The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management

Hosted by YellowBird

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management 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 Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater.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.

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60 recent

August 20, 2026Episode 5822 min

Building a Safety Culture That Holds Up Under Pressure with Jeff Schmitt

"If the system really works, the employees are doing the right thing. Their leaders are doing the right thing and committed to health and safety as well." Words of wisdom from Jeff Schmitt, CSP, Director of Corporate Safety and Health at Kyndryl. Scaling safety across 60 countries is not about adding more rules or hiring dozens of EHS professionals. It is about building structured playbooks that teams can actually execute when conditions change. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with Jeff Schmitt to explore how to build operational safety systems across a distributed global workforce. With over 20 years of experience, Schmitt shares practical lessons on managing risk across employees, contractors, customer sites, and high-risk data centers. We discuss rebuilding safety systems after a corporate spinoff, aligning with ISO 45001 standards, and why true safety ownership belongs to the frontline.

August 13, 2026Episode 5736 min

From Auditor to Field Advocate: Transforming Safety Culture

I think safety leadership definitely starts with incident prevention through human connection. I spoke with Joseph Klinzing from GE Healthcare to learn about his journey from the US Army to managing rigging operations and crane operations. We discussed how switching from an auditor to an advocate transforms workplace safety culture. Building trust with the team really does wonders for safety compliance. Joe shares how his military background informs his safety professional career today.

August 6, 2026Episode 5628 min

Addressing Live Traffic in Construction with Christopher Diaz from Balfour Beatty

Safety Leadership and Zero Harm are at the heart of my conversation with Christopher Diaz from Balfour Beatty. We talk about his forty year career in Workplace Safety and his transition from pulling nails to executive leadership. Chris explains why we must look beyond the traditional Fatal Four risks to include live traffic. He also tells a story about building bridges in Rwanda and I personally find it very moving because they show how safety values are universal.

July 30, 2026Episode 5531 min

The Financial Stakes of Risk Management in a Self-Insured Captive

Workplace safety culture and risk management are the primary drivers of my conversation with Robert Poole from D. H. Griffin Companies. Managing construction safety programs and incident prevention takes on a whole new meaning when your daily job involves controlled implosions. Robert explains how his team handles huge technical exposures while maintaining an exemplary record. We cover the unique challenges of being a self-insured organization and how that financial structure changes their entire approach to safety compliance.

July 23, 2026Episode 5428 min

Your Safety Culture is Defined by What You Tolerate

One of my recent realisations is that workplace safety culture isn’t built on the words we say but on the actions we allow. I invited Jim Wathen from CW Driver to share how he transformed his team into safety champions over two decades. Jim explains how he uses a safety champion mindset to manage forty active job sites with only three people, and he says that it comes down to one simple thing. Taking care of your people every single day.

July 16, 2026Episode 5333 min

Why Character Beats Safety Degrees with Nathan Haynes

Workplace safety and construction safety management require more than just a degree on a wall. Nathan Haynes and I talk about how real life experience trumps certifications when you need to keep people safe on the road. Some stories that stand out are his journey from Alaska to the highway patrol and how he standardized safety across forty infrastructure projects. He also explains why he rejects online training for high risk tasks and creating accountability through standardized safety systems is the need of the hour.

July 9, 2026Episode 5230 min

Why Your Machine Guards Might Be Creating Biofilm Nightmares

I discuss workplace safety and food safety management with Laura McCready to understand how risk management protects the inner body. We look at the intersection of compliance and regulations where machine guards intended for protection can accidentally harbor bacteria. I learn about the massive complexity of the modern supply chain through the journey of a single bag of lettuce. This conversation reveals why a strong safety culture is the ultimate safeguard for both workers and consumers across North America.

July 2, 2026Episode 5138 min

Systems Over Signs: How James Ferrell is Engineering Out Workplace Hazards

I recently spoke with James Ferrell about Safety Leadership and Perdue Farms Risk Management strategies. We talked about his transition from flying the V-22 Osprey in the Air Force to leading safety for twenty thousand people. James explained why traditional safety campaigns often fail to change behavior. I found his focus on fixing systems rather than blaming people very insightful. We explored how high quality and safe operations are connected. It was a great conversation about building a culture that truly values every associate.

June 25, 2026Episode 5035 min

How Vulnerability Beats Authority in Workplace Safety Culture with Lori Elam

In this talk about workplace safety culture and EHS leadership, I talk about vulnerability transforming high-stakes environments. I host Lori Elam from Takeda Pharmaceuticals to discuss her twenty-five year journey in pharmaceutical manufacturing and why she believes in leading with human connection. We discuss the power of being present in the field and why she encourages her teams to speak up about their mistakes. This conversation really highlights why caring for people is the ultimate driver of risk management strategy success.

June 18, 2026Episode 4949 min

How to avoid the $300K premium trap in workers' compensation with Todd Thams

I talk with Todd Thams about how a workers compensation insurance experience mod score functions as a credit rating for your business risk management strategy. We discuss why a score above one point zero can stop you from bidding on contracts and how managing workers comp claims management effectively saves hundreds of thousands of dollars. Todd also explains the financial levers that drive insurance premium negotiation and why your safety training programs must focus on the real human impact of workplace safety.