Editor’s Note: Last week, Art Fettig described the day he became committed to safety. We invited SafetyXChange members to share their defining moments. Here’s Jim’s story. We’ll run more of your responses next week.

How I Got Into Safety

In response to Art’s letter, I’d have to say it took a few times for me to understand this calling, to be in Safety (and Health) profession. I can narrow it down to five distinct events.

1. In 1976, at 16 I was a 200-lb tuba player, following in my dad’s waistline. He was very overweight and was umpiring a Little League game at which I was scorekeeping.

He had a heart attack that day. He survived, and that event helped motivate me to better health. Within six months I was riding bicycles over 100 miles every weekend and came down to about 155, where I hang around even to this day. Without health it is harder to be safe.

2. When I was 17, I was working under my car on the exhaust system. Wearing sunglasses while using a grinder, some of the metal flew into my right eye, requiring surgical removal of the flecks. I remember so clearly when the surgeon said, as I had to remain awake, “if you blink during this, you’ll be blind”. I had to watch with my left eye as he drilled and poked into the numbed right eye. I learned about safety glasses and goggles during the next couple of years, where event three took place.

3. Working at a food manufacturing facility in California starting at 18, it was easy to goof off and be a kid on the housekeeping swing shift. Shoot, I even took a hit of a joint on the roof with the team in a bonding moment (first time ever trying mj).

After displaying a get it done attitude I was soon on the production side of things. Pushing a cart of product that had four shelves, with product stacked high on top, some of it caught on the plastic curtain and fell onto my head, knocking me out.

A few days later I was asked to be a part of a safety committee to help improve the process. That started the wheels turning.

4. Fast forward to 1995 and a textile plant in Georgia. I was working the opposite night shift as another guy who, for the sake of productivity, placed his hands (yep, both of them) into an in-running nip point.

When I came in the next night we learned of this and saw where the rescue squad had to use the ‘jaws of life’ to extract him.

Soon after, I became a supervisor there and our team had the lowest injury rate in the plant. I was getting my feet wet more and more, learning about and thinking more about safety and people.

5. Then in 2002, I was offered to take the role of plant safety manager. It seemed all along that life was preparing me for this moment so I gladly accepted, took classes for both my BS in Occupational Safety and Health, and through the NASP to get my CSM designation.

Conclusion

After this, by actively caring for and working with people to improve their personal safety and health, and having them relate at-home experiences really assures me that I am where I need to be.

It took a while I guess. Now I’m happy to see improvements at my current employer. I look forward to seeing what is around the next corner.

Thanks for your time and for SafetyXChange!

Jim O'Dell
Safety, Health and Wellness Manager

Tell Us about Your Life-Altering Experience

Is it true that most safety professionals become dedicated to safety after undergoing a life-altering experience? If you’re such a safety professional, we’d like to know what that experience was. Please send a brief description to catherinej@bongarde.com. We won’t use your name or company unless you specifically say we can

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