"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:

• Kathryn Prus on LinkedIn
• Skanska 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
  
  

"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:

• Josh Brown on LinkedIn
• B&S Site Development LLC 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

"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:

• Dylan Laser on LinkedIn
• Kinsley 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
  
  

"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:

• Josh Brown on LinkedIn
• B&S Site Development LLC 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

"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:

• David Payton on LinkedIn
• TSC Construction LLC 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
  
  

"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:

• Brian Biancavilla on LinkedIn
• 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
  
  

"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:

• David Leff on LinkedIn
• Sustainable Ohio 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
  
  

"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:

• Tom Garske on LinkedIn
• 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

"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:

• Stew Murphy on LinkedIn
• Mactac North America 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
  
  

"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:

• Kate McGee on LinkedIn
• Pennoni 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