compliance and shares what he’s learned leading risk programmes across 77 international facilities, in 11 countries, for a 15,000 head count, and why the most effective safety systems are built on understanding why the rules exist, not just enforcing them. 

We dig into data-driven site assessments, high-risk roles like forklift operations, and how real ownership beats fear-based training every time. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety programmes that protect people, perform at scale, and stand up to real-world pressure.

Here are some of the topics that David and I explore:
  • Why "Because OSHA says so" fails, and how to build safety culture on real-world logic 
  • How to prioritize risk across multi-location operations without traveling to death
  • The forklift problem: ownership beats external trainers every time
  • How to translate risk mitigation efforts into actual insurance savings 
  • Why small and mid-market organizations are priced with the same brush as bad actors 
  • The human cost of traditional risk consulting: 60% travel kills culture, and nobody talks about it

David Leff is the VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio, and a veteran insurance and risk management consultant with over 25 years of experience transforming how organizations approach safety, risk control, and operational excellence. Starting his career as a plant engineer and rising to corporate Environmental Health & Safety leadership at a global manufacturing company with 77 locations across 11 countries, David brings a rare blend of hands-on operational expertise and strategic risk consulting. As a senior loss control consultant and managing director at leading insurance brokerages, he has guided dozens of mid-market and enterprise clients through comprehensive risk identification, program development, and cultural shifts that protect people, property, and profitability simultaneously.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Wed, 24 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2119 "You don't wanna just walk in and say, okay, here's your new program, now implement it. You gotta figure out, does it work? Why is it working other places? Why isn't it working here?" - David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio OK everyone, this one cuts right to the heart of what’s broken in how we approach safety, and how to fix it. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio, and a 25-year veteran in insurance and risk management. David challenges the idea that safety starts and ends with compliance and shares what he’s learned leading risk programmes across 77 international facilities, in 11 countries, for a 15,000 head count, and why the most effective safety systems are built on understanding why the rules exist, not just enforcing them. We dig into data-driven site assessments, high-risk roles like forklift operations, and how real ownership beats fear-based training every time. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety programmes that protect people, perform at scale, and stand up to real-world pressure. "You don't wanna just walk in and say, okay, here's your new program, now implement it. You gotta figure out, does it work? Why is it working other places? Why isn't it working here?" - David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio OK everyone, this one cuts right to the heart of what’s broken in how we approach safety, and how to fix it. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Leff, VP and Board Member at Sustainable Ohio, and a 25-year veteran in insurance and risk management. David challenges the idea that safety starts and ends with compliance and shares what he’s learned leading risk programmes across 77 international facilities, in 11 countries, for a 15,000 head count, and why the most effective safety systems are built on understanding why the rules exist, not just enforcing them. We dig into data-driven site assessments, high-risk roles like forklift operations, and how real ownership beats fear-based training every time. This conversation is about moving past compliance theatre and building safety programmes that protect people, perform at scale, and stand up to real-world pressure. The Canary Report, Safety Culture, Risk Management, Safety Leadership, EHS Professionals, Manufacturing Safety, Human Centered Safety, Operational Excellence No No The Small-Project Safety Blueprint You Need but Aren’t Using, with Tom Garske https://podcasts.fame.so/e/4n9mzj4n-the-small-project-safety-blueprint-you-need-but-aren-t-using-with-tom-garske The Small-Project Safety Blueprint You Need but Aren’t Using, with Tom Garske 23 1 No No v07rkwn1 "Safety is relationship management. That's what it comes down to. It's being able to connect with people and understand their needs and what they wanna see and how they wanna see it and responding to them." - Tom Garske, President, Garske Consulting OK, everyone, this one’s for the builders, supers, and owner-operators who are running lean teams and still trying to do safety the right way. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Tom Garske to unpack what real safety leadership looks like when you don’t have mega-project resources. Tom breaks down why relationships and not rules drive safer crews, how day-one expectations create real behavioural change, and why multilingual communication can’t be an afterthought. We get candid about the high-risk areas that sink small contractors, the business case for investing in training, and the tough calls that save both lives and budgets. If you’re juggling margins and safety, this conversation is your blueprint.
"Safety is relationship management. That's what it comes down to. It's being able to connect with people and understand their needs and what they wanna see and how they wanna see it and responding to them." - Tom Garske, President, Garske Consulting

OK, everyone, this one’s for the builders, supers, and owner-operators who are running lean teams and still trying to do safety the right way. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Tom Garske to unpack what real safety leadership looks like when you don’t have mega-project resources.


Tom breaks down why relationships and not rules drive safer crews, how day-one expectations create real behavioural change, and why multilingual communication can’t be an afterthought. We get candid about the high-risk areas that sink small contractors, the business case for investing in training, and the tough calls that save both lives and budgets. If you’re juggling margins and safety, this conversation is your blueprint.


Here are some of the topics that Tom and I explore:

  • Why tone-setting on day one is your most powerful safety tool
  • Why the cost of a single incident to small contractors can force closure, and how to prevent it
  • How relationship management is actually safety management
  • The fall protection paradox: Gear without training kills people
  •  Why hiring on-demand safety resources beats full-time staff for mid-scale projects
  • The language barrier is a safety barrier that requires direct action

Tom Garske is President and CEO of Garske Consulting LLC, and brings over two decades of construction and real estate development expertise to owner-builder representation and construction consulting. A civil engineer by training, Tom spent 20 years at Whiting Turner, a nationally recognized construction management firm known for its unwavering safety standards, before launching his consulting practice in 2017. His work focuses on integrating safety into every phase of construction, from planning through execution, with particular expertise in addressing the unique challenges smaller subcontractors and regional developers face when scaling safety protocols across multifamily and mixed-use projects.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1964 "Safety is relationship management. That's what it comes down to. It's being able to connect with people and understand their needs and what they wanna see and how they wanna see it and responding to them." - Tom Garske, President, Garske Consulting OK, everyone, this one’s for the builders, supers, and owner-operators who are running lean teams and still trying to do safety the right way. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Tom Garske to unpack what real safety leadership looks like when you don’t have mega-project resources. Tom breaks down why relationships and not rules drive safer crews, how day-one expectations create real behavioural change, and why multilingual communication can’t be an afterthought. We get candid about the high-risk areas that sink small contractors, the business case for investing in training, and the tough calls that save both lives and budgets. If you’re juggling margins and safety, this conversation is your blueprint. "Safety is relationship management. That's what it comes down to. It's being able to connect with people and understand their needs and what they wanna see and how they wanna see it and responding to them." - Tom Garske, President, Garske Consulting OK, everyone, this one’s for the builders, supers, and owner-operators who are running lean teams and still trying to do safety the right way. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Tom Garske to unpack what real safety leadership looks like when you don’t have mega-project resources. Tom breaks down why relationships and not rules drive safer crews, how day-one expectations create real behavioural change, and why multilingual communication can’t be an afterthought. We get candid about the high-risk areas that sink small contractors, the business case for investing in training, and the tough calls that save both lives and budgets. If you’re juggling margins and safety, this conversation is your blueprint. The Canary Report, Construction Safety, Risk Management, Safety Leadership, Human Performance, Workforce Safety, Operational Excellence, Contractor Safety No No The Question That Changes Every Safety Conversation, with Stew Murphy https://podcasts.fame.so/e/18p7p7qn-the-question-that-changes-every-safety-conversation-with-stew-murphy The Question That Changes Every Safety Conversation, with Stew Murphy 22 1 No No z1r4v481 "I don't care if the people are safe. I care if the people care to be safe. And that might be a play on words, but they've gotta get it. When they get it, your job's done." - Stew Murphy, Director of EHS at Mactac NA OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who know safety isn’t a scoreboard, it’s a mindset. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Stew Murphy to dig into what really drives a culture where people choose to work safely, not just follow the rulebook. Stew shares why chasing zero misses the point, how to uncover the blind spots hiding in your investigations, and the simple “Would you let your daughter do it this way?” question that cuts through resistance instantly. We get real about scaling culture across multiple sites, rebuilding trust after acquisitions, and why listening, truly listening, might be the most powerful safety tool you already have.
"I don't care if the people are safe. I care if the people care to be safe. And that might be a play on words, but they've gotta get it. When they get it, your job's done." - Stew Murphy, Director of EHS at Mactac NA

OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who know safety isn’t a scoreboard, it’s a mindset. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Stew Murphy to dig into what really drives a culture where people choose to work safely, not just follow the rulebook. 

Stew shares why chasing zero misses the point, how to uncover the blind spots hiding in your investigations, and the simple “Would you let your daughter do it this way?” question that cuts through resistance instantly. We get real about scaling culture across multiple sites, rebuilding trust after acquisitions, and why listening, truly listening, might be the most powerful safety tool you already have.

Here are some of the topics that Stew and I explore:

  • Why "I don't care if people are safe, I care if people care to be safe."
  • How to build a "What If" mentality across 30 locations with zero headquarters overhead
  • The "Daughter to Work Day" question that stops safety resistance cold
  • How to replace "safety blindness" with systematic, fresh perspectives
  • Why mixing in-person training, online modules, and external experts beats any single approach: 
  • The critical difference between "making safety" and "having safety."

Stew Murphy is the Director of EHS at Mactac North America, bringing 35 years of engineering and environmental health & safety expertise across Fortune 500 companies, global operations, and high-risk manufacturing environments. Known for his ability to transform safety culture from the ground up, Stu has consistently delivered sustainable results—including reducing recordable injury rates from 17 to 2 across European operations and maintaining a 15-year injury-free streak at one facility.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 3035 "I don't care if the people are safe. I care if the people care to be safe. And that might be a play on words, but they've gotta get it. When they get it, your job's done." - Stew Murphy, Director of EHS at Mactac NA OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who know safety isn’t a scoreboard, it’s a mindset. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Stew Murphy to dig into what really drives a culture where people choose to work safely, not just follow the rulebook. Stew shares why chasing zero misses the point, how to uncover the blind spots hiding in your investigations, and the simple “Would you let your daughter do it this way?” question that cuts through resistance instantly. We get real about scaling culture across multiple sites, rebuilding trust after acquisitions, and why listening, truly listening, might be the most powerful safety tool you already have. "I don't care if the people are safe. I care if the people care to be safe. And that might be a play on words, but they've gotta get it. When they get it, your job's done." - Stew Murphy, Director of EHS at Mactac NA OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who know safety isn’t a scoreboard, it’s a mindset. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Stew Murphy to dig into what really drives a culture where people choose to work safely, not just follow the rulebook. Stew shares why chasing zero misses the point, how to uncover the blind spots hiding in your investigations, and the simple “Would you let your daughter do it this way?” question that cuts through resistance instantly. We get real about scaling culture across multiple sites, rebuilding trust after acquisitions, and why listening, truly listening, might be the most powerful safety tool you already have. The Canary Report, Safety Culture, Risk Management, Human Performance, Safety Leadership, Operational Excellence, EHS Professionals No No The Real Reasons Your Safety Message Isn’t Sticking with Large and Complex Teams: Kate McGee’s Insights https://podcasts.fame.so/e/2n6qwmm8-the-real-reasons-your-safety-message-isn-t-sticking-with-large-and-complex-teams-kate-mcgee-s-insights The Real Reasons Your Safety Message Isn’t Sticking with Large and Complex Teams: Kate McGee’s Insights 21 1 No No j02rj770 "If you're genuine about adhering to your code of ethics and applying that, you just try and find people of good character and good integrity." Kate McGee, Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders trying to scale safety across big, complex teams without adding layers of noise or bureaucracy. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kate McGee, Director and Corporate Health and Safety Officer at Pennoni. We dig into what it really takes to keep a 1,400-person organisation aligned, aware, and engaged. Kate breaks down why cultural ownership will always outperform compliance checkboxes, how lean safety teams thrive when expectations are clear, and why smart engineers become your best problem-solvers when you give them the right context. If you’re growing fast, struggling with message dilution, or hiring for the next phase of your safety program, this conversation gives you the playbook.
"If you're genuine about adhering to your code of ethics and applying that, you just try and find people of good character and good integrity." Kate McGee, Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni

OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders trying to scale safety across big, complex teams without adding layers of noise or bureaucracy. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kate McGee, Director and Corporate Health and Safety Officer at Pennoni. We dig into what it really takes to keep a 1,400-person organisation aligned, aware, and engaged. 

