The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management

In this episode, I talk about workplace safety culture and how energy-based safety drives incident rate reduction. William LePage from Posillico Civil Inc. details why his safety professional career focuses on what truly hurts people rather than useless checklists. I learn how he manages risk for 1,200 employees by building project-specific programs instead of generic manuals. We discuss why he prefers to watch real work before making any judgments. This conversation changed how I view safety compliance in heavy construction.

Chris Braamse, VP of DH Pace and I explore how workplace safety leadership and risk management strategy apply across any industry, from trash trucks to pharmaceutical labs. Chris explains how he manages 60 locations using a smart hub and spoke model. We also talk about why a safety professional's career development path is more flexible than you might think.

I sit down with Mike Place to discuss how a workplace safety culture and safety leadership drive incident prevention through a safety mindset. We discuss the reason we prioritize occupational health and safety, i.e. the "silent stakeholder.” Mike shares how Dakota Supply Group managed safety scaling in growing organizations while maintaining employee safety programs across 64 locations. I learn why treating your team with a parental eye helps in risk management strategies and hazard awareness training.

In this episode, I discuss EHS leadership, workplace safety programs, safety culture, risk management, and Scotts Miracle-Gro with Jason Johantges. I am fascinated by how his team achieved zero COVID deaths by monitoring regulatory changes and scientific data months in advance. We also dive into his "Kickoff for Safety" program, a football-themed gamification strategy that led to their safest fiscal year on record. It is a powerful look at how human-centered leadership transforms compliance into a competitive advantage for 8,000 employees.

“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.

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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

"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.