Greetings and salutations to this month’s column on Safety. As you may know, I started in the oilfield in 1971. This was also the same year that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) started up as well. It has been a long road for both of us. There is no doubt that it will continue to be a long road ahead of us as well. Mistakes have been made, and lessons have been learned. No doubt that technology has eliminated or reduced numerous opportunities for injury. Updated processes and training has also made great strides. However, like the old adage asserts, anything made by man or machine is susceptible to failure. Yet no one can deny that improvements have been made. For all of that, we (the oilfield) still have failures and fatalities.
Regardless of what industry you are in, there still is a need for strong safety professionals. Let’s talk about the characteristics of a strong safety professional. A safety professional
• must have a passion and uncompromising integrity for the people that they work with and for.
• must help employees go home every day to their families unharmed.
• needs to know the operations and training required for the many facets of HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment).
• must be disciplined, educated (formally and/or experientially), calculated, and organized.
• must be able to effectively relate to the targeted audience whether it’s classroom, board room, or in the field.
• must know the battles the employees face daily and figure out real-world solutions.
• must have a sense of humor, a sense of urgency, and a thick skin.
• must know when to talk and when to listen.
• must know when to be stern and when to be compassionate.
• must have critical thinking skills yet not overthink.
• must be respectful, even when not respect is not reciprocated.
I could go on for 20 or more of these bullets and not even scratch the surface. I think you get the picture. Many books have been written on safety. In fact I’ve written one myself. Yet I haven’t had the time to pursue getting it published. I have a couple of friends dogging me to “just do it” (sorry Gary), but it’s easier said than done.
The cynics of safety professionals have told me, “It must be easy to check band aids, fire extinguishers, have meetings, and teach boring classes.” In actuality, if that was all there was to safety, it would indeed be easy. Safety is easy… if you have no compassion for people getting hurt. Sadly, there are still some people out there like that. I am grateful such incidents are becoming fewer and far between. Litigation has helped adjust that kind of attitude. Back when I did start in the oilfield, it was easy to spot a safety person. You would see a person that would have a limp or be missing a finger or two. You see, back in the day, when safety was just beginning to be a requirement, management would “promote” a person who had been hurt to be the designated safety person. That way, they could reduce days away from work due to injury. Who would know more about being careful than someone who got hurt?
I recently saw an advertisement for an entry-level safety position. The company will remain nameless to protect the innocent. It read something like this:
Wanted: An entry level Safety Rep.
Must be flexible with long hours, on call every
other weekend and possible extensive travel.
Will train in-house. Wage commensurate
with experience. Call XXX-XXX-XXXX
I’m sorry, but it said “entry level” safety rep, and then it said “Wage commensurate with experience.” It sounds like someone trying to save some money. Safety is like anything else—you get what you pay for. I just found the ad funny and ironic.
So, the bottom line is the bottom line. If you desire a top notch safety program or a top notch safety professional, you need to determine the needs of the business, determine where you currently are, and then determine where you want to be. Naturally, everyone wants zero incidents. When you determine what caliber of a safety professional you need, it is a position that warrants “due diligence” to get the right fit. You can ask a hundred safety professionals “What is the best way to achieve a top notch safety program?” and in doing so you will probably get 100 different answers. Ask potential candidates for numbers, proof, and references. Ask them why they left, or why are they looking for another job.
Like I’ve said before, Safety does not generate revenue. Safety merely keeps the revenue generated in the front door from going out the back door. Successful safety programs increase profitability and attract investors/customers who appreciate less liability.
All in all, there are plenty of degreed and certified safety professionals out there. However, my father once told me, “Never let school interfere with your education.” I by no means am diminishing the importance of education, certifications, and training of any safety professional. However, there is a critical element of effectively incorporating and translating safety to the people in the field. There are numerous levels of sophistication and cultures that require individual methods of communication.
You cannot make people care about safety unless there is value in it that they understand. The person that can inspire people to embrace safety is the one going to lead you to the promised land of safety.
Safety is a hard sell. Why? I’ll never know fully. I guess it would be advantageous to have sales experience as well. One thing I do know—when a person suffers true loss due to an accident, it comes with a wave of devastation to family, friends, and coworkers.
So if you wish to be a safety professional, understand there is not one cookie-cutter program, method, or process that will fit all. The work has rewarding moments but it has heartbreaking ones as well. You just have to have resilience and fight the good fight. Remember, it’s not how many good hits you have in baseball. It’s how many times you reach home plate safely. God bless and be safe.
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Dusty Roach is a safety professional based in Midland. He is also a public speaker on subjects of leadership and safety, and he maintains a personal website at dustyroach.com.