Kate breaks down why cultural ownership will always outperform compliance checkboxes, how lean safety teams thrive when expectations are clear, and why smart engineers become your best problem-solvers when you give them the right context. If you’re growing fast, struggling with message dilution, or hiring for the next phase of your safety program, this conversation gives you the playbook.

Here are some of the topics that Kate and I explore:
  • How to leverage your smartest people as problem-solvers, not just rule-followers
  • Why personality and communication style matter more than credentials alone
  • The hidden cost of rapid growth on safety messaging
  • How to spot when a cultural mismatch means it's time to make hard calls
  • Why "inspect what you expect" isn't a cliché; it's your most reliable intervention 
  • How to build trust with leadership so safety recommendations get implemented

Kate McGee is the Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni, bringing 19+ years of experience in environmental consulting, industrial hygiene, and safety leadership. A Certified Safety Professional, she specialises in safety planning, auditing, training, and compliance across construction, general industry, and HAZWOPER operations. Known for turning compliance into a meaningful culture, Kate blends technical expertise with a people-first approach that empowers teams to solve problems, stay engaged, and build safer workplaces across Pennoni’s 1,400-employee, employee-owned organisation.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2522 "If you're genuine about adhering to your code of ethics and applying that, you just try and find people of good character and good integrity." Kate McGee, Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders trying to scale safety across big, complex teams without adding layers of noise or bureaucracy. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kate McGee, Director and Corporate Health and Safety Officer at Pennoni. We dig into what it really takes to keep a 1,400-person organisation aligned, aware, and engaged. Kate breaks down why cultural ownership will always outperform compliance checkboxes, how lean safety teams thrive when expectations are clear, and why smart engineers become your best problem-solvers when you give them the right context. If you’re growing fast, struggling with message dilution, or hiring for the next phase of your safety program, this conversation gives you the playbook. "If you're genuine about adhering to your code of ethics and applying that, you just try and find people of good character and good integrity." Kate McGee, Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders trying to scale safety across big, complex teams without adding layers of noise or bureaucracy. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kate McGee, Director and Corporate Health and Safety Officer at Pennoni. We dig into what it really takes to keep a 1,400-person organisation aligned, aware, and engaged. Kate breaks down why cultural ownership will always outperform compliance checkboxes, how lean safety teams thrive when expectations are clear, and why smart engineers become your best problem-solvers when you give them the right context. If you’re growing fast, struggling with message dilution, or hiring for the next phase of your safety program, this conversation gives you the playbook. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Risk Management, EHS Culture, Human Performance, Engineering Safety, Operational Excellence, Workforce Safety, Culture Transformation No No What Rapid Scaling Gets Wrong About Safety and How to Fix It with Steve Catherman https://podcasts.fame.so/e/rn74wv78-what-rapid-scaling-gets-wrong-about-safety-and-how-to-fix-it-with-steve-catherman What Rapid Scaling Gets Wrong About Safety and How to Fix It with Steve Catherman 20 1 No No k18yknl0 "Our philosophy is behavior-based. We focus on the why and not the what, and we feel that having the human element really is where you can have an impact." Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who are growing fast and feeling that pressure to “keep the safety culture together,” while everything around you scales, shifts, and sometimes cracks. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing, to break down why trust, not compliance, always wins when you’re spread across 107 offices. Steve shares how 30 years of coaching shaped his leadership style, why acquisitions demand a culture-first mindset, and how consistency in regional contact cadence builds the kind of relationships that make safety stick. If you’re tired of playing safety cop and ready to build a culture that actually saves lives, this conversation is your blueprint.
"Our philosophy is behavior-based. We focus on the why and not the what, and we feel that having the human element really is where you can have an impact." Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing

OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who are growing fast and feeling that pressure to “keep the safety culture together,” while everything around you scales, shifts, and sometimes cracks. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing, to break down why trust, not compliance, always wins when you’re spread across 107 offices.

Steve shares how 30 years of coaching shaped his leadership style, why acquisitions demand a culture-first mindset, and how consistency in regional contact cadence builds the kind of relationships that make safety stick. If you’re tired of playing safety cop and ready to build a culture that actually saves lives, this conversation is your blueprint.


Here are some of the topics that Steve and I explore:

  • How to use due diligence beyond financials
  • Why the "safety cop" model kills the safety initiative in your best people
  • The power of structured consistency at scale
  • How to leverage lessons across a fragmented organization
  • Why behavior-based safety beats rules and regulations
  • The integration blueprint for acquisition-led growth 

Steve Catherman is Vice President of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing, the largest commercial roofing contractor in the United States. With nearly 30 years of coaching experience and a background in high-risk construction environments, Steve brings a people-first philosophy to safety leadership that prioritizes culture over compliance. He leads a six-region safety team across 107 offices and plays a critical role in Tecta's acquisition due diligence process, evaluating and integrating new businesses while building trust-based safety cultures. His approach, rooted in behavioral coaching, consistency, and transparency, has helped Tecta scale its safety impact while acquiring five-plus companies annually.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1705 "Our philosophy is behavior-based. We focus on the why and not the what, and we feel that having the human element really is where you can have an impact." Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who are growing fast and feeling that pressure to “keep the safety culture together,” while everything around you scales, shifts, and sometimes cracks. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing, to break down why trust, not compliance, always wins when you’re spread across 107 offices. Steve shares how 30 years of coaching shaped his leadership style, why acquisitions demand a culture-first mindset, and how consistency in regional contact cadence builds the kind of relationships that make safety stick. If you’re tired of playing safety cop and ready to build a culture that actually saves lives, this conversation is your blueprint. "Our philosophy is behavior-based. We focus on the why and not the what, and we feel that having the human element really is where you can have an impact." Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders who are growing fast and feeling that pressure to “keep the safety culture together,” while everything around you scales, shifts, and sometimes cracks. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Steve Catherman, VP of Safety at Tecta America Commercial Roofing, to break down why trust, not compliance, always wins when you’re spread across 107 offices. Steve shares how 30 years of coaching shaped his leadership style, why acquisitions demand a culture-first mindset, and how consistency in regional contact cadence builds the kind of relationships that make safety stick. If you’re tired of playing safety cop and ready to build a culture that actually saves lives, this conversation is your blueprint. No No Why Practitioners, Not Policies, Drive Safety Success with Matt Barnes https://podcasts.fame.so/e/rn74wm78-why-practitioners-not-policies-drive-safety-success-with-matt-barnes Why Practitioners, Not Policies, Drive Safety Success with Matt Barnes 19 1 No No k18ykwl0 "The first thing that I wanted to do, I aligned our leadership and our organization to create a framework of trust where every year we build upon people telling us more and more near misses." Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A OK, everyone, this one’s for the safety pros who know that real leadership doesn’t come from policies, it’s forged from building trust in the field. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A, who’s built safety programs everywhere from North American manufacturing plants to the power stations of Antarctica. We unpack why trust beats bureaucracy, how near misses can become your biggest competitive advantage, and why hiring practitioners over paper credentials changes everything. Matt’s got the scars and the stories to prove that culture, not compliance, drives real results. If you’ve ever wondered what “doing safety right” really looks like, this conversation will show you.
"The first thing that I wanted to do, I aligned our leadership and our organization to create a framework of trust where every year we build upon people telling us more and more near misses." Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A

OK, everyone, this one’s for the safety pros who know that real leadership doesn’t come from policies, it’s forged from building trust in the field. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A, who’s built safety programs everywhere from North American manufacturing plants to the power stations of Antarctica. 

We unpack why trust beats bureaucracy, how near misses can become your biggest competitive advantage, and why hiring practitioners over paper credentials changes everything. Matt’s got the scars and the stories to prove that culture, not compliance, drives real results. If you’ve ever wondered what “doing safety right” really looks like, this conversation will show you.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:
  • How to shift from "find the box" to "here's the box"
  • Why one near miss reported in an entire organization is a red flag, not a success
  • The Antarctica Principle: How to make risk real for people 
  • The difference between hiring a safety person and hiring a practitioner
  • How to build organizational capacity through "cost" interactions
  • The incremental change framework that actually works

Matt Barnes is the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis (MD&A) and a results-driven EHS leader with decades of experience across high-hazard industries. From managing safety for over 1,100 personnel in Antarctica’s harshest environments to improving systems in heavy manufacturing, Matt has built his career solving real problems for real workers. A skilled Human and Organizational Performance practitioner, he’s known for turning complex risk into practical, people-first solutions that build trust and prevent serious injuries.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2365 "The first thing that I wanted to do, I aligned our leadership and our organization to create a framework of trust where every year we build upon people telling us more and more near misses." Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A OK, everyone, this one’s for the safety pros who know that real leadership doesn’t come from policies, it’s forged from building trust in the field. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A, who’s built safety programs everywhere from North American manufacturing plants to the power stations of Antarctica. We unpack why trust beats bureaucracy, how near misses can become your biggest competitive advantage, and why hiring practitioners over paper credentials changes everything. Matt’s got the scars and the stories to prove that culture, not compliance, drives real results. If you’ve ever wondered what “doing safety right” really looks like, this conversation will show you. "The first thing that I wanted to do, I aligned our leadership and our organization to create a framework of trust where every year we build upon people telling us more and more near misses." Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A OK, everyone, this one’s for the safety pros who know that real leadership doesn’t come from policies, it’s forged from building trust in the field. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Matt Barnes, Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety at MD&A, who’s built safety programs everywhere from North American manufacturing plants to the power stations of Antarctica. We unpack why trust beats bureaucracy, how near misses can become your biggest competitive advantage, and why hiring practitioners over paper credentials changes everything. Matt’s got the scars and the stories to prove that culture, not compliance, drives real results. If you’ve ever wondered what “doing safety right” really looks like, this conversation will show you. No No The Mentor Mindset That Keeps People Safe: Insights from David Doggette https://podcasts.fame.so/e/1np7pqv8-the-mentor-mindset-that-keeps-people-safe-insights-from-david-doggette The Mentor Mindset That Keeps People Safe: Insights from David Doggette 18 1 No No z0r4v830 "It actually costs more time and money to do it unsafe in the end, once you've had an incident, than to do safety directly." - David Doggette, Director of Safety at LPX Group Okay, safety leaders, this one’s for anyone trying to scale safety across multiple sites, teams, and regulations without losing focus on what really matters: your people. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Doggette, Senior Safety Professional at LPX Group, to unpack how a family-run heavy civil contractor is building a safety-first culture across 650+ employees. David shares lessons from his Army background, why mentorship beats micromanagement, and how drones and AI audits are reshaping safety intelligence in real time. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn compliance from a checkbox into a business advantage, this conversation will change how you think about ownership, leadership, and what “safe” really means on the job.
"It actually costs more time and money to do it unsafe in the end, once you've had an incident, than to do safety directly." - David Doggette, Director of Safety at LPX Group

Okay, safety leaders, this one’s for anyone trying to scale safety across multiple sites, teams, and regulations without losing focus on what really matters: your people. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Doggette, Senior Safety Professional at LPX Group, to unpack how a family-run heavy civil contractor is building a safety-first culture across 650+ employees. 

