Beyond Compliance: Heather MacDougall’s Blueprint for Safer Workplaces
August 7, 2025
Treating safety as just a compliance box to check is a mistake, especially at scale. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Heather MacDougall, former Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety at Amazon, to talk about leading 9,000+ safety pros across 1,000+ sites, navigating the chaos of COVID, and reshaping how we think about risk. From "two-way door" decisions to building real partnerships, it’s a candid look at safety leadership in complex and high-stakes environments.
Treating safety as just a compliance box to check is a mistake, especially at scale. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, host Michael Zalle sits down with Heather MacDougall, former Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety at Amazon, to talk about leading 9,000+ safety pros across 1,000+ sites, navigating the chaos of COVID, and reshaping how we think about risk. From "two-way door" decisions to building real partnerships, it’s a candid look at safety leadership in complex and high-stakes environments.
Topics that we discuss:
- Structuring safety teams with the “four-legged stool” model that actually works
- Balancing compliance with operational needs and getting things done
- Why OSHA needs an upgrade, and how public-private partnerships help
- Using “two-way” vs “one-way” doors to make smart safety calls
- Shifting from checkbox safety to performance that sticks
- Letting data and tech drive risk decisions before things go wrong
- Moving past TRIR and bringing more voices to the table
- Knowing when to build safety expertise, and when to bring it in
Heather MacDougall, Esq. and CSP, is a recognized leader in workplace safety and regulatory strategy with over 30 years of experience helping organizations reduce risk and drive real improvement. As Vice President, Worldwide Workplace Health & Safety, she led 9,000+ professionals and championed safety for more than 1.5 million employees across 1,000+ sites, managing $1B in safety projects and COVID response. As Chair of OSHRC, she issued landmark decisions and streamlined case management. A trusted advisor, keynote speaker, and policy voice, Heather brings deep cross-functional insight to the evolving future of safety leadership. She is also the owner of MacDougall Solutions LLC, and Board Advisor at Trio Mobil.
Episode Resources: