"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 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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

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.

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.