David shares lessons from his Army background, why mentorship beats micromanagement, and how drones and AI audits are reshaping safety intelligence in real time. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn compliance from a checkbox into a business advantage, this conversation will change how you think about ownership, leadership, and what “safe” really means on the job.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • How to shift safety ownership from compliance theater to operational reality 

  • Why your next safety hire might not have a safety degree

  • The mentor mindset that prevents safety professionals from becoming bottlenecks 

  • How to navigate wildly different regulatory landscapes without losing your mind

  • Why stopping a project because something looks wrong is a business decision, not a cost 

  • How AI-powered audits and real-time data analytics are reshaping leading indicators

David Doggette is a Director of Safety at LPX Group, a diversified heavy civil contractor based in Louisville, Kentucky. With nearly two decades of safety experience rooted in U.S. Army combat deployments and risk management training, he now leads safety operations across five brands and 650+ employees. David is known for combining military discipline with practical field insight to build strong, scalable safety cultures across OSHA, DOT, and MSHA environments.



Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2427 "It actually costs more time and money to do it unsafe in the end, once you've had an incident, than to do safety directly." - David Doggette, Director of Safety at LPX Group Okay, safety leaders, this one’s for anyone trying to scale safety across multiple sites, teams, and regulations without losing focus on what really matters: your people. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Doggette, Senior Safety Professional at LPX Group, to unpack how a family-run heavy civil contractor is building a safety-first culture across 650+ employees. David shares lessons from his Army background, why mentorship beats micromanagement, and how drones and AI audits are reshaping safety intelligence in real time. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn compliance from a checkbox into a business advantage, this conversation will change how you think about ownership, leadership, and what “safe” really means on the job. "It actually costs more time and money to do it unsafe in the end, once you've had an incident, than to do safety directly." - David Doggette, Director of Safety at LPX Group Okay, safety leaders, this one’s for anyone trying to scale safety across multiple sites, teams, and regulations without losing focus on what really matters: your people. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with David Doggette, Senior Safety Professional at LPX Group, to unpack how a family-run heavy civil contractor is building a safety-first culture across 650+ employees. David shares lessons from his Army background, why mentorship beats micromanagement, and how drones and AI audits are reshaping safety intelligence in real time. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn compliance from a checkbox into a business advantage, this conversation will change how you think about ownership, leadership, and what “safe” really means on the job. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, EHS Management, Risk Culture, Construction Safety, Operational Excellence, Workforce Safety No No Words That Cost Millions: How Communication Breakdowns Bleed Safety and Profits https://podcasts.fame.so/e/18330xz8-words-that-cost-millions-how-communication-breakdowns-bleed-safety-and-profits Words That Cost Millions: How Communication Breakdowns Bleed Safety and Profits 17 1 No No m0jpk960 "Language is inextricably linked to life, and when we address it holistically, we actually find that you can drive safety and retain the talent." Monique Lewis, Founder and CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning OK, everyone, this one’s for everyone leading diverse teams while tackling multilingual challenges on the job site. The right words in the right language and context go a long way towards saving lives. And that’s why in this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Monique Lewis, CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning, to unpack how language barriers can make, or break, workplace safety. Monique shares why traditional translation just isn’t cutting it, how preliterate workers navigate safety materials, and what real inclusion looks like when every word matters. This conversation gets right to the heart of safety culture, because when people can’t understand the message, they can’t stay safe.
"Language is inextricably linked to life, and when we address it holistically, we actually find that you can drive safety and retain the talent." Monique Lewis, Founder and CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning

OK, everyone, this one’s for everyone leading diverse teams while tackling multilingual communication challenges on the job site. The right words in the right language and context go a long way towards saving lives. And that’s why in this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Monique Lewis, CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning, to unpack how language barriers can make, or break, workplace safety. Monique shares why traditional translation just isn’t cutting it, how preliterate workers navigate safety materials, and what real inclusion looks like when every word matters. This conversation gets right to the heart of safety culture, because when people can’t understand the message, they can’t stay safe.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • Why traditional translation services alone aren't enough to ensure workplace safety
  • How to identify and address preliterate workers' safety needs beyond written materials
  • The business case for language-led workforce development in reducing turnover 
  • Why "thumbs up" comprehension checks fail and how to properly verify safety training 
  • How to create an inclusive safety culture that empowers non-native speakers to report concerns
  • The critical difference between having translated materials and achieving true safety communication

Monique Lewis is the Founder and CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning, a bilingual workforce development expert with over 20 years of experience in ESL education and safety communication. She pioneered language-led workforce development to help construction and safety leaders close the English–Spanish gap, the largest language barrier in the U.S. workforce. Inspired by a preventable job site fatality, Monique’s mission is clear: make safety communication accessible, reduce incidents and turnover, and build stronger, more connected teams where everyone goes home safe.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:57:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2400 "Language is inextricably linked to life, and when we address it holistically, we actually find that you can drive safety and retain the talent." Monique Lewis, Founder and CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning OK, everyone, this one’s for everyone leading diverse teams while tackling multilingual challenges on the job site. The right words in the right language and context go a long way towards saving lives. And that’s why in this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Monique Lewis, CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning, to unpack how language barriers can make, or break, workplace safety. Monique shares why traditional translation just isn’t cutting it, how preliterate workers navigate safety materials, and what real inclusion looks like when every word matters. This conversation gets right to the heart of safety culture, because when people can’t understand the message, they can’t stay safe. "Language is inextricably linked to life, and when we address it holistically, we actually find that you can drive safety and retain the talent." Monique Lewis, Founder and CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning OK, everyone, this one’s for everyone leading diverse teams while tackling multilingual challenges on the job site. The right words in the right language and context go a long way towards saving lives. And that’s why in this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Monique Lewis, CEO of Next 2 Native Language Learning, to unpack how language barriers can make, or break, workplace safety. Monique shares why traditional translation just isn’t cutting it, how preliterate workers navigate safety materials, and what real inclusion looks like when every word matters. This conversation gets right to the heart of safety culture, because when people can’t understand the message, they can’t stay safe. No No Clean Tech Growth Hack: Prioritize Safety https://podcasts.fame.so/e/lnqw4qvn-clean-tech-growth-hack-prioritize-safety Clean Tech Growth Hack: Prioritize Safety 16 1 No No 81nvxyr1 "Every one of our potential customers talks about safety with us. It's actually a part of our conversation, and it will just take one incident, and our license to operate goes away." Karim Ibrik, COO at Rondo Energy OK, everyone, this one’s packed with insight and real-world impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Karim Ibrik, COO of Rondo Energy, to discuss how his team balances rapid clean tech innovation with unwavering safety standards. Karim walks us through managing high-risk heat battery technology, building trust as a startup in traditional industrial spaces, and scaling safety programs across global operations. We talk strategy, leadership, and why embedding safety into every decision isn’t just compliance; it’s your license to operate.
"Every one of our potential customers talks about safety with us. It's actually a part of our conversation, and it will just take one incident, and our license to operate goes away." Karim Ibrik, COO at Rondo Energy

OK, everyone, this one’s packed with insight and real-world impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Karim Ibrik, COO of Rondo Energy, to discuss how his team balances rapid clean tech innovation with unwavering safety standards. Karim walks us through managing high-risk heat battery technology, building trust as a startup in traditional industrial spaces, and scaling safety programs across global operations. We talk strategy, leadership, and why embedding safety into every decision isn’t just compliance; it’s your license to operate. 

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • How to build trust as a clean tech startup through strategic safety investments 
  • Why daily safety oversight is crucial for early-stage energy companies 
  • The framework for managing safety across brownfield installations and customer sites
  • How to integrate customer safety standards while maintaining consistent protocols
  • The connection between safety culture and accelerated business growth in high-risk industries
  • Why recruiting experienced safety professionals is critical for scaling operations 

Karim Ibrik is the Chief Operating Officer at Rondo Energy, a clean tech company revolutionizing industrial heat storage through innovative battery technology. With a background in chemical engineering and nearly a decade of experience at Shell, where he served as an investigations leader, Karim brings deep expertise in operational safety and systems thinking to the clean energy sector. After transitioning from the Middle East to Silicon Valley, he leveraged his experience in growth equity investing and clean tech development to help scale Rondo Energy's groundbreaking heat battery technology.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2380 "Every one of our potential customers talks about safety with us. It's actually a part of our conversation, and it will just take one incident, and our license to operate goes away." Karim Ibrik, COO at Rondo Energy OK, everyone, this one’s packed with insight and real-world impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Karim Ibrik, COO of Rondo Energy, to discuss how his team balances rapid clean tech innovation with unwavering safety standards. Karim walks us through managing high-risk heat battery technology, building trust as a startup in traditional industrial spaces, and scaling safety programs across global operations. We talk strategy, leadership, and why embedding safety into every decision isn’t just compliance; it’s your license to operate. "Every one of our potential customers talks about safety with us. It's actually a part of our conversation, and it will just take one incident, and our license to operate goes away." Karim Ibrik, COO at Rondo Energy OK, everyone, this one’s packed with insight and real-world impact. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Karim Ibrik, COO of Rondo Energy, to discuss how his team balances rapid clean tech innovation with unwavering safety standards. Karim walks us through managing high-risk heat battery technology, building trust as a startup in traditional industrial spaces, and scaling safety programs across global operations. We talk strategy, leadership, and why embedding safety into every decision isn’t just compliance; it’s your license to operate. No No The Three E’s That Transformed Ervin Cable’s Safety Culture with Colby Davis https://podcasts.fame.so/e/mn4l2vxn-the-three-e-s-that-transformed-urban-cable-s-safety-culture-with-colby-davis The Three E’s That Transformed Ervin Cable’s Safety Culture with Colby Davis 15 1 No No x06r54l0 "I always reference what I call the three e's - educate, empower, and enforce. The older and more mature I get, the more I realize that enforcement works better if you're more positive than negative." Colby Davis, Safety Director, Ervin Cable Construction OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Colby Davis, Director of Safety at Ervin Cable Construction, to unpack how his team brought their incident rate down from industry average to just 0.1 while scaling to 1,700 employees. Colby walks me through his “Three E’s Framework,” Educate, Empower, Enforce and how combining data analytics, hands-on driver training, and blended learning has completely reshaped their safety culture. We talk leadership, accountability, and the real power of empowering people to protect one another. If you care about safety that truly sticks, this one’s for you.
"I always reference what I call the three e's - educate, empower, and enforce. The older and more mature I get, the more I realize that enforcement works better if you're more positive than negative." Colby Davis, Safety Director, Ervin Cable Contruction

OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Colby Davis, Director of Safety at Ervin Cable Construction, to unpack how his team brought their incident rate down from industry average to just 0.1 while scaling to 1,700 employees. Colby walks me through his “Three E’s Framework,”  Educate, Empower, Enforce and how combining data analytics, hands-on driver training, and blended learning has completely reshaped their safety culture. We talk leadership, accountability, and the real power of empowering people to protect one another. If you care about safety that truly sticks, this one’s for you.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • How to reduce incident rates from industry average to exceptional (from 1.8 to 0.1) 

