The Safety Debris Podcast with Tanya Steele and Richard Dulong

safetydebris

A podcast that approaches safety differently by combining the insight of special guests on current and ongoing safety themes. We blend music into the show to not only entertain, but to help discover and learn more about the special guest by revealing who they really are, both professionally and personally. Not to mention hear what is on their playlist.

  1. Jun 19

    E53: From Football Fields to Safety Files: Wes Rundle on Resilience, Risk, and Why It's Okay to Suck

    What do a torn ACL, parkour on rooftops, years of stunt standby work in the film industry, and a brand new white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu all have in common? They're all part of the wildly varied, genuinely unscripted life of Episode 53 guest Wes Rundle claims manager, NCSO, safety professional, and living proof that the best continuity plan is sometimes the one you never saw coming. At one point in this conversation, Wes drops something that lands harder than any tackle: that being truly humbled by something, getting flat-out beat by a brown belt, flailing on a gymnastics floor, not knowing how to ground your legs at your first football practice is actually exactly where the magic happens. He's also got a real beef with the title "safety officer," and his reasoning might make you rethink the business card in your wallet. Raised by his dad, shaped by discipline, Kendrick Lamar, and Van Morrison on vinyl. Wes Rundle is the kind of safety geek Safety Debris was absolutely made for. Tune in now!

    1 hr

  2. May 28

    E52: 6 Continents, 40 Years & a Wake-Up Call: Roger Bresden on Safety Leadership That Actually Saves Lives

    What does it take to reduce injury rates by 75% across 80,000 people in one of the world's most dangerous industries and what happens when the system still fails and people die? Roger Bresden has been there. The CEO of BBI International joins Tanya and Richard with 40 years of hard-won experience spanning six continents, a decade at Saudi Aramco, 21 power plants across North America, and three companies he built from the ground up including what might be the world's first handheld safety auditing tool, built on a Palm Pilot and sold to Goldman Sachs. At one point in this conversation, Roger reveals something that stops you cold: most new leaders step into their roles with only 12 to 18 percent of the competencies they actually need and almost no one is talking about the other 88%. From blaming cultures to blame-free investigation processes, from the psychology of safety across wildly different global cultures to a custom Belgian guitar with alligator-skin detail, Roger Brezden is exactly the kind of safety geek Safety Debris was made for.

    1h 3m

  3. Apr 27

    E51: "Safety First" Is a Lie - Fernando De Melo on the Myth That's Killing Safety Culture

    In this episode of Safety Debris, our special guest Fernando De Melo grew up learning risk management the hard way, starting with the risk of letting his dad pick where the family lived, but what he discovered three decades into a career in health and safety is something most people in the industry don't want to admit: "Safety First" might be the most dishonest slogan in the business. At one point in this conversation, Fernando drops a truth that reframes the entire compliance-versus-culture debate, and it has everything to do with what it actually means to show up to work as a whole person. From getting quietly ostracized on construction sites to unlocking trust with a few memorized Portuguese phrases, Fernando's journey from compliance cop to human-first consultant is equal parts funny, real, and genuinely thought-provoking, and yes, there's a cinder block emergency exit plan involved. Tune in now! You don’t want to miss this!

    1 hr

  4. Feb 16

    E50: No Accident - From Rock Bottom to Workplace Champion with Jeremy Gauthier

    What happens when a tire shop manager loses everything to addiction, his girlfriend, house, dog, car, then loses a 19-year-old worker to a preventable workplace fatality? In this raw and revelatory episode, Jeremy Gauthier shares how his best friend literally picked him up and carried him to recovery, and how tragedy became the pivot point that transformed him into a keynote speaker who's now journaled gratitude for 569 consecutive days. You'll discover why he believes 97% of workplace "accidents" aren't accidents at all, the simple 5-minute daily practice that changed his life more than quitting cocaine, and how he brings humor and heart to the heaviest topics in safety and mental health. Whether you're struggling with your own demons, leading a team that needs real talk about accountability, or just curious how someone turns their worst moments into their greatest mission, this conversation hits different. Fair warning: Jeremy's story goes deep, but his approach complete with Pokemon Go confessions and journal roulette proves that healing doesn't have to be heavy-handed to be powerful. Grab your headphones, this one's worth the full listen.

