In this episode of the All Things Safety podcast, I talk to Canton Larson, the Environmental Health and Safety Specialist at Sentry Equipment. While many companies often struggle to hit one year without a lost-time incident, Sentry has hit 26 years. Canton, who is currently studying to become a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), talks about what this means for the company and the importance of fostering a positive safety culture.

Sentry has not always had a dedicated EHS specialist. Larson notes that a real shift occurred around 2014–2015 during an expansion. As the company began working on more customer sites, the need for documented training and professional safety oversight became a business necessity.

"There’s more in the safety realm than just doing some programs and policies; there needs to be extensive training... we needed a full-time person to actually do this,” Larson said.

Factors Leading to Success

Larson credits a unique blend of management support and the company’s ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) structure. Sentry leadership understood that safety documentation is a key to getting onto customer sites and securing revenue, he said. Because employees are owners, they recognize that an injury doesn't just hurt a colleague, it directly impacts the company’s bottom line.

Maintaining safety standards over two decades requires fighting complacency. Larson, drawing on his sports background, emphasizes that past success is not a ceiling for future improvement, and why “we’ve always done it this way” is not a great mindset, especially when it comes to safety.

Safety starts before a person is even hired, Larson emphasizes. Sentry uses a "culture interview" to ensure new hires value safety. Once hired, they are "bombarded" with safety orientations and videos within their first few days.

He makes sure workers know that "if you see something, please say something because we’re not perfect... I want people to understand if they say something, there’s no repercussions."

Advice for EHS Professionals

For those struggling to hit the one-year or five-year mark, Larson suggests a practical, tiered approach:

• Perform a Ruthless Risk Assessment: Identify every gap, but don't try to fix them all at once.
• Attack the "Big Problems" First: If the welding department has the most injuries, focus 100% of your energy there before moving to departments with only minor near-misses.
• Set Realistic Goals: Aiming for "Zero Injuries" immediately can be daunting. Try to reduce injury rates by 40 percent first.
• Stay Honest: Be truthful about where the gaps are and use resources like the BCSP (Board of Certified Safety Professionals) to fill them.

"Small steps make big changes over time, but you have to start small and slow before you see those really big changes.,” Larson said.

Listen to the episode for the full conversation.