  • The "Three E's Framework" for safety success: Educate, Empower, and Enforce

  • Why comprehensive driver training programs are crucial for reducing incidents 

  • How to build an effective safety culture that encourages reporting 

  • The vital importance of investing equally in safety training for all employees

  • Why in-person, hands-on training must complement online learning for optimal safety 

  • How involving safety leadership in contract review can prevent incidents before they occur

  • The power of using data analytics and custom algorithms to predict and prevent issues


Colby Davis is the Director of Safety at Ervin Cable Construction, where he’s led a transformation in safety performance, reducing incident rates from industry average to an outstanding 0.1 while scaling to 1,700 employees. With a background in environmental and civil engineering and experience across manufacturing, transportation, and telecommunications, Colby blends data-driven insights with hands-on leadership. His “Three E’s Framework,” Educate, Empower, and Enforce, has become a proven model for building strong, proactive safety cultures that protect people and drive performance.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1976 "I always reference what I call the three e's - educate, empower, and enforce. The older and more mature I get, the more I realize that enforcement works better if you're more positive than negative." Colby Davis, Safety Director, Ervin Cable Construction OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Colby Davis, Director of Safety at Ervin Cable Construction, to unpack how his team brought their incident rate down from industry average to just 0.1 while scaling to 1,700 employees. Colby walks me through his “Three E’s Framework,” Educate, Empower, Enforce and how combining data analytics, hands-on driver training, and blended learning has completely reshaped their safety culture. We talk leadership, accountability, and the real power of empowering people to protect one another. If you care about safety that truly sticks, this one’s for you. "I always reference what I call the three e's - educate, empower, and enforce. The older and more mature I get, the more I realize that enforcement works better if you're more positive than negative." Colby Davis, Safety Director, Ervin Cable Construction OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Colby Davis, Director of Safety at Ervin Cable Construction, to unpack how his team brought their incident rate down from industry average to just 0.1 while scaling to 1,700 employees. Colby walks me through his “Three E’s Framework,” Educate, Empower, Enforce and how combining data analytics, hands-on driver training, and blended learning has completely reshaped their safety culture. We talk leadership, accountability, and the real power of empowering people to protect one another. If you care about safety that truly sticks, this one’s for you. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Construction Safety, Safety Culture, Risk Management, EHS Innovation, No No Making ‘The Safe Choice’ the Easy One, with Chris Daniels https://podcasts.fame.so/e/182rmkl8-making-the-safe-choice-the-easy-one-with-chris-daniels Making ‘The Safe Choice’ the Easy One, with Chris Daniels 14 1 No No 2099yxk0 "We have to get to the point in safety in general across the construction industry, where the safe choice is always the easy choice. And, I mean, I hate to say it, we're not there yet." - Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson. Safety excellence requires making the safe choice the easy choice, especially in a high-risk construction environment. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson, to unpack what safety leadership truly looks like across high-risk projects, from wind farms to data centers. Chris brings 16 years of field-tested experience and a refreshing honesty about what works and what doesn’t. We dig into why making the safe choice the easy choice is the future of construction safety, how compliance-only thinking can hold teams back, and why real progress starts with empowering workers, not just tracking metrics. If you care about building safety cultures that last, this one’s for you.
"We have to get to the point in safety in general across the construction industry, where the safe choice is always the easy choice. And, I mean, I hate to say it, we're not there yet." - Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson. 

Safety excellence requires making the safe choice the easy choice, especially in a high-risk construction environment. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson, to unpack what safety leadership truly looks like across high-risk projects, from wind farms to data centers. Chris brings 16 years of field-tested experience and a refreshing honesty about what works and what doesn’t. We dig into why making the safe choice the easy choice is the future of construction safety, how compliance-only thinking can hold teams back, and why real progress starts with empowering workers, not just tracking metrics. If you care about building safety cultures that last, this one’s for you.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • How to effectively manage safety in remote wind farm construction
  • Why traditional compliance-first approaches must evolve toward safety-by-design 
  • The critical balance between procedural controls and empowering workers to make safe decisions
  • How to evaluate subcontractor safety qualifications beyond basic metrics 
  • Why tracking potential serious incidents (PSIFs) matters more than recordable rates 
  • The importance of understanding field conditions and worker constraints when designing safety protocols
  • How engaged workforce reporting of near-misses indicates a stronger safety culture

Chris Daniels is the Senior Safety Director at Mortenson, a leading construction and real estate development company, where he specializes in managing complex safety programs across high-risk construction environments. With over 16 years of experience, Chris has developed extensive expertise in renewable energy safety, particularly in wind energy projects, where he served as Wind Safety Director for nearly a decade. He currently leads safety initiatives in Mortenson's data center division, bringing his comprehensive understanding of multi-site, multi-trade safety management to these sophisticated building environments.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1790 "We have to get to the point in safety in general across the construction industry, where the safe choice is always the easy choice. And, I mean, I hate to say it, we're not there yet." - Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson. Safety excellence requires making the safe choice the easy choice, especially in a high-risk construction environment. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson, to unpack what safety leadership truly looks like across high-risk projects, from wind farms to data centers. Chris brings 16 years of field-tested experience and a refreshing honesty about what works and what doesn’t. We dig into why making the safe choice the easy choice is the future of construction safety, how compliance-only thinking can hold teams back, and why real progress starts with empowering workers, not just tracking metrics. If you care about building safety cultures that last, this one’s for you. "We have to get to the point in safety in general across the construction industry, where the safe choice is always the easy choice. And, I mean, I hate to say it, we're not there yet." - Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson. Safety excellence requires making the safe choice the easy choice, especially in a high-risk construction environment. On this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Chris Daniels, Senior Safety Director at Mortenson, to unpack what safety leadership truly looks like across high-risk projects, from wind farms to data centers. Chris brings 16 years of field-tested experience and a refreshing honesty about what works and what doesn’t. We dig into why making the safe choice the easy choice is the future of construction safety, how compliance-only thinking can hold teams back, and why real progress starts with empowering workers, not just tracking metrics. If you care about building safety cultures that last, this one’s for you. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Construction Safety, Safety Culture, Risk Management, EHS Innovation, Chris Daniels, Mortenson No No Cultural Matchmaking in Safety: Lessons from Ecudemio Gutierrez https://podcasts.fame.so/e/1833vkr8-cultural-matchmaking-in-safety-lessons-from-ecudemio-gutierrez Cultural Matchmaking in Safety: Lessons from Ecudemio Gutierrez 13 1 No No m0jprv30 "Safety should be about getting people home, and it should be about the people, not about meeting the bare minimum because the law says we have to." Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water. OK, everyone, if you really care about the people who work for you and getting them home safe every day, this episode is for you. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water, to explore how psychology and culture are reshaping our approach to safety. Ecudemio shares his journey from pipefitter to safety leader, why cultural fit matters as much as technical skills, and how new tools, such as QR-coded training videos, are breaking through language barriers. We also dig into the root causes of unsafe choices and their permanent fixes, leadership succession, and building inclusive safety programs.
"Safety should be about getting people home, and it should be about the people, not about meeting the bare minimum because the law says we have to." Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water. 

OK, everyone, if you really care about the people who work for you and getting them home safe every day, this episode is for you. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water, to explore how psychology and culture are reshaping our approach to safety. Ecudemio shares his journey from pipefitter to safety leader, why cultural fit matters as much as technical skills, and how new tools, such as QR-coded training videos, are breaking through language barriers. We also dig into the root causes of unsafe choices and their permanent fixes, leadership succession, and building inclusive safety programs. 

Here are some of the topics that we explore:
  • How human psychology impacts safety decisions 
  • The critical factors in matching safety professionals with organizational culture 
  • Why language translation alone isn't enough for effective safety communication 
  • How to leverage new technologies like QR-coded micro-videos for multilingual training
  • Why succession planning and leadership development are crucial for scaling safety programs
  • The importance of balancing technical expertise with cultural fit when hiring and promoting
  • How to address literacy challenges in safety communication 
  • Why traditional metrics like "days without incidents" can inadvertently discourage honest reporting

Ecudemio Gutierrez Jr. is a seasoned safety leader at DC Water with over 24 years of construction and safety experience. His extensive background spans chemical refineries, utilities, LNG facilities, and infrastructure projects, where he progressed from a journeyman pipefitter to leadership roles in safety and quality assurance. Currently pursuing his doctorate in industrial organizational psychology, Ecudemio combines his practical experience with behavioral science to transform workplace safety culture.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:34:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2924 "Safety should be about getting people home, and it should be about the people, not about meeting the bare minimum because the law says we have to." Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water. OK, everyone, if you really care about the people who work for you and getting them home safe every day, this episode is for you. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water, to explore how psychology and culture are reshaping our approach to safety. Ecudemio shares his journey from pipefitter to safety leader, why cultural fit matters as much as technical skills, and how new tools, such as QR-coded training videos, are breaking through language barriers. We also dig into the root causes of unsafe choices and their permanent fixes, leadership succession, and building inclusive safety programs. "Safety should be about getting people home, and it should be about the people, not about meeting the bare minimum because the law says we have to." Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water. OK, everyone, if you really care about the people who work for you and getting them home safe every day, this episode is for you. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Ecudemio Gutierrez, Director of Safety at DC Water, to explore how psychology and culture are reshaping our approach to safety. Ecudemio shares his journey from pipefitter to safety leader, why cultural fit matters as much as technical skills, and how new tools, such as QR-coded training videos, are breaking through language barriers. We also dig into the root causes of unsafe choices and their permanent fixes, leadership succession, and building inclusive safety programs. The Canary Report, Workplace Safety, Safety Leadership, EHS Innovation Safety Culture, Operational Excellence, Yellowbird Safety No No From Compliance to Culture: Strategic Safety with Jo Pina https://podcasts.fame.so/e/0njy75k8-from-compliance-to-culture-strategic-safety-with-jo-pina From Compliance to Culture: Strategic Safety with Jo Pina 12 1 No No 40pqw9z1 "Creating an environment where people feel comfortable to report said near misses is critical." - Jo Pina Hello and welcome everyone. For a start, this one’s packed with rich insights you can use and apply right away at your workplace, and on a personal level, I’ve waited a long time and looked forward to meeting Jo Pina on this week's episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management. Jo is the Global Director of EHSS at Footprint and a 20-year safety veteran who’s worked across infrastructure, utilities, and construction. Together, we dive into how near-miss reporting signals the maturity of your safety culture, why psychological safety matters more than policies, and how diverse voices drive stronger outcomes. Jo shares how to align KPIs with business goals, build programs even with limited resources, and break barriers for women in safety leadership.
"Creating an environment where people feel comfortable to report said near misses is critical." - Jo Pina

Hello and welcome everyone. For a start, this one’s packed with rich insights you can use and apply right away, and on a personal level, I’ve waited a long time and looked forward to meeting Jo Pina on this week's episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management. Jo is the Global Director of EHSS at Footprint and  a 20-year safety veteran who’s worked across infrastructure, utilities, and construction. Together, we dive into how near-miss reporting signals the maturity of your safety culture, why psychological safety matters more than policies, and how diverse voices drive stronger outcomes. Jo shares how to align KPIs with business goals, build programs even with limited resources, and break barriers for women in safety leadership. 

