The Real Reasons Your Safety Message Isn’t Sticking with Large and Complex Teams: Kate McGee’s Insights
"If you're genuine about adhering to your code of ethics and applying that, you just try and find people of good character and good integrity." Kate McGee, Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni
OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders trying to scale safety across big, complex teams without adding layers of noise or bureaucracy. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Kate McGee, Director and Corporate Health and Safety Officer at Pennoni. We dig into what it really takes to keep a 1,400-person organisation aligned, aware, and engaged.
Kate breaks down why cultural ownership will always outperform compliance checkboxes, how lean safety teams thrive when expectations are clear, and why smart engineers become your best problem-solvers when you give them the right context. If you’re growing fast, struggling with message dilution, or hiring for the next phase of your safety program, this conversation gives you the playbook.
"If you're genuine about adhering to your code of ethics and applying that, you just try and find people of good character and good integrity." Kate McGee, Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni
OK, everyone, this one’s for the leaders trying to scale safety across big, complex teams without adding layers of noise or bureaucracy. In this episode of
The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with
Kate McGee, Director and Corporate Health and Safety Officer at
Pennoni. We dig into what it really takes to keep a 1,400-person organisation aligned, aware, and engaged.
Kate breaks down why cultural ownership will always outperform compliance checkboxes, how lean safety teams thrive when expectations are clear, and why smart engineers become your best problem-solvers when you give them the right context. If you’re growing fast, struggling with message dilution, or hiring for the next phase of your safety program, this conversation gives you the playbook.
Here are some of the topics that Kate and I explore:
- How to leverage your smartest people as problem-solvers, not just rule-followers
- Why personality and communication style matter more than credentials alone
- The hidden cost of rapid growth on safety messaging
- How to spot when a cultural mismatch means it's time to make hard calls
- Why "inspect what you expect" isn't a cliché; it's your most reliable intervention
- How to build trust with leadership so safety recommendations get implemented
Kate McGee is the Director of Health and Safety at Pennoni, bringing 19+ years of experience in environmental consulting, industrial hygiene, and safety leadership. A Certified Safety Professional, she specialises in safety planning, auditing, training, and compliance across construction, general industry, and HAZWOPER operations. Known for turning compliance into a meaningful culture, Kate blends technical expertise with a people-first approach that empowers teams to solve problems, stay engaged, and build safer workplaces across Pennoni’s 1,400-employee, employee-owned organisation.
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