    1h 4m

  5. Jan 26

    E49: From Stage Manager to Safety Champion: Jenece Stinson's Journey to Making Work Safer

    From recording engineer and stage manager to safety procedure powerhouse, Jenece Stinson's career path is anything but ordinary. In this episode, Jenece shares how saying "yes" to an opportunity others turned down changed everything, why the best procedure writers are often those who've never done the job themselves, and the wild story of how her team created an entirely new helicopter hoisting method over open ocean in just one week. She also opens up about the workplace fatality that gave her career a deeper purpose and reveals her secret to gaining trust with field workers who've "been doing it this way for 30 years." Whether you're writing your first safety procedure or leading a training department, Jenece's motto "feel the fear and do it anyway" just might change how you approach your next challenge. Tune in now!

    1h 1m

  6. Jan 13

    E48: Risk Safely: How Party Crashing, Wild Animals, and One Unusual Job Taught Leadership with Allan James Moore

    Why do workers hide dangerous behaviour from some safety people and confess everything to others? Allan James Moore knows the answer, and it has nothing to do with compliance. He teaches Fortune 500 companies about psychological safety and servant leadership, but here's the twist: he never wanted to work in safety. He party crashed his way into professional soccer in Scotland with nothing but audacity. He landed in Taiwan with no connections and somehow became the safety guy for a major company. Now he's revealing what a terrifying encounter with wild animals taught him about toxic leadership, why workers will confess dangerous behaviour to the right person (and what he did with that information), and how you can succeed without waiting for permission if you know how to do it right. But here's the career move that changed everything. Allan's wife found him a job in the classifieds. High pay. Great crowds. Just one unusual requirement. Yes, his WIFE is the one who encouraged him to take it. That job taught him everything about commanding a room and working a microphone, the foundation of his entire speaking career today. What was the job? You'll want to have a listen.

    1 hr

  7. 12/02/2025

    E47: Beyond the Surface - Sexual Harassment, Power Dynamics, and Domestic Violence with Rika Sawatsky

    Ever wonder how far workplace misconduct can go before it's officially called sexual harassment? Workplace lawyer and certified gender auditor Rika Sawatsky joins us to break down a jaw-dropping case that'll make you question everything you thought you knew about harassment. From "tube steak" propositions to isolated canoe invitations, Rika shares why sexual harassment isn't always overtly sexual. But here's the kicker: a tribunal decision maker said some of this behavior was just... innocent? We're learning into what employers are getting dangerously wrong, the shocking stat that 6.5% of your workforce is dealing with domestic violence right now, and why "zero tolerance" policies might actually silence victims instead of protecting them. Plus, Rika shares battle-tested strategies from Fortune 500 companies that actually work. Whether you're in HR, leadership, or just trying to navigate the modern workplace, this episode delivers the real talk and practical tools you need. Don't miss this one, listen now!

    58 min

  8. 11/22/2025

    E46: Breaking the Silence - Wellness, Empathy, and Safety with Lisa Lounsbury

    What happens when a wellness expert has her first hot flash in front of a room full of miners and they respond with unexpected compassion? Lisa Lounsbury hiked 350km solo through Spain to conquer her lifelong anxiety, and now she's flipping the script on workplace safety by asking one radical question: "Who's caring about your cardiac health, your mental health, your physical ability to just function?" She teaches blue-collar workers the art of empathetic listening, breaks the silence on menopause and andropause in male-dominated industries, and proves why a healthy employee is a safer employee. Hear the powerful story of a firefighter who finally spoke his truth, discover why 40 to 50 year old men are reading her wellness book, and learn the critical difference between sympathy and empathy that could save a coworker's life. Tune in now to discover how bringing health to health and safety is changing and saving lives in the workplace.

    1h 5m
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About

A podcast that approaches safety differently by combining the insight of special guests on current and ongoing safety themes. We blend music into the show to not only entertain, but to help discover and learn more about the special guest by revealing who they really are, both professionally and personally. Not to mention hear what is on their playlist.

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