Here are some of the topics that we explore:
  • Why near-miss reporting is a critical leading indicator of safety culture maturity
  • How to align safety initiatives with business objectives using strategic planning 
  • The importance of psychological safety in building effective reporting cultures
  • Why diverse perspectives strengthen safety programs and drive better outcomes
  • How to develop safety programs based on organizational maturity levels
  • The evolution from compliance-focused to strategic safety leadership
  • Why traditional career paths aren't necessary for safety success
  • How to create effective safety programs without extensive internal resources

Jo Pina is the Global Director of Environmental Health, Safety, and Security at Footprint and a Certified Safety Professional with over 20 years of experience across infrastructure, utilities, energy, and construction. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, she leads Arizona’s Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) chapter and actively contributes to ASSP. Jo is also an OSHA Authorized Trainer and author of My Safety Superhero. She’s dedicated to building psychologically safe workplaces where people and organizations thrive.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2381 "Creating an environment where people feel comfortable to report said near misses is critical." - Jo Pina Hello and welcome everyone. For a start, this one’s packed with rich insights you can use and apply right away at your workplace, and on a personal level, I’ve waited a long time and looked forward to meeting Jo Pina on this week's episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management. Jo is the Global Director of EHSS at Footprint and a 20-year safety veteran who’s worked across infrastructure, utilities, and construction. Together, we dive into how near-miss reporting signals the maturity of your safety culture, why psychological safety matters more than policies, and how diverse voices drive stronger outcomes. Jo shares how to align KPIs with business goals, build programs even with limited resources, and break barriers for women in safety leadership. "Creating an environment where people feel comfortable to report said near misses is critical." - Jo Pina Hello and welcome everyone. For a start, this one’s packed with rich insights you can use and apply right away at your workplace, and on a personal level, I’ve waited a long time and looked forward to meeting Jo Pina on this week's episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management. Jo is the Global Director of EHSS at Footprint and a 20-year safety veteran who’s worked across infrastructure, utilities, and construction. Together, we dive into how near-miss reporting signals the maturity of your safety culture, why psychological safety matters more than policies, and how diverse voices drive stronger outcomes. Jo shares how to align KPIs with business goals, build programs even with limited resources, and break barriers for women in safety leadership. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, EHS Innovation, Operational Excellence, Safety Culture, Workplace Safety, Jo Pina No No From Family Values to Safety Culture with Jeanne Boyd Curtis https://podcasts.fame.so/e/vn5jx3m8-from-family-values-to-safety-culture-with-jeanne-boyd-curtis From Family Values to Safety Culture with Jeanne Boyd Curtis 11 1 No No 80q36mz0 "Safety doesn't start on the ground. It doesn't start on the roof. It starts right here, and to me, safety starts with mental health.” Jeanne Boyd Curtis OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jeanne Boyd Curtis, COO of Boyd Bone Dry, to explore what it really takes to build a safety-first culture in construction. Jeanne shares how her multi-generational roofing company balances growth with unwavering safety standards, from daily training videos to prioritising mental health on the job site. We dig into subcontractor accountability, workers’ comp, and why safety isn’t just compliance, it’s family. If you lead people, this episode will challenge and inspire you.
"Safety doesn't start on the ground. It doesn't start on the roof. It starts right here, and to me, safety starts with mental health.” Jeanne Boyd Curtis

OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jeanne Boyd Curtis, COO of Boyd Bone Dry, to explore what it really takes to build a safety-first culture in construction. Jeanne shares how her multi-generational roofing company balances growth with unwavering safety standards, from daily training videos to prioritising mental health on the job site. We dig into subcontractor accountability, workers’ comp, and why safety isn’t just compliance, it’s family. If you lead people, this episode will challenge and inspire you.



Here are some of the topics that we explore:
  • Why mental health must be the foundation of any construction safety program
  • How to build a comprehensive safety training program 
  • The importance of requiring workers' compensation coverage for all workers
  • How to maintain safety standards across multiple states while scaling a family business
  • Why consistent safety messaging needs to align between leadership and field workers
  • The vital connection between company culture and safety climate
  • How to implement successful subcontractor safety management 
  • Why investing in safety protocols creates long-term business value

Jeanne Boyd Curtis is the Chief Operating Officer of Boyd Bone Dry, Inc., a premier commercial roofing and construction consulting firm based in Mansfield, Texas. A multi-generational leader, Jeanne combines her background as a licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Adjuster, senior consultant, and former school administrator with a passion for building a safety-first culture. Holding advanced degrees in leadership and communication, she champions mental health, rigorous training, and workers’ compensation protections across all projects. As President of the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas and a proud NRCA Future Executive Institute alum, Jeanne advocates for higher industry standards nationwide.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2241 "Safety doesn't start on the ground. It doesn't start on the roof. It starts right here, and to me, safety starts with mental health.” Jeanne Boyd Curtis OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jeanne Boyd Curtis, COO of Boyd Bone Dry, to explore what it really takes to build a safety-first culture in construction. Jeanne shares how her multi-generational roofing company balances growth with unwavering safety standards, from daily training videos to prioritising mental health on the job site. We dig into subcontractor accountability, workers’ comp, and why safety isn’t just compliance, it’s family. If you lead people, this episode will challenge and inspire you. "Safety doesn't start on the ground. It doesn't start on the roof. It starts right here, and to me, safety starts with mental health.” Jeanne Boyd Curtis OK, everyone, this one is packed with wisdom and heart. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Jeanne Boyd Curtis, COO of Boyd Bone Dry, to explore what it really takes to build a safety-first culture in construction. Jeanne shares how her multi-generational roofing company balances growth with unwavering safety standards, from daily training videos to prioritising mental health on the job site. We dig into subcontractor accountability, workers’ comp, and why safety isn’t just compliance, it’s family. If you lead people, this episode will challenge and inspire you. Safety Leadership, Construction Safety, The Canary Report, EHS Innovation, Workplace Safety, Operational Excellence, Continuous Improvement No No Modernizing Safety Investigations the Human Way with Crystal Blasius https://podcasts.fame.so/e/r8klq9qn-modernizing-safety-investigations-the-human-way-with-crystal-blasius Modernizing Safety Investigations the Human Way with Crystal Blasius 10 1 No No 71wjqxq0 "Mind-blowingly so, every three hours, there is a person or vehicle that negatively encounters railroad equipment. Every three hours." Crystal Blasius OK, everyone, this one is powerful. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Crystal Blasius, Director of Safety Investigations at Amtrak, to unpack her incredible journey from answering a newspaper ad to reshaping national railroad safety. Crystal shares how she’s modernizing investigation protocols, bringing human factors into safety management systems, and making space for inclusivity in a traditionally rigid industry. We also dive into the real human side of incident response, supporting investigators and first responders through mental health challenges.
"Mind-blowingly so, every three hours, there is a person or vehicle that negatively encounters railroad equipment. Every three hours." Crystal Blasius

OK, everyone, this one is powerful. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Crystal Blasius, Director of Safety Investigations at Amtrak, to unpack her incredible journey from answering a newspaper ad to reshaping national railroad safety. Crystal shares how she’s modernizing investigation protocols, bringing human factors into safety management systems, and making space for inclusivity in a traditionally rigid industry. We also dive into the real human side of incident response, supporting investigators and first responders through mental health challenges.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • How standardizing safety investigation processes leads to consistent outcomes
  • Why integrating human factors and SMS principles leads to effective incident investigations
  • The critical importance of supporting first responders and investigation teams with mental health resources
  • How to break down departmental silos and foster cross-functional communication in safety programs
  • Why modernizing traditional industries requires both technical expertise and change management skills
  • The path to creating more inclusive opportunities for women in historically male-dominated safety roles
  • How to balance regulatory compliance with human-centered incident investigation approaches
  • The essential role of open communication and standardized processes in building stronger safety cultures

Crystal Blasius is the Director of Safety Investigations at Amtrak, where she leads nationwide efforts to modernize incident investigation protocols and standardize practices across the rail network. With over 15 years in the industry, she’s risen from conductor to pioneering safety leader, known for reshaping training during COVID-19 and driving cross-functional collaboration. A passionate advocate through Operation Lifesaver, Crystal brings expertise in SMS, human factors, and inclusive leadership, redefining how the railroad industry approaches safety with both rigor and humanity.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1773 "Mind-blowingly so, every three hours, there is a person or vehicle that negatively encounters railroad equipment. Every three hours." Crystal Blasius OK, everyone, this one is powerful. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Crystal Blasius, Director of Safety Investigations at Amtrak, to unpack her incredible journey from answering a newspaper ad to reshaping national railroad safety. Crystal shares how she’s modernizing investigation protocols, bringing human factors into safety management systems, and making space for inclusivity in a traditionally rigid industry. We also dive into the real human side of incident response, supporting investigators and first responders through mental health challenges. "Mind-blowingly so, every three hours, there is a person or vehicle that negatively encounters railroad equipment. Every three hours." Crystal Blasius OK, everyone, this one is powerful. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Crystal Blasius, Director of Safety Investigations at Amtrak, to unpack her incredible journey from answering a newspaper ad to reshaping national railroad safety. Crystal shares how she’s modernizing investigation protocols, bringing human factors into safety management systems, and making space for inclusivity in a traditionally rigid industry. We also dive into the real human side of incident response, supporting investigators and first responders through mental health challenges. The Canary Report, Work place Safety, Safety Leadership, Rail Safety, EHS Innovation, Operational Excellence, Yellowbird Safety No No Breaking the Silence on Mental Health in Construction with Josh Vitale https://podcasts.fame.so/e/m84lyqp8-breaking-the-silence-on-mental-health-in-construction-with-josh-vitale Breaking the Silence on Mental Health in Construction with Josh Vitale 9 1 No No x16rn2y1 "What we know about suicidality is that it's almost always a combination of a lack of hope and a lack of connection." - Josh Vitale We are celebrating Construction Suicide Prevention Week, and this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management podcast is dedicated to everyone undergoing mental trauma with the plea to please reach out for help, just know that you’re not alone. I am your host, Michael Zalle, and today it’s my pleasure to welcome Josh Vitale to the show. Josh is the co-founder and CEO of Project BUILT, a national movement to confront addiction, suicide, burnout, and disconnection in construction by strengthening workers, families, and job sites. Join us for a frank and open conversation on mental health in construction. Together, we unpack how burnout, addiction, and suicide risk impact safety on job sites, and what leaders can do about it. From building peer-support systems to managing legal risk, Josh shares actionable strategies to break the stigma and transform workplace culture.
"What we know about suicidality is that it's almost always a combination of a lack of hope and a lack of connection." - Josh Vitale

We are celebrating Construction Suicide Prevention Week, and this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management podcast is dedicated to everyone undergoing mental trauma with the plea to please reach out for help, you’re not alone. I am your host, Michael Zalle, and today it’s my pleasure to welcome Josh Vitale to the show. Josh is the co-founder and CEO of Project BUILT, a national movement to confront addiction, suicide, burnout, and disconnection in construction by strengthening workers, families, and job sites. 

Join us for a frank and open conversation on mental health in construction. Together, we unpack how burnout, addiction, and suicide risk impact safety on job sites, and what leaders can do about it. From building peer-support systems to managing legal risk, Josh shares actionable strategies to break the stigma and transform workplace culture.

