The Safety Spotlight

BIS Safety
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The Safety Spotlight Podcast brings workplace safety leaders, innovators, and change-makers into the conversation. Each episode dives into real stories, proven strategies, and fresh ideas for creating safer, healthier, and more productive work environments. The show explores topics ranging from safety culture and leadership to emerging technologies and industry trends. Guests share practical insights, lessons learned from the field, and the human side of safety that drives lasting impact.

  1. 16H AGO

    Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health (SASWH) – From the Field to the Floor: Building Real Safety Culture with Erin Heimbecker

    What happens when a safety professional stops writing policies and starts walking the floor instead?   In this episode of the Safety Spotlight Podcast, we sit down with Erin Heimbecker, Workplace Safety Specialist at the Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health (SASWH), to explore what it actually takes to build a safety culture that people believe in, not just comply with.  Erin's path is one built on hands-on experience. Starting out in construction and manufacturing before crossing into healthcare, she has worked across provinces, adapted to different regulations, and learned firsthand that what works on one site will never work on every site. One principle has carried through every role: you cannot earn respect without giving it first.  This conversation breaks down:   Why PPE compliance fails when you skip the conversation and start with the policy  How walking the floor changes everything about how workers receive safety guidance  Why safety professionals will never know it all, and why that is their greatest strength  How to build a professional network that actually shows up when you need it  Why culture change has to start at the top, or it does not start at all  How to communicate safety to managers in the language that makes sense to them  What it means to have tough skin and still be the person workers want to call  Erin explains why safety professionals who stay in the office lose the trust of the people they are trying to protect. Real culture is built by being present, asking questions, and understanding that a procedure written without seeing the work is just paper.  You will also hear how Erin approaches the harder, quieter parts of this work, the calls that come in after an incident, the workers who are afraid to report, and the difference between reacting with frustration and responding with empathy.  If you are early in your safety career, managing a team that has stopped listening, or simply looking for a reminder of why this work matters, this episode delivers.

    53 min

  2. APR 28

    Manitoulin Transport: Fleet Safety, Driver Culture, and the Road Ahead with Mario Da Silva

    What does it take to keep millions of kilometers of road safe when 80% of everything we use every day depends on the people behind the wheel?  In this episode of the Safety Spotlight Podcast, we sit down with Mario Da Silva, Fleet Safety and Risk Management Leader at Manitoulin Transport, to explore what it really means to build a lasting safety culture inside one of Canada's most complex transportation operations.  Mario's path is anything but straight. Starting in 1995 with a background in computer programming and loss prevention, and expecting to stay only a couple of years, he has spent over 30 years in transportation, growing from the ground up into one of the industry's most experienced voices in fleet safety and risk management.  This conversation breaks down:  Why technology in modern trucks has become a game-changer for safety, and what carriers risk if they have that data but don't act on it  How telematics, outward-facing cameras, and electronic logging devices are reshaping driver accountability  Why incident data is like a black box in a plane and what companies must do to protect it  The shared responsibility between professional drivers and the everyday motorist on public roads  How to build a safety culture that starts at the top and spreads through genuine respect and consistency  Why mentorship and coaching compatibility matter just as much as technical driver skill  What the next generation of safety leaders needs to hear before they take the wheel  Mario explains why the biggest safety challenge in transportation right now isn't the technology itself. It's making sure organizations understand what they have, train their people to use it properly, and don't leave that data sitting idle when it could be driving real decisions. Carriers that harness telematics and act on what it tells them are the ones that will lead on both safety and their bottom line.  You will also hear why the relationship between a new driver and a seasoned mentor can make or break retention, and why choosing the right person to pass knowledge down to is as important as the knowledge itself. Mario shares candidly about the two mentors who shaped his career, and what he hopes to pass on before he steps back.  If you work in fleet safety, transportation operations, or are simply trying to understand how professional safety culture gets built and sustained over decades, this episode delivers.

