Ep.12 - Safety Beyond PPE

Ep.12 - Safety Beyond PPE

In this solo episode, Angelo Suntres tackles psychological safety — not as a soft HR concept, but as the operating condition that determines whether problems on a project get surfaced early or buried until they blow up. He breaks down the real cost of silence on a job site, why the old fear-based model has a shelf life, and what psychological safety actually looks like in practice. The throughline: it starts with the leader being willing to be wrong out loud. Key topics covered •        Why most construction leaders can't remember the last time they admitted a real mistake — and what that signals to the crew •        How silence carries a dollar value: rework, delays, safety incidents, and change orders that started as unspoken concerns •        Why fear-based culture only looked efficient — and why it's aging out with the workforce •        Psychological safety vs. accountability: holding a high standard without shutting people down •        Concrete examples of psychological safety on site — toolbox talks, coordination meetings, apprentice questions •        Why recognition matters and how flipping the feedback ratio changes the dynamic •        How psychological safety directly improves physical safety •        The challenge: be wrong out loud in front of your team Connections •        Episode 10 — mental wellness and protecting the individual (“the me”). This episode is its counterpart: protecting the team (“the we”). Contact: angelo@hsoc.one [angelo@hsoc.one] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humansideofconstruction.substack.com [https://humansideofconstruction.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep.11 - Recovery Out Loud w/ Trevor Botkin

In Episode 11, Angelo sits down with Trevor Botkin - a Red Seal carpenter with 30 years in construction who nearly lost his life to addiction and suicidal ideation in 2019. Trevor shares his full story, from being told he was stupid in school to finding belonging on job sites, to the day he planned to end his life and the treatment center stay that changed everything. He’s now leading the development of Muster Point, Canada’s first worker-driven peer support network for the trades, built in partnership with the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation and ICBA.   Key Topics Covered •        How basic job site conditions send a message about worker value •        Why construction concentrates vulnerable populations rather than creating mental health issues •        The role of shame, ego, and imposter syndrome in trades careers •        Trevor’s personal story: addiction, suicidal ideation, treatment, and recovery •        Chronic pain in trades and PAIN BC’s Trades and Pain initiative •        Muster Point: peer support platform, app functionality, and subscription model •        Why EAPs get 5% uptake and what to build instead •        Leadership responsibility: “You’re not just their boss, you’re their shepherd” •        Canada’s construction fatality rate compared to the UK   Guest Bio Trevor Botkin is a 30-year construction veteran, Strategic Lead, Trades at the Canadian Men's Health Foundation, and host of the CMHF podcasts Don't Change Much and MusterPoint Off the Clock. Since entering recovery in 2019 after walking back from a planned suicide, he's brought his lived experience and voice to jobsites and projects nationwide and now leads the build of MusterPoint — a worker-built, worker delivered peer-led mental health network for Canada's skilled trades sectors. If listeners want to get involved in MusterPoint or have lived experience and want to step up to be trained as a MusterPoint Connector and join our team, they can email me directly at trevor.botkin@menshealthfoundation.ca [trevor.botkin@menshealthfoundation.ca] Links Mentioned •        Muster Point: musterpointcanada.ca [http://musterpointcanada.ca] •        Canadian Men’s Health Foundation: http://menshealthfoundation.ca/ [http://menshealthfoundation.ca/] •        Off The Clock Podcast: tradespodcast.com [http://tradespodcast.com] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humansideofconstruction.substack.com [https://humansideofconstruction.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep.10 - Health & Safety 2.0

In this solo episode, Angelo Suntres examines the gap between how the construction industry handles physical injuries and mental health challenges. Using the analogy of a broken arm - where safety systems respond instantly and without stigma - Angelo makes the case that mental wellness deserves the same systematic response. He introduces the concept of Health & Safety 2.0: integrating mental wellness into existing safety programs, strategic plans, and leadership training rather than treating it as a standalone initiative.   KEY TOPICS COVERED •        The broken arm analogy: comparing physical and mental health responses on the job site •        Why off-site personal stressors become on-site safety problems •        How construction’s culture of toughness became a culture of silence •        The stigma barrier: why workers don’t speak up •        Three leadership actions: normalize the conversation, make EAPs visible and trusted, model vulnerability from the top •        Health & Safety 2.0: mental wellness as part of your safety program, not separate from it •        The business case: fewer incidents, lower turnover, less rework from disengaged workers •        The “ask again” challenge: stop accepting “I’m fine” on the job site This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humansideofconstruction.substack.com [https://humansideofconstruction.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep.9 - Humanity as a Strategy

In Episode 9 of The Human Side of Construction, Angelo sits down with Ed DeAngelis, founder and CEO of EDA Contractors, a 400-person specialty contractor in the greater Philadelphia area. Ed shares his journey from paper boy to construction CEO, the morning he hit a physical and emotional wall that changed his leadership philosophy forever, and how he built a people-first culture in an industry that wasn’t ready for it. The conversation covers EDA’s PACT substance recovery program, mental health statistics in construction, the ROI of investing in people, and Ed’s practical advice for leaders who want to start this journey but don’t know where to begin.   Key Topics Covered •        Ed’s origin story: paper boy, early work ethic, and the power of saying yes •        Starting EDA Contractors in 1999 and the fear of failure •        The breaking point: burnout, hitting a wall, and rethinking leadership •        Building a people-first culture in a technical industry •        The ROI of investing in people—and why you should treat it like buying equipment •        Mental health statistics in construction: suicide, substance misuse, and the stigma •        EDA’s PACT program: Personal Accountability Changes Today •        Addressing skeptics: why this is the hard work, not the soft work •        Vulnerability in leadership and why it’s a strength •        Trust as a core value: you don’t give trust, you build trust •        EDA Cares: charity work and giving back to the community •        Advice for leaders starting this journey   Guest Bio Ed DeAngelis is the founder and CEO of EDA Contractors, a 400-person specialty contractor based in the greater Philadelphia area. Founded in 1999, EDA has grown under Ed’s people-first philosophy of “humanity as a strategy,” investing in neuroscience-based leadership development, emotional intelligence training, breathwork practices, and the PACT substance recovery program. Ed is a sought-after speaker and advocate for mental health in the construction industry.   Links •        EDA Contractors: edacontractors.com [http://edacontractors.com] •        Ed DeAngelis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwarddeangelis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwarddeangelis/] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humansideofconstruction.substack.com [https://humansideofconstruction.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep.8 - Knowledge Transfer in Construction

In this solo episode, Angelo Suntres tackles the construction industry’s most underfunded capability: knowledge transfer. With experienced workers retiring and critical judgment leaving organizations every day, Angelo breaks down why proximity-based learning fails, what real mentorship actually requires, and how reverse mentorship can become a competitive advantage. He closes with a concrete challenge for leaders to identify and protect their organization’s single-point-of-failure knowledge. Key Topics Covered: • The difference between losing headcount and losing institutional wisdom • Why osmosis-based knowledge transfer doesn’t work • The generational stalemate blocking knowledge flow • Three pillars of real mentorship: intentional matching, equipping the mentor, accountability • Reverse mentorship and why it requires a cultural shift from leadership • A practical challenge: identify your organization’s single-point-of-failure knowledge This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit humansideofconstruction.substack.com [https://humansideofconstruction.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]