Here are some of the topics that we explore:

  • How to recognize and respond to mental health crises in construction environments 
  • Why implementing peer support systems across all organizational levels is crucial 
  • The connection between workplace wellness and safety performance
  • How to leverage Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) effectively 
  • Why leading with vulnerability as a safety professional can create psychological safety 
  • The practical framework for implementing mental health first response training 
  • How to build a comprehensive wellness program that addresses both immediate crisis intervention and long-term cultural change
  • The critical role of family support in addressing construction worker mental health 

Josh Vitale is the co-founder and CEO of Project Built, a nonprofit tackling mental health, addiction, and suicide prevention in construction. A former high-voltage lineman turned advocate, Josh pairs real-world industry experience with a mission to break the silence around mental health. As chair of Construction Suicide Prevention Week, he’s led initiatives reaching 500,000+ participants nationwide. His practical, peer-driven approach makes him a pioneering voice in construction workforce wellness and suicide prevention.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2823 "What we know about suicidality is that it's almost always a combination of a lack of hope and a lack of connection." - Josh Vitale We are celebrating Construction Suicide Prevention Week, and this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management podcast is dedicated to everyone undergoing mental trauma with the plea to please reach out for help, just know that you’re not alone. I am your host, Michael Zalle, and today it’s my pleasure to welcome Josh Vitale to the show. Josh is the co-founder and CEO of Project BUILT, a national movement to confront addiction, suicide, burnout, and disconnection in construction by strengthening workers, families, and job sites. Join us for a frank and open conversation on mental health in construction. Together, we unpack how burnout, addiction, and suicide risk impact safety on job sites, and what leaders can do about it. From building peer-support systems to managing legal risk, Josh shares actionable strategies to break the stigma and transform workplace culture. "What we know about suicidality is that it's almost always a combination of a lack of hope and a lack of connection." - Josh Vitale We are celebrating Construction Suicide Prevention Week, and this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management podcast is dedicated to everyone undergoing mental trauma with the plea to please reach out for help, just know that you’re not alone. I am your host, Michael Zalle, and today it’s my pleasure to welcome Josh Vitale to the show. Josh is the co-founder and CEO of Project BUILT, a national movement to confront addiction, suicide, burnout, and disconnection in construction by strengthening workers, families, and job sites. Join us for a frank and open conversation on mental health in construction. Together, we unpack how burnout, addiction, and suicide risk impact safety on job sites, and what leaders can do about it. From building peer-support systems to managing legal risk, Josh shares actionable strategies to break the stigma and transform workplace culture. Safety Leadership, Suicide Prevention, Work place Safety, Construction Wellness, Construction Suicide Prevention Week, EHS Leadership No No Engineering Out Risk: Smart Safety Systems with Blake Baldwin https://podcasts.fame.so/e/58z7pwrn-engineering-out-risk-smart-safety-systems-with-blake-baldwin Engineering Out Risk: Smart Safety Systems with Blake Baldwin 8 1 No No 81znr341 "A bad process will beat a good person every time, and about 85% of the variability in safety that we have is due to the processes and not the people." Blake Baldwin That’s how strongly Blake Baldwin feels about the urgent need to update safety processes and de-risk the working environment. This week on The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle welcomes Blake to explore how smart system and process design can engineer risk out of daily operations. From forklift screen safeguards to food temperature monitoring, Blake shows how small process changes create big impacts. Together, they unpack why safety must move beyond training to become a proactive, data-driven strategy that protects people while enhancing performance. "A bad process will beat a good person every time, and about 85% of the variability that we have is due to the processes and not the people." Blake Baldwin

That’s how strongly Blake Baldwin feels about the urgent need to update safety processes and de-risk the working environment. This week on The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle welcomes Blake to explore how smart system and process design can engineer risk out of daily operations. From forklift screen safeguards to food temperature monitoring, Blake shows how small process changes create big impacts. Together, they unpack why safety must move beyond training to become a proactive, data-driven strategy that protects people while enhancing performance.

Here are some of the topics that Michael and Blake explore:
  • How to engineer safety controls that outlast one-time training sessions 
  • Why are default system settings crucial for preventing accidents
  • The "Temperature Tail" framework for maintaining food safety across supply chains
  • How to transform safety metrics from reactive measurements to proactive risk prevention
  • Why "you should have been aware" is a failed approach to safety
  • How to leverage third-party perspectives to identify blind spots in safety protocols 
  • The power of weekly micro-surveys and recognition programs in building a sustainable safety culture
  • The direct correlation between safety and improved quality and productivity metrics

Blake Baldwin is a Director of Logistics Strategy and Integration, where he leads supply chain efficiency, analytics, and safety-driven innovation. With a background in mechanical engineering and an MBA, Blake has built expertise across chemical manufacturing, CPG, and retail logistics, including roles with Walmart. A university professor and founder, he’s passionate about process improvement, advanced manufacturing, and building systems that engineer out risk. Known for turning data into action, Blake champions safety as the foundation of operational excellence.

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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2558 "A bad process will beat a good person every time, and about 85% of the variability in safety that we have is due to the processes and not the people." Blake Baldwin That’s how strongly Blake Baldwin feels about the urgent need to update safety processes and de-risk the working environment. This week on The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle welcomes Blake to explore how smart system and process design can engineer risk out of daily operations. From forklift screen safeguards to food temperature monitoring, Blake shows how small process changes create big impacts. Together, they unpack why safety must move beyond training to become a proactive, data-driven strategy that protects people while enhancing performance. "A bad process will beat a good person every time, and about 85% of the variability in safety that we have is due to the processes and not the people." Blake Baldwin That’s how strongly Blake Baldwin feels about the urgent need to update safety processes and de-risk the working environment. This week on The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle welcomes Blake to explore how smart system and process design can engineer risk out of daily operations. From forklift screen safeguards to food temperature monitoring, Blake shows how small process changes create big impacts. Together, they unpack why safety must move beyond training to become a proactive, data-driven strategy that protects people while enhancing performance. operational excellence, Temperature Tail, data-driven strategy, food temperature monitoring, forklift screen safeguards, process design, The Canary Report, YellowBird No No From Ministry to Safety Leadership: The People-First Approach with Hal Wheatley https://podcasts.fame.so/e/vn5jw2q8-from-ministry-to-safety-leadership-the-people-first-approach-with-hal-wheatley From Ministry to Safety Leadership: The People-First Approach with Hal Wheatley 7 1 No No 80q3j2n0 What if the key to safer job sites isn’t more rules, but more humanity? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Hal Wheatley, Corporate Safety Director at Manhattan Construction Group, for a frank conversation about what it really takes to lead safety well. Hal shares how his transition from ministry to safety leadership taught him that genuine care for people, not just policies, drives lasting change. If you're tired of the “safety cop” label and looking for a better way, this one’s for you. It’s about relationships, trust, and building a culture that actually protects people.
What if the key to safer job sites isn’t more rules, but more humanity?

In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Hal Wheatley, Corporate Safety Director at Manhattan Construction Group, for a frank conversation about what it really takes to lead safety well. Hal shares how his transition from ministry to safety leadership taught him that genuine care for people, not just policies, drives lasting change. If you're tired of the “safety cop” label and looking for a better way, this one’s for you. It’s about relationships, trust, and building a culture that actually protects people.


Here are some of the topics that we discuss:
  • How to transform safety leadership from "safety cop" to trusted advocate 
  • Why focusing on people rather than numbers creates more effective safety programs 
  • The framework for unifying safety culture across multiple regions 
  • How to leverage incident reporting and cross-team collaboration 
  • Why proactive safety metrics and open communication channels drive better outcomes 
  • The connection between family-oriented corporate culture and successful safety programs 
  • How to build effective safety programs that balance regulatory compliance with genuine care for worker wellbeing
  • The importance of transparent safety conversations at all levels of an organization

Hal Wheatley is the Corporate Safety Director at Manhattan Construction, with over 30 years of experience spanning manufacturing, logistics, and construction. Known for his people-first leadership style, Hal draws on a diverse background, including roles as a pastor and safety coordinator, to transform safety culture through trust and authenticity. He leads safety efforts across eight regions and iconic projects like AT&T Stadium. With a degree in Environmental Health and Safety Management, Hal believes safety is ultimately about caring for people, not just compliance.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2113 What if the key to safer job sites isn’t more rules, but more humanity? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Hal Wheatley, Corporate Safety Director at Manhattan Construction Group, for a frank conversation about what it really takes to lead safety well. Hal shares how his transition from ministry to safety leadership taught him that genuine care for people, not just policies, drives lasting change. If you're tired of the “safety cop” label and looking for a better way, this one’s for you. It’s about relationships, trust, and building a culture that actually protects people. What if the key to safer job sites isn’t more rules, but more humanity? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Hal Wheatley, Corporate Safety Director at Manhattan Construction Group, for a frank conversation about what it really takes to lead safety well. Hal shares how his transition from ministry to safety leadership taught him that genuine care for people, not just policies, drives lasting change. If you're tired of the “safety cop” label and looking for a better way, this one’s for you. It’s about relationships, trust, and building a culture that actually protects people. Safety Leadership, People First Safety, Hal Wheatley, The Canary Report, Construction Safety, Workplace Culture, EHS Leadership, Manhattan Construction, Leadership In Safety, Continuous Improvement No No Beyond Compliance: Heather MacDougall’s Blueprint for Safer Workplaces https://podcasts.fame.so/e/p8m70vy8-beyond-compliance-heather-macdougall-s-blueprint-for-safer-workplaces Beyond Compliance: Heather MacDougall’s Blueprint for Safer Workplaces 6 1 No No 70v5n341 Treating safety as just a compliance box to check is a mistake, especially at scale. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Heather MacDougall, former Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety at Amazon, to talk about leading 9,000+ safety pros across 1,000+ sites, navigating the chaos of COVID, and reshaping how we think about risk. From "two-way door" decisions to building real partnerships, it’s a candid look at safety leadership in complex and high-stakes environments.
Treating safety as just a compliance box to check is a mistake, especially at scale. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Heather MacDougall, former Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety at Amazon, to talk about leading 9,000+ safety pros across 1,000+ sites, navigating the chaos of COVID, and reshaping how we think about risk. From "two-way door" decisions to building real partnerships, it’s a candid look at safety leadership in complex and high-stakes environments.


Topics that we discuss: 
  • Structuring safety teams with the “four-legged stool” model that actually works
  • Balancing compliance with operational needs and getting things done
  • Why OSHA needs an upgrade, and how public-private partnerships help
  • Using “two-way” vs “one-way” doors to make smart safety calls
  • Shifting from checkbox safety to performance that sticks
  • Letting data and tech drive risk decisions before things go wrong
  • Moving past TRIR and bringing more voices to the table
  • Knowing when to build safety expertise, and when to bring it in

Heather MacDougall, Esq. and CSP,  is a recognized leader in workplace safety and regulatory strategy with over 30 years of experience helping organizations reduce risk and drive real improvement. As Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety, she led 9,000+ professionals and championed safety for more than 1.5 million employees across 1,000+ sites, managing $1B in safety projects and COVID response. As Chair of OSHRC, she issued landmark decisions and streamlined case management. A trusted advisor, keynote speaker, and policy voice, Heather brings deep cross-functional insight to the evolving future of safety leadership. She is also the owner of MacDougall Solutions LLC, and Board Advisor at Trio Mobil.


