August 07, 2025

Beyond Compliance: Heather MacDougall’s Blueprint for Safer Workplaces

34 minutes

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.

Episode Resources: