Building Safety Into Systems, Not Onto Schedules with John Kanyan

"Never be afraid of what the three most terrifying words in our business are: 'I don't know’. Because if you don't know, you can find out." - John Kanyan, Director EHS PepsiCo Safety leadership is not about adding more rules to the schedule. It is about designing safety into the way work gets done. John Kanyan, Director of EHS at PepsiCo, brings more than 15 years of frontline experience across steel mills, power generation, manufacturing, and large-scale fleet operations to a conversation about making safety stick. In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with John to explore how system safety and behavior safety work together to strengthen culture, why safety belongs inside SOPs rather than beside them, and what it takes to manage risk across 19 geographically dispersed facilities. John also shares a practical perspective on using AI in safety, the importance of human oversight, and why being willing to say “I don’t know” can lead to better decisions and stronger safety programs.

"Never be afraid of what the three most terrifying words in our business are: 'I don't know’. Because if you don't know, you can find out." - John Kanyan, Director EHS PepsiCo

Safety leadership is not about adding more rules to the schedule. It is about designing safety into the way work gets done. John Kanyan, Director of EHS at PepsiCo, brings more than 15 years of frontline experience across steel mills, power generation, manufacturing, and large-scale fleet operations to a conversation about making safety stick.

In this episode of The Canary Report, host Michael Zalle sits down with John to explore how system safety and behavior safety work together to strengthen culture, why safety belongs inside SOPs rather than beside them, and what it takes to manage risk across 19 geographically dispersed facilities. John also shares a practical perspective on using AI in safety, the importance of human oversight, and why being willing to say “I don’t know” can lead to better decisions and stronger safety programs.

Here are some key discussion points from the episode:

Why consulting early in your safety career accelerates competency
How to design safety into SOPs instead of bolting it on later
The system safety + behavior safety framework that builds a culture
Why AI in safety requires human gatekeeping, not replacement
How to manage 19 geographically dispersed facilities without losing oversight
The three most terrifying words in business that actually unlock safety growth

John Kanyan has worked in Environmental, Health, and Safety since 2010, following his degree in Safety Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He began his career in Pittsburgh’s steel mills, building frontline experience in industrial hygiene and high-exposure environments. After a decade in heavy industry, John moved into food and beverage manufacturing. Today, as an EHS Director at PepsiCo, he supports 19 facilities while developing strong safety cultures and the next generation of EHS leaders.

Episode Resources

PepsiCo 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