    47 min

  3. APR 20

    From 20 Injuries to Zero: Building a Safety Culture That Actually Works with Tom Fitzgerald

    What does it really take to transform workplace safety from a compliance requirement into a deeply embedded culture? In this episode of the Safety Spotlight Podcast, we sit down with Tom Fitzgerald, founder of Safety Fitz LLC and a former foundry supervisor with over 50 years of experience in operations, HR, and safety leadership. Tom brings a rare perspective, having worked directly on the production floor before moving into safety and consulting. Tom shares how he helped reduce a plant's total incident rate from nearly 20 to zero by shifting responsibility from one safety manager to an entire workforce. In this episode, we cover: Why safety cannot be owned by one person and must be driven by cultureThe role of leadership, accountability, and peer influence in preventing injuriesHow lean manufacturing principles can transform safety performanceReal-world strategies for building engaged, high-performing safety teamsThe importance of observation, communication, and leading by exampleTom also shared powerful lessons from his early career, mentorship experiences, and consulting work, offering practical insights for safety professionals at every stage. Whether you're managing safety programs or working on the front line, this conversation will challenge how you think about responsibility, culture, and what it really means to achieve zero injuries.

    54 min

  4. FEB 13

    Trust Over Policy: Emotional Intelligence and Building Safer Teams with Joan McMillan

    Psychological safety is often treated like something you install with a policy. But is it really a systems issue, or a leadership one? In this episode of Safety Spotlight, we sit down with Joan McMillan, Canadian Registered Safety Professional and PhD candidate in developmental psychology, to explore the human side of safety culture. With more than 20 years in health and safety, Joan brings a perspective grounded in behavior, emotional intelligence, and organizational development. We discuss why fear quietly undermines psychological safety, how emotional intelligence shapes leadership effectiveness, and why checklists alone cannot build trust. Topics include: • The five components of emotional intelligence • Warning signs of low EQ in leaders • Why judgment and defensiveness damage culture • The limits of systemizing psychological safety • How trust and connection drive real performance If you’re responsible for safety, culture, or leading people, this episode challenges you to look beyond compliance and into behavior. See Joan’s story and many more at https://bissafety.ca/safety-spotlight-podcasts/

    48 min

  5. JAN 22

    Safety Without Slogans: What Actually Reduces Risk on the Job With Darren Varga

    A lot of companies say “safety first.” Darren Varga, Director of EHS at Aecon Group Inc., argues that misses the point. If people do not trust the system, they stop talking, and that is when risk quietly stacks up. In this episode of The Safety Spotlight, Darren shares how an ergonomics and biomechanics background, along with time as a Ministry of Labour inspector and global consultant, has shaped a practical approach to safety: quantify risk, design work that makes sense, and treat workers like the experts they are. We also get into what “safety culture” actually means in real life. Darren’s answer is blunt: there is no magic KPI or slogan that fixes it. Trust is the lever, and trust is built through listening, giving workers a voice, and following up every single time, even on “small” issues. We discuss: Why “layered skills” make safety pros more effective, and how Darren built that stack across industries and rolesHow to spot risk faster by walking the floor with workers and asking one question: “What’s the worst part of the job?”How ergonomic redesign becomes a business case when you quantify risk and tie it to efficiency gainsWhy change management gets easy when the tool is simple, useful, and worker-approvedThe one thing “safety culture” is really built on: trust, plus follow-throughA practical voice-of-worker system: QR codes on hard hats feeding safety and the Joint Health and Safety CommitteeWhat happens when workers have no voice, and why complaints, conflict, and cost explodeLeading on high-profile, first-of-a-kind projects: emergency readiness, clear communication, and relationships with real decision-makersMental health in construction, the Ambassador Program approach, and why “tough-guy culture” is a liabilityLeadership that actually works: servant leadership, Maxwell’s five levels, and treating dignity as a daily practiceLooking for an all-in-one compliance platform? See all that BIS Safety Software has to offer at https://bissafety.ca/

    50 min

  6. JAN 16

    Invisible Threats and Real Consequences: Silica and Worker Health with Nayab Sultan

