"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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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 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.