Stop Policing Safety: Start Designing It Into the Work, Featuring Blake Baldwin

"When you invest in safety and remove hazards that are there, people no longer have to be constantly aware: they can focus on quality and being more productive."

That is the message that Blake Baldwin, Director of Logistics, Strategy, and Integration, brings to the table in his conversation with Michael Zalle on The Canary Report.

Blake has led supply chain efficiency, analytics, and safety-driven innovation at leading retail companies. With a background in mechanical engineering and an MBA, Blake has built expertise across chemical manufacturing, CPG, and retail logistics, including roles with Walmart. He is passionate about process improvement, advanced manufacturing, and building systems that engineer out risk. Known for turning data into action, Blake champions safety as the foundation of operational excellence.

Here’s what stood out from this conversation about what it really takes to lead safety at scale.

Safety Isn’t Just a KPI; it Fuels Every KPI

Blake put it perfectly: “How do you know if you prevented an injury?” Unlike revenue or output, safety doesn’t always show up on a dashboard. That makes it a tricky sell for executives who are used to direct cause-and-effect results.

But Blake has seen the ripple effect firsthand. When his teams invested in safety projects, including removing hazards, redesigning workflows, and eliminating “gotchas” that required constant vigilance, the impact went far beyond injury prevention.

Workers stopped worrying about getting hurt and started focusing on quality. Productivity improved. KPIs across the board ticked up.

That’s the hidden truth: safety doesn’t pull resources away from performance; it unlocks performance. When people feel valued, protected, and free from constant risk, they give their best work. Safety is an investment in every other business goal.

Recognition Builds Culture, One MVP at a Time

Culture doesn’t change with posters on the wall. It changes with how people feel from day to day. One of Blake’s most impactful programs sounds almost deceptively simple: the MVP recognition system.

Every week, team members nominate someone who helped them. It might be an IT colleague who quickly fixed a laptop or a coworker who pitched in during a tough shift. Each recognition email goes not just to the recipient, but also to their manager.

In three years, Blake’s team has celebrated over 6,000 MVPs.

It may seem like a small gesture, but Blake has seen the impact: some employees said it was the first positive recognition they had ever received at work. Those little moments of thanks ripple outward, boosting morale, reinforcing collaboration, and reminding people that safety is ultimately about care.

When workers feel appreciated, they engage more deeply in keeping themselves and each other safe. Recognition isn’t trivial; it’s cultural infrastructure.

Why Fresh Eyes Matter

There’s a dangerous paradox in safety: the more familiar we become with a workplace, the more blind we become to its hazards.

Blake calls this the power of “fresh eyes.” When someone new walks into a facility, they instantly notice risks that long-time staff have normalized. That’s why external assessors, or even internal teams rotated across sites, can be so valuable. They carry a broader perspective, shaped by experiences across many environments, and can propose solutions that might never occur to insiders.

It’s not about criticizing people who work there every day. It’s about recognizing that human brains adapt. What looks “normal” to someone on the inside might look risky to someone with perspective. Fresh eyes help us see what’s been hiding in plain sight.

Technology’s Expanding Role in Safety

Blake also touched on the new frontiers of technology in safety, particularly IoT sensors that are transforming cold chain logistics.

Traditional temperature checks provided only snapshots: a reading at the start and end of transport. But with innovations like “Temperature Tail” sensors placed on pallets, companies now have continuous visibility. These devices not only track temperature but also detect shocks, door openings, and potential tampering.

That’s game-changing for food logistics, pharmaceuticals, and other sectors where a broken cold chain can put health and safety at risk. The broader lesson? Safety leaders need to embrace technology as a partner, not a replacement. Sensors, data, and automation don’t remove the human role in safety; they extend it, giving teams real-time visibility and confidence.

The Value of External Specialists

Another point Blake underscored: the myth that internal safety resources are “free.” Yes, in-house teams are essential, but they also carry hidden costs, travel time, opportunity costs, and oversights from seeing the same facility every day.

Bringing in third-party assessors adds more than just compliance checks. They arrive with a breadth of experience across industries, tested solutions from similar operations, and the ability to spot risks insiders may overlook.

It’s not a sign of weakness to bring in outside help. It’s a sign of leadership. Leveraging specialists means accelerating improvement, often more efficiently and effectively than relying only on internal resources.

From Safety Police to Safety Partners

One theme that ran through our entire conversation was the need to evolve past the old “safety police” mindset. Blaming workers when something goes wrong isn’t leadership, it’s lazy.

The real job of a safety leader is to eliminate hazards, design systems that account for human performance, and create environments where workers feel safe and valued. That’s when people stop hiding mistakes and start sharing insights. That’s when safety becomes a living, breathing part of the culture.

Blake’s approach shows that safety isn’t about control, it’s about collaboration. It’s about shifting from punishment to progress.

Final Thoughts

The best part of the conversation with Blake Baldwin is how grounded it was in both humanity and practicality. Safety isn’t an abstract goal; it’s deeply tied to how people experience their work, how leaders show value, and how culture is reinforced day after day.

The big takeaways?

• Safety investments pay off across every business KPI.
  
  
• Recognition programs build engagement and morale.
  
  
• Fresh eyes reveal hazards that familiarity hides.
  
  
• Technology is a powerful ally in visibility and trust.
  
  
• External specialists bring experience and perspective that accelerate improvement.
  
  

True safety leadership means focusing on people, not punishment.

If you’re a safety professional, a leader, or anyone who wants to see teams thrive, Blake’s message is clear: don’t settle for “good enough” safety. Push for systems that value people, empower fresh perspectives, and make safety a driver of performance, not just a compliance checkbox.

Because when people feel safe, they don’t just avoid injuries, they unlock their full potential. And that’s a win for everyone.

👉 Listen to the full conversation with Blake Baldwin on The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management.

🎧 Available on:

Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/57aphxnv
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yr546pmp
YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/thssn457