    Silica exposure is one of the oldest known occupational hazards in the world, yet it remains widely misunderstood, under-prioritized, and routinely mismanaged across modern industries.   In this episode of The Safety Spotlight, we sit down with Nayab Sultan, an occupational and environmental health specialist with decades of international experience, to unpack why silica continues to pose such a serious and often invisible risk to workers today.   Drawing on real-world cases from construction, mining, infrastructure, and global health settings, Nayab explains how respirable crystalline silica behaves in the body, why there is effectively no safe level of exposure, and how silicosis can develop silently over years or, in extreme cases, within weeks. He also explores why silicosis is frequently misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, the long-term consequences of that failure, and how gaps in professional training and risk anticipation continue to put people at risk.   The conversation goes beyond compliance checklists to address deeper system issues, including inconsistent education standards for safety professionals, the lack of long-term exposure tracking for transient workers, and the false sense of safety created by familiarity and routine. We also discuss how emerging AI tools are beginning to change early detection and diagnosis, particularly in resource-limited environments, and what lessons Canada still needs to learn from global silica hotspots.   This episode is a clear reminder that silicosis and silica-related diseases are entirely preventable, but only if risk is recognized early, controls are taken seriously, and uncomfortable conversations are not avoided. What You’ll Learn   Why silica exposure is fundamentally different from many other workplace hazardsHow silicosis develops, including simple, accelerated, and acute formsWhy silica is often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis and why that mattersHow low-level exposure over time can be just as dangerous as short-term high exposureWhere current safety training and awareness fall shortWhy “getting the job done” culture quietly drives long-term health outcomesHow AI is starting to improve diagnosis and what that could mean for worker health

    1h 4m

  7. JAN 6

    Why "Common Sense" is Dangerous in Safety: Rick Sikora on Rigging, Competency & Culture

    "If I don't have room to improve, the system is broken." That is the philosophy that drives Rick Sikora, CEO of Cranemasters. In this episode of The Safety Spotlight, Rick shares why he questioned the validity of a 97% audit score - and why questioning what we do is the only way to fight complacency.Rick breaks down the critical difference between "common sense" and "common knowledge," especially for the new generation of workers entering the trades. He shares powerful stories from the field, including why he challenges his instructors to let students lead the conversation and why he believes "tickets" are just the beginning of the learning journey, not the end.Cranemasters Website: https://cranemasters.ca

    58 min

  8. 12/12/2025

    Failing Safely: Stuntman Lessons on Culture and Communication with Tyler Foley

    In this episode of Safety Spotlight, we sit down with Tyler Foley, a former stuntman turned safety consultant and the founder of Total Buy-In HSE Consulting. Tyler shares his unique backstory, moving from performing six-story high falls into cardboard boxes to managing safety in high-risk industries, revealing how the principles of stunt work - like engineering controls and redundancy - directly translate to the job site. Throughout the conversation, Tyler challenges the traditional "zero incident" mindset, arguing instead for "failing safely" - designing systems where human error is anticipated but the consequences are minimized. He discusses the dangers of siloed safety departments and explains why a true safety culture is just "culture," where everyone from the C-suite to the frontline is aligned and empowered. We also explore Tyler's practical strategies for identifying hidden influencers (the "nodes") in a workforce, transforming toolbox talks from rote reading into engaging dialogues, and the importance of the "Mentor, Peer, Student" framework for professional growth. Tyler shares a powerful story about transforming a rapidly growing construction company by making leadership personal, visible, and deeply invested in the "family" aspect of the team. Whether you are a safety professional, a supervisor, or a business leader, Tyler's perspective on human factors, authentic communication, and the reality of risk offers a fresh, practical approach to protecting your team. Tyler's Website: https://totalbuyin.com/ Tyler's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seantylerfoley/

    1h 16m
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About

The Safety Spotlight Podcast brings workplace safety leaders, innovators, and change-makers into the conversation. Each episode dives into real stories, proven strategies, and fresh ideas for creating safer, healthier, and more productive work environments. The show explores topics ranging from safety culture and leadership to emerging technologies and industry trends. Guests share practical insights, lessons learned from the field, and the human side of safety that drives lasting impact.

Information

  • Creator
    BIS Safety
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © BIS Safety
  • Show Website
    The Safety Spotlight