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The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2047 Treating safety as just a compliance box to check is a mistake, especially at scale. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Heather MacDougall, former Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety at Amazon, to talk about leading 9,000+ safety pros across 1,000+ sites, navigating the chaos of COVID, and reshaping how we think about risk. From "two-way door" decisions to building real partnerships, it’s a candid look at safety leadership in complex and high-stakes environments. Treating safety as just a compliance box to check is a mistake, especially at scale. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Heather MacDougall, former Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety at Amazon, to talk about leading 9,000+ safety pros across 1,000+ sites, navigating the chaos of COVID, and reshaping how we think about risk. From "two-way door" decisions to building real partnerships, it’s a candid look at safety leadership in complex and high-stakes environments. Safety Leadership, Workplace Safety, EHS Innovation, Regulatory Reform, Leadership In Safety, Amazon Safety, Continuous Improvement No No Stop, Collaborate, and Lead: Tim Page-Bottorff’s Guide to Human-Centered Safety https://podcasts.fame.so/e/68r76y4n-stop-collaborate-and-lead-tim-page-bottorff-s-guide-to-human-centered-safety Stop, Collaborate, and Lead: Tim Page-Bottorff’s Guide to Human-Centered Safety 5 1 No No 805rvp91 What if the key to better safety leadership isn’t more rules, but better listening? In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle welcomes Tim Page-Bottorff, HSSC Senior Director at JLL and a Marine Corps veteran, to break down what it really takes to transform workplace safety culture. Drawing on decades of experience, Tim shares why “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen” isn’t just a lyric, it’s a leadership philosophy. From building psychological safety to balancing compliance with human connection, this conversation challenges the status quo and offers a fresh, deeply human approach to leading teams in high-stakes environments.
What if the key to better safety leadership isn’t more rules, but better listening?

In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle welcomes Tim Page-Bottorff, HSSC Senior Director at JLL and a Marine Corps veteran, to break down what it really takes to transform workplace safety culture. Drawing on decades of experience, Tim shares why “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen” isn’t just a lyric, it’s a leadership philosophy. From building psychological safety to balancing compliance with human connection, this conversation challenges the status quo and offers a fresh, deeply human approach to leading teams in high-stakes environments.


Here are some of the topics that we discuss:
  • How to apply the "Stop, Collaborate, Listen" framework to transform safety leadership 
  • Why traditional safety certifications matter less than developing crucial soft skills 
  • The VENT method for creating psychological safety: Voice concerns, Explain details, Near-miss reporting, and Trust building
  • How to balance technical expertise with emotional intelligence 
  • Why preventing leadership burnout is crucial for maintaining effective safety programs
  • The practical approach to scaling safety programs through strategic partnerships 
  • How to transition from a compliance-focused to a people-focused safety culture
  • Why empowering supervisors to be better listeners creates stronger safety outcomes

Tim Page-Bottorff, MS, CSP, CIT, FASSP, is the HSSC Senior Director at JLL. He brings over 30 years of experience in Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) to his role. A former Marine who served in Desert Storm, Tim is also a renowned keynote speaker, author, and safety leadership expert who spent over 20 years as a senior consultant with SafeStart. He specializes in developing innovative approaches to workplace safety, contractor management, and psychological safety initiatives. In this episode, Tim shares his "Stop, Collaborate, and Listen" philosophy for transforming safety leadership and workplace culture, drawing from his extensive experience in both military and civilian sectors. 


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2237 What if the key to better safety leadership isn’t more rules, but better listening? In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle welcomes Tim Page-Bottorff, HSSC Senior Director at JLL and a Marine Corps veteran, to break down what it really takes to transform workplace safety culture. Drawing on decades of experience, Tim shares why “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen” isn’t just a lyric, it’s a leadership philosophy. From building psychological safety to balancing compliance with human connection, this conversation challenges the status quo and offers a fresh, deeply human approach to leading teams in high-stakes environments. What if the key to better safety leadership isn’t more rules, but better listening? In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle welcomes Tim Page-Bottorff, HSSC Senior Director at JLL and a Marine Corps veteran, to break down what it really takes to transform workplace safety culture. Drawing on decades of experience, Tim shares why “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen” isn’t just a lyric, it’s a leadership philosophy. From building psychological safety to balancing compliance with human connection, this conversation challenges the status quo and offers a fresh, deeply human approach to leading teams in high-stakes environments. Safety Leadership, People First Safety, Tim Page Bottorff, The Canary Report, JLL, Work place Culture, EHS Leadership, Human Centered Leadership, Stop Collaborate Listen, VENT Method, REAL Leadership No No Beyond Compliance: Building a Safety Culture That Actually Protects People, Insights from Dennis Pivin https://podcasts.fame.so/e/489mqrv8-beyond-compliance-building-a-safety-culture-that-actually-protects-people-insights-from-dennis-pivin Beyond Compliance: Building a Safety Culture That Actually Protects People, Insights from Dennis Pivin 3 2 No No v17r7p50 Confined spaces in underground infrastructure are nothing like factory floors, and treating them the same is a mistake. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with Dennis Pivin, Director of Health, Safety, and Environmental at NASSCO, to talk about building better safety cultures, why simulators matter, and how to actually get executives to listen. It’s about worker-first training, data that proves impact, and the human side of safety leadership. If you care about real-world risk, this one's for you.
Confined spaces in underground infrastructure are nothing like factory floors, and treating them the same is a mistake. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with Dennis Pivin, Director of Health, Safety, and Environmental at NASSCO, to talk about building better safety cultures, why simulators matter, and how to actually get executives to listen. It’s about worker-first training, data that proves impact, and the human side of safety leadership. If you care about real-world risk, this one's for you.


Topics that we discuss: 
  • How underground confined space risks differ from overground industrial settings 
  • Why NASSCO's new simulator represents a breakthrough in safety training
  • The critical differences between Canadian and U.S. safety regulations 
  • Bridging the gap between field workers and the C-suite for a stronger safety culture
  • Why passion and human connection are essential in successful safety leadership
  • The framework for implementing positive reinforcement in safety programs 
  • How safety professionals can effectively communicate both human elements and ROI 
  • The innovative approach to blending online and hands-on training 

Dennis Pivin, CSP, ASP, CHST, CIT, is the Director of Health, Safety, and Environmental at NASSCO, where he’s redefining how safety is taught and practiced in underground infrastructure. With over 25 years of experience in the construction and chemical industries, Dennis blends hands-on know-how with strategic leadership. From developing NASSCO’s confined space simulator to advising on litigation and compliance, his journey from an aspiring vet to safety trailblazer is rooted in one thing: protecting people through smarter systems and real-world training.


Episode Resources:



The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2025 13:02:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 2897 Confined spaces in underground infrastructure are nothing like factory floors, and treating them the same is a mistake. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with Dennis Pivin, Director of Health, Safety, and Environmental at NASSCO, to talk about building better safety cultures, why simulators matter, and how to actually get executives to listen. It’s about worker-first training, data that proves impact, and the human side of safety leadership. If you care about real-world risk, this one's for you. Confined spaces in underground infrastructure are nothing like factory floors, and treating them the same is a mistake. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with Dennis Pivin, Director of Health, Safety, and Environmental at NASSCO, to talk about building better safety cultures, why simulators matter, and how to actually get executives to listen. It’s about worker-first training, data that proves impact, and the human side of safety leadership. If you care about real-world risk, this one's for you. The Canary Report, Safety Leadership, Confined Space Training, EHS Innovation, Underground Infrastructure, NASSCO, Workplace Safety, Safety Culture, Leadership In Action No No How Alana Spencer Builds Business-Driven Sustainability in Construction https://podcasts.fame.so/e/68r79lln-how-alana-spencer-builds-business-driven-sustainability-in-construction How Alana Spencer Builds Business-Driven Sustainability in Construction 2 2 No No 805rq881 Sustainability is only real when it works for people, business, and for the planet. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle talks with Alana Spencer, VP of Sustainability at Clayco, about what it takes to drive practical, measurable sustainability in construction and real estate. Alana shares how to align sustainability with business goals, where to start, what often gets missed, and why business skills matter just as much as passion when leading environmental change.
Sustainability is only real when it works for people, business, and for the planet. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle talks with Alana Spencer, VP of Sustainability at Clayco, about what it takes to drive practical, measurable sustainability in construction and real estate. Alana shares how to align sustainability with business goals, where to start, what often gets missed, and why business skills matter just as much as passion when leading environmental change.

What you will learn:
  • How you can actually bake sustainability into a project from day one, not bolt it on later
  • The business case behind all this: why smart sustainability drives ROI
  • Why pairing sustainability with core business skills will move your career forward faster
  • How to get data working for you: setting up sustainability metrics that can scale
  • The sequence that matters when optimizing a building: 
  • Why circular economy and embodied carbon are shaping the next chapter of sustainability in construction
  • How to bridge the big-picture ESG goals at the corporate level 
  • A simple framework for balancing energy and water efficiency

Alana Spencer knows how to turn sustainability from a buzzword into a real business driver. With 17+ years leading ESG, climate resilience, and corporate transformation efforts, she helps big organizations move from strategy to measurable impact. In the built environment world, Alana’s known for breaking down silos, getting sustainability, governance, and business goals to align. A Chicago native, she’s focused on the intersection of climate action and community well-being. And she’s the kind of leader you learn from by listening.


Episode Resources:

The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 12 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1802 Sustainability is only real when it works for people, business, and for the planet. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle talks with Alana Spencer, VP of Sustainability at Clayco, about what it takes to drive practical, measurable sustainability in construction and real estate. Alana shares how to align sustainability with business goals, where to start, what often gets missed, and why business skills matter just as much as passion when leading environmental change. Sustainability is only real when it works for people, business, and for the planet. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle talks with Alana Spencer, VP of Sustainability at Clayco, about what it takes to drive practical, measurable sustainability in construction and real estate. Alana shares how to align sustainability with business goals, where to start, what often gets missed, and why business skills matter just as much as passion when leading environmental change. The Canary Report, Sustainability Leadership, Construction Innovation, Smart Building, Leadership In Action, Clayco No No Building Safety in Construction from the Inside Out with Brett Smith https://podcasts.fame.so/e/1833zwr8-building-safety-in-construction-from-the-inside-out-with-brett-smith Building Safety in Construction from the Inside Out with Brett Smith 1 1 No No m0jp6m30 What if you could transform workplace safety by focusing on the human side of risk management? On The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle speaks with Brett Smith, Global Safety Director at Gardner Builders, about transforming safety culture in high-risk construction environments. They discuss mental health support, building trust with subcontractors, and human-centered leadership. Brett shares practical strategies, from transparent communication to OSHA collaboration, that enhance both physical and psychological safety. Discover how humility, assertiveness, and real-time feedback can drive meaningful change in safety programs without sacrificing productivity.
What if you could transform workplace safety by focusing on the human side of risk management?

On The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle speaks with Brett Smith, Global Safety Director at Gardner Builders, about transforming safety culture in high-risk construction environments. They discuss mental health support, building trust with subcontractors, and human-centered leadership. Brett shares practical strategies, from transparent communication to OSHA collaboration, that enhance both physical and psychological safety. Discover how humility, assertiveness, and real-time feedback can drive meaningful change in safety programs without sacrificing productivity.

What you will learn:
  • How to implement wellness spaces to support mental health and personal needs on construction sites
  • Why transparent leadership and vulnerability are crucial for building trust in safety 
  • The framework for partnering with OSHA consultation services to improve safety 
  • How to leverage third-party administrators and safety committees 
  • Why "root cause analysis" must evolve toward human-centered incident investigation
  • The three pillars of effective safety leadership: transparency, assertiveness, and humility
  • Building relationships with subcontractors while maintaining safety standards
  • The strategy for implementing quarterly standardized safety training programs 


Brett Smith is the Global Safety Director at Gardner Builders, a $400M construction firm, where he leads transformative safety and wellness initiatives. With 20+ years of experience across pipeline operations and the trades, Brett pioneers human-centered programs that integrate mental health, transparent leadership, and proactive risk management. His efforts have driven Gardner’s EMR to 0.57, setting a platinum standard in safety. Known for creating innovative jobsite wellness spaces, Brett redefines safety as a strategic, culture-driven partnership rooted in humility and excellence.


Episode Resources:

  • Brett Smith on LinkedIn
  • Gardner Builders Website
  • Michael Zalle on LinkedIn
  • Yellow Bird Website
  • The Canary Report on Apple Podcasts (add link)
  • The Canary Report on Spotify (add link)





The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Thu, 29 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Yellow Bird Yellow Bird 2990 What if you could transform workplace safety by focusing on the human side of risk management? On The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle speaks with Brett Smith, Global Safety Director at Gardner Builders, about transforming safety culture in high-risk construction environments. They discuss mental health support, building trust with subcontractors, and human-centered leadership. Brett shares practical strategies, from transparent communication to OSHA collaboration, that enhance both physical and psychological safety. Discover how humility, assertiveness, and real-time feedback can drive meaningful change in safety programs without sacrificing productivity. What if you could transform workplace safety by focusing on the human side of risk management? On The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle speaks with Brett Smith, Global Safety Director at Gardner Builders, about transforming safety culture in high-risk construction environments. They discuss mental health support, building trust with subcontractors, and human-centered leadership. Brett shares practical strategies, from transparent communication to OSHA collaboration, that enhance both physical and psychological safety. Discover how humility, assertiveness, and real-time feedback can drive meaningful change in safety programs without sacrificing productivity. Work Place Safety, Construction Leadership, Mental Health At Work, The Canary Report, Safety Culture, Gardner Builders, Leadership In Action, EMR Success No No Introducing: The Canary Report, A Podcast by YellowBird https://podcasts.fame.so/e/xn12x0r8-introducing-the-canary-report-a-podcast-by-yellowbird Introducing: The Canary Report, A Podcast by YellowBird 0 2 No No 703rj2z1 Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so]]> Thu, 22 May 2025 13:52:00 +0000 Yellow Bird Yellow Bird 37 Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report features the sharpest minds in risk management and workplace safety. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field. Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in construction, logistics, manufacturing, or looking at safety from within the insurance industry, this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled. Real experts. Real outcomes. Your playbook for the future of safety starts here. No No Creating Safety Culture with Kevin Rivera https://podcasts.fame.so/e/rnkl7vj8-creating-safety-culture-with-kevin-rivera Creating Safety Culture with Kevin Rivera 9 1 No No 70wj6w91 YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Kevin Rivera, Director of EHS Operations at HUMA and YellowBird Pro about creating a positive safety culture and how that culture can effect everyday workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today! The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so]]> Mon, 09 Sep 2024 22:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1247 YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Kevin Rivera, Director of EHS Operations at HUMA and YellowBird Pro about creating a positive safety culture and how that culture can effect everyday workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today! YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Kevin Rivera, Director of EHS Operations at HUMA and YellowBird Pro about creating a positive safety culture and how that culture can effect everyday workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today! No No Enhancing Safety & Health for Non-Profit Workers with S4NP’s Jack Geissert https://podcasts.fame.so/e/x8y7llr8-enhancing-safety-health-for-non-profit-workers-with-s4np-s-jack-geissert Enhancing Safety & Health for Non-Profit Workers with S4NP’s Jack Geissert 8 1 No No l04rww20 YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Safety 4 NonProfits (S4NP)'s Founder Jack Geissert about S4NP's mission prioritizing safety & health for non-profit workers. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today! YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Safety 4 NonProfits (S4NP)'s Founder Jack Geissert about S4NP's mission prioritizing safety & health for non-profit workers. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today!
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1156 YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Safety 4 NonProfits (S4NP)'s Founder Jack Geissert about S4NP's mission prioritizing safety & health for non-profit workers. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today! YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Safety 4 NonProfits (S4NP)'s Founder Jack Geissert about S4NP's mission prioritizing safety & health for non-profit workers. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform making workplaces safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Sign Up today! No No Revitalizing & Building the Future of Safety with Salute Safety’s Branden Neal https://podcasts.fame.so/e/xn12yym8-revitalizing-building-the-future-of-safety-with-salute-safety-s-branden-neal Revitalizing & Building the Future of Safety with Salute Safety’s Branden Neal 7 1 No No 703rqqk1 YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Salute Safety CEO Branden Neal about building businesses to support the safety industry and encouraging the inclusion of tech in modern day workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Salute Safety CEO Branden Neal about building businesses to support the safety industry and encouraging the inclusion of tech in modern day workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today!
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1864 YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Salute Safety CEO Branden Neal about building businesses to support the safety industry and encouraging the inclusion of tech in modern day workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! YellowBird's Michael Zalle speaks with Salute Safety CEO Branden Neal about building businesses to support the safety industry and encouraging the inclusion of tech in modern day workplaces. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! No No Eliminating Worker Blame with YellowBird Pro Sharleigh Zavaglia https://podcasts.fame.so/e/v85jzz3n-eliminating-worker-blame-with-yellowbird-pro-sharleigh-zavaglia Eliminating Worker Blame with YellowBird Pro Sharleigh Zavaglia 6 1 No No 81q3kkm1 YellowBird Pro Sharleigh Zavaglia joins YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle to discuss a young professional’s journey into the safety field, and how eliminating worker blame plays a big role in cultivating a positive safety culture. YellowBird Pro Sharleigh Zavaglia joins YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle to discuss a young professional’s journey into the safety field, and how eliminating worker blame plays a big role in cultivating a positive safety culture.
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1645 YellowBird Pro Sharleigh Zavaglia joins YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle to discuss a young professional’s journey into the safety field, and how eliminating worker blame plays a big role in cultivating a positive safety culture. YellowBird Pro Sharleigh Zavaglia joins YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle to discuss a young professional’s journey into the safety field, and how eliminating worker blame plays a big role in cultivating a positive safety culture. No No YellowBird Pros Discuss EHS Career Advancement https://podcasts.fame.so/e/28xzxxl8-yellowbird-pros-discuss-ehs-career-advancement YellowBird Pros Discuss EHS Career Advancement 5 1 No No 60mkjjy0 There may not always be a clear professional path for EHS and Risk Management professionals. Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question about career advancement posed by Safeopedia’s CEO Scott Cuthbert. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! There may not always be a clear professional path for EHS and Risk Management professionals. Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question about career advancement posed by Safeopedia’s CEO Scott Cuthbert.

Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today!
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 383 There may not always be a clear professional path for EHS and Risk Management professionals. Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question about career advancement posed by Safeopedia’s CEO Scott Cuthbert. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! There may not always be a clear professional path for EHS and Risk Management professionals. Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question about career advancement posed by Safeopedia’s CEO Scott Cuthbert. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! No No The Value of Safety Professional Experiences with Safeopedia’s Scott Cuthbert https://podcasts.fame.so/e/p8m7rr28-the-value-of-safety-professional-experiences-with-safeopedia-s-scott-cuthbert The Value of Safety Professional Experiences with Safeopedia’s Scott Cuthbert 4 1 No No 70v5yyx1 YellowBird's Megan Trummel speaks with Safeopedia's CEO Scott Cuthbert about the challenges that face the EHS professionals in today's constantly changing world. Through the inception and growth of Safeopedia, Scott shares his insight into the needs of the EHS community, shares his curiosity about what long-term career development looks like for safety professionals, and talks about how the U.S. and Canada can learn from other international programs. To join the Safeopedia community, visit safeopedia.com. Interested in learning more about YellowBird's EHS and Risk Management platform? Visit goyellowbird.com. YellowBird's Megan Trummel speaks with Safeopedia's CEO Scott Cuthbert about the challenges that face the EHS professionals in today's constantly changing world. Through the inception and growth of Safeopedia, Scott shares his insight into the needs of the EHS community, shares his curiosity about what long-term career development looks like for safety professionals, and talks about how the U.S. and Canada can learn from other international programs.

To join the Safeopedia community, visit safeopedia.com. Interested in learning more about YellowBird's EHS and Risk Management platform? Visit goyellowbird.com. 
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Sun, 27 Aug 2023 22:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1282 YellowBird's Megan Trummel speaks with Safeopedia's CEO Scott Cuthbert about the challenges that face the EHS professionals in today's constantly changing world. Through the inception and growth of Safeopedia, Scott shares his insight into the needs of the EHS community, shares his curiosity about what long-term career development looks like for safety professionals, and talks about how the U.S. and Canada can learn from other international programs. To join the Safeopedia community, visit safeopedia.com. Interested in learning more about YellowBird's EHS and Risk Management platform? Visit goyellowbird.com. YellowBird's Megan Trummel speaks with Safeopedia's CEO Scott Cuthbert about the challenges that face the EHS professionals in today's constantly changing world. Through the inception and growth of Safeopedia, Scott shares his insight into the needs of the EHS community, shares his curiosity about what long-term career development looks like for safety professionals, and talks about how the U.S. and Canada can learn from other international programs. To join the Safeopedia community, visit safeopedia.com. Interested in learning more about YellowBird's EHS and Risk Management platform? Visit goyellowbird.com. No No Pros, where can AI help in your job? https://podcasts.fame.so/e/q80v55v8-pros-where-can-ai-help-in-your-job Pros, where can AI help in your job? 3 1 No No p0kn55n1 Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question posed by our previous guests from CompScience. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question posed by our previous guests from CompScience.

Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today!
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 518 Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question posed by our previous guests from CompScience. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! Hear from YellowBird Professionals answer a question posed by our previous guests from CompScience. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! No No Meet CompScience with Mike & Kris https://podcasts.fame.so/e/mn4lppxn-meet-compscience-with-mike-kris Meet CompScience with Mike & Kris 2 1 No No x06ryyl0 YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and Derek Hogan chat with Mike Seling, VP of Growth and Kris Mizel, Head of Loss Control from CompScience. Learn more about how AI can help your business and more about CompScience. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and Derek Hogan chat with Mike Seling, VP of Growth and Kris Mizel, Head of Loss Control from CompScience. Learn more about how AI can help your business and more about CompScience.

Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today!
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Mon, 31 Jul 2023 22:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 1561 YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and Derek Hogan chat with Mike Seling, VP of Growth and Kris Mizel, Head of Loss Control from CompScience. Learn more about how AI can help your business and more about CompScience. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and Derek Hogan chat with Mike Seling, VP of Growth and Kris Mizel, Head of Loss Control from CompScience. Learn more about how AI can help your business and more about CompScience. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! No No Welcome to Canary in a Coal Mine https://podcasts.fame.so/e/lnqw33kn-welcome-to-canary-in-a-coal-mine Welcome to Canary in a Coal Mine 1 1 No No 81nv2271 YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and YellowBird President Michelle Tinsley give insight into what you can expect to hear on Canary in a Coal Mine, the new podcast highlighting stories in the safety and risk management industries. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and YellowBird President Michelle Tinsley give insight into what you can expect to hear on Canary in a Coal Mine, the new podcast highlighting stories in the safety and risk management industries.

Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today!
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
]]> Wed, 19 Jul 2023 20:45:00 +0000 YellowBird YellowBird 312 YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and YellowBird President Michelle Tinsley give insight into what you can expect to hear on Canary in a Coal Mine, the new podcast highlighting stories in the safety and risk management industries. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! YellowBird CEO Michael Zalle and YellowBird President Michelle Tinsley give insight into what you can expect to hear on Canary in a Coal Mine, the new podcast highlighting stories in the safety and risk management industries. Canary in a Coal Mine is a YellowBird podcast. YellowBird is a comprehensive EHS and Risk Management platform that makes the workplace safer by connecting qualified professionals with safety needs nationwide. Ready to join YellowBird? Sign Up today! No No