"There are five aspects to a safety program that if you align to these five elements and you connect them, the more connection points that you have between them, the better and stronger your safety program will be.” Steve Davis, VP of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies
Most organisations I work with are investing heavily in safety, but still not getting the results they expect. That’s exactly why this conversation with Steve Davis mattered so much to me. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I talk to Steve Davis, Vice President of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies. Steve brings a rare mix of operational experience and practical clarity to a space that’s often cluttered with noise.
We dig into why disconnected safety programs fail, even when they look great on paper. Steve walks through a five-element framework that helps leaders connect the dots between programs, processes, metrics, communication, and structure, turning activity into real protection. We also talk candidly about why “good catches” tell you far more about your culture than lagging indicators, why high-energy hazards require a different mindset, and how to turn data into lessons people actually remember.
"There are five aspects to a safety program that if you align to these five elements and you connect them, the more connection points that you have between them, the better and stronger your safety program will be.” Steve Davis, VP of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies
Most organisations I work with are investing heavily in safety, but still not getting the results they expect. That’s exactly why this conversation with Steve Davis mattered so much to me. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I talk to Steve Davis, Vice President of EHS at Forbes Brothers Companies. Steve brings a rare mix of operational experience and practical clarity to a space that’s often cluttered with noise.
We dig into why disconnected safety programs fail, even when they look great on paper. Steve walks through a five-element framework that helps leaders connect the dots between programs, processes, metrics, communication, and structure, turning activity into real protection. We also talk candidly about why “good catches” tell you far more about your culture than lagging indicators, why high-energy hazards require a different mindset, and how to turn data into lessons people actually remember.
Here are some highlights from my discussion with Steve:
- The Five-Element Framework that connects isolated safety programs
- Why measuring "good catches" is the leading indicator of genuine safety culture
- How to stop measuring the wrong thing
- Why high-energy hazards demand a completely different safety approach
- The "Take Two" tool that prevents catastrophic events before hands-on work begins
- How to translate data into stories people actually remember
Steve Davis is Vice President of Environmental Health & Safety at Forbes Brothers Companies, and is known for building safety cultures that move beyond compliance into measurable, repeatable behaviour change. Drawing on leadership experience across five organisations, Steve integrates programs, processes, communication, and metrics into cohesive safety systems. His work blends quantitative and qualitative data with human performance and behavioural science to reduce mishaps and SIF risk. A recognised industry voice, Steve is a sought-after speaker and advisor to leading energy, construction, and nuclear organisations.
Episode Resources: