The Canary Report: Episode 3 - Dennis Pivin

Let’s be honest, when most people think about safety, they think about rules. Regulations. Checklists. But for Dennis Pivin, Director of Health, Safety, and Environmental at NASSCO, that’s just the floor. Not the ceiling.

In this episode of The Canary Report, we discuss what it really means to lead safety inside high-risk, highly variable environments, specifically underground infrastructure. If you imagine tidy factory floors or repeatable daily routines, this episode will change your perspective fast.

Confined Spaces Aren’t Just Tight; They’re Alive

“There’s nothing predictable about a sewer,” Dennis tells me. And he’s right. Unlike controlled industrial environments where you can isolate variables and standardize responses, underground infrastructure, think sewer systems, manholes, crawl spaces, is constantly changing. Gases build up, and water flow shifts. Upstream contamination throws things off in seconds.

That makes confined space entry more than a technical challenge; it’s a human risk. So when safety programs rely solely on traditional classroom training or static procedures, they fall short. “You can't control the space,” Dennis says. “But you can control how people enter and exit it.”

That’s where his work at NASSCO comes in.

Simulators: Not Just for Pilots

Dennis and his team helped develop a confined space simulator unlike anything most safety teams have seen. Built into a 20-foot cargo container, it recreates real underground conditions, manholes, tight crawl spaces, tripods, ventilation systems, allowing workers to experience the environment before they face it in the field.

And it’s not just about gear familiarity. It’s about confidence. “When workers train in this simulator, they’re not just learning what the equipment does,” Dennis explains. “They’re learning how to think, act, and communicate in those tight, high-risk moments.”

The simulator also allows supervisors and safety leads to observe through cameras and lighting controls, making the feedback loop immediate and tangible.

Training That Actually Works

We also talked about something many companies struggle with: how to scale high-quality training across large or distributed teams. Dennis is pushing a hybrid model: online learning for the basics, followed by simulator training for hands-on application.

Why this matters: a lot of training today happens in silos. You get your certification. You check the box. But when something goes wrong in the field, that checkbox training rarely prepares workers for the nuances of real-world conditions.

With NASSCO’s model, foundational knowledge specific to underground infrastructure work is built online and then reinforced in the simulator. It’s scalable without sacrificing the human element, and it gives teams what they need to actually respond in real time.

The Real Role of a Safety Professional

One of the things Dennis said that really stuck with me was this:

“We’re in a unique position. We talk to the people in the field, then walk into the CEO’s office and talk to them, too. How many roles let you do that?”

That’s the unspoken reality of safety leadership: you're the translator. The connector. You have to understand your workforce's lived experience and your executive team's strategic pressures. And you have to do it without losing trust from either side.

Dennis knows that trust is fragile. It’s not earned by quoting regulations, it’s built by showing up, listening, and caring. “When workers know you care,” he says, “they lean in. They follow procedures. They get engaged.”

It’s not magic. It’s just people being people.

Numbers + Humans = Real Influence

But Dennis is clear that empathy alone isn’t enough. Safety leaders need to understand data and speak it fluently. “We’ve got to be able to go from the manhole to the boardroom,” he says, “and talk in both languages.”

The human story is what builds the culture. The numbers are what drive decisions. You need both.

That means tracking outcomes, measuring impact, and framing safety in terms that resonate with executives, reduced downtime, fewer incidents, insurance savings, regulatory alignment. But it also means knowing when to put the numbers down and have a real conversation with a team member who’s scared or frustrated or burned out.

Going Beyond OSHA

Dennis made it clear: OSHA sets the minimum. It’s a baseline to keep people out of the worst-case scenario, but it’s not a roadmap for building a strong safety culture.

“We train workers annually for a reason,” he says. “If you’re asking someone to go into high-risk environments every day, you’ve got to make sure they’re still sharp. Still confident.”

This kind of thinking is what separates checkbox programs from real leadership. It’s not about compliance, it’s about care. And that’s a message more organizations need to take seriously.

Why This Conversation Matters

Safety is often seen as a cost center. Something to manage. But when it’s done well, when someone like Dennis leads it, it becomes a core part of the company’s success.

It lowers risk. Builds trust. Keeps people healthy. And yes, it saves money.

But most of all, it creates a culture where people feel seen, valued, and protected. That’s what makes them want to stay. That’s what makes them want to lead. And that’s what makes your whole organization stronger.

Final Thought

If you're a safety professional, a site leader, or an executive trying to understand what safety really looks like beyond policy and paperwork, this episode is worth your time.

Dennis Pivin doesn’t just talk about safety. He lives it. More importantly, he translates it between the field and the boardroom, the data and the human, the policy and the people.

That’s what real leadership looks like.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation with Dennis Pivin on The Canary Report:

Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4emL8Xm
Spotify: https://bit.ly/3TdLAxn
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gDshCz8B

A Few Words About The Canary Report

Hosted by Michael Zalle, Founder and CEO of YellowBird, The Canary Report features the sharpest minds in workplace safety and risk management. Each episode dives into bold, real conversations that challenge outdated safety models and cut through compliance theater. You’ll hear from guests who bring a powerful mix of tech-driven insight, human-first experience, and hard-won lessons from the field.

Ideal for those leading safety initiatives in high-risk industries - or looking at safety from within the lens of the  insurance industry - this podcast delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. Tap into real world case studies, stay on top of emerging technologies, and get field-tested strategies that are redefining how safety programs are built and scaled.   

Real experts. Real outcomes.