Comments on: The Day I Became Committed to Safety http://www.safetyxchange.org/the-safety-profession-and-your-career/day-committed-safety Putting Safety First Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:58:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=4130 hourly 1 By: delforbes http://www.safetyxchange.org/the-safety-profession-and-your-career/day-committed-safety/comment-page-1#comment-159344 delforbes Wed, 04 May 2011 12:04:40 +0000 http://www.safetyxchange.org/article.php?id=441#comment-159344 When I first started in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) field I was a very dogmatic person. I saw everything as black or white and my actions reflected that point of view. I acted as a police officer on patrol would, by pulling people over giving tickets and setting up stakeouts. When I was busy doing paperwork or inspecting equipment in a remote location, I was sure people were breaking the law. After a period of time I began to develop a policeman’s attitude. That is not to say that all law enforcement officers have bad attitudes, it’s just that being exposed to the least desirable behaviors of society will eventually cause you to become more pessimistic, defensive or guarded. Like them I got to a point of continuous disappointment and I did not trust people to do the right thing without being forced. This attitude was an unexpected outcome, as it was contrary to my original motivation to enter the field. Before starting in OHS I was a combat medic, and then became an interdenominational minister, where my personal calling was revealed towards improving the quality of people’s lives or helping them finding salvation. OHS seemed to fit well with my passions. It was at this waypoint in my career when I contemplated leaving OHS. But first I decided to sit down and do a cause analysis in order to figure out how I had found myself so dissatisfied. It was then I realized I was using my head and not my strongest attribute, my heart, to lead me. Because I do genuinely care about people and their families my behavior wasn’t fulfilling that need in my life of service. I now am an advocate of heart centered safety, where we emotionally invest in each other to generate a caring culture, interdependent on every member. I want to foster an environment where leadership actively seeks out ways to understand their workforce and where everyone accepts there role in every incident, with the vision of living a safe lifestyle by incorporating safety into the value stream. When I first started in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) field I was a very dogmatic person. I saw everything as black or white and my actions reflected that point of view. I acted as a police officer on patrol would, by pulling people
over giving tickets and setting up stakeouts. When I was busy doing paperwork or inspecting equipment in a remote location, I was sure people were breaking the law. After a period of time I began to develop a policeman’s attitude. That is not to say that all law enforcement officers have bad attitudes, it’s just that being exposed to the least desirable behaviors of society will eventually cause you to become more pessimistic, defensive or guarded. Like them I got to a point of continuous disappointment and I did not trust people
to do the right thing without being forced. This attitude was an unexpected outcome, as it was contrary to my original motivation to enter the field. Before starting in

OHS I was a combat medic, and then became an interdenominational minister, where my personal calling was
revealed towards improving the quality of people’s lives or
helping them finding salvation. OHS seemed to fit well with my passions.

It was at this waypoint in my career when I contemplated leaving OHS. But first I decided to sit down and do a cause analysis in order to figure out how I had found myself so dissatisfied. It was then I realized I was using my head and not my strongest attribute, my heart, to lead me. Because I do genuinely care about people and their families my behavior wasn’t fulfilling that need in my life of service.

I now am an advocate of heart centered safety, where we emotionally invest in each other to generate a caring culture, interdependent on every member. I want to foster an environment where leadership actively seeks out ways to understand their workforce and where everyone accepts there role in every incident, with the vision of living a safe lifestyle by incorporating safety into the value stream.

]]> By: bobsp@synnex.com http://www.safetyxchange.org/the-safety-profession-and-your-career/day-committed-safety/comment-page-1#comment-16639 bobsp@synnex.com Thu, 13 May 2010 19:14:44 +0000 http://www.safetyxchange.org/article.php?id=441#comment-16639 In response to the article on "THE DAY I BECAME COMMITTED TO SAFETY", I, like others, had a couple of experiences that helped to push me in that direction. As a young manager of a plastics extrusion facility, I hired a young fellow to learn the ropes of our industry. I moved on from that company a few months later and approximately 6 months later heard the tragic news report that someone from my former company had been electrocuted. Sure enough I found out it was the young fellow I had hired some months earlier. This was in the late '70's when occupational health and safety was in its infancy in Canada. The fine to the company was $1500.00. This never seemed right to me. Fast forward through the years and I was voluteering and heading up committees trying to make a difference to safety in the workplace. Quite suddenly at a facility that I worked for in 2002, the "Health and Safety" person quit suddenly and I was recruited for the position. It meant going back to college and getting my certificate, but I knew this was where I really wanted to be. I've never looked back. I'm having the best time of my life in a very rewarding career...just wish I'd done it sooner! In response to the article on "THE DAY I BECAME COMMITTED TO SAFETY", I, like others, had a couple of experiences that helped to push me in that direction.

As a young manager of a plastics extrusion facility, I hired a young fellow to learn the ropes of our industry. I moved on from that company a few months later and approximately 6 months later heard the tragic news report that someone from my former company had been electrocuted. Sure enough I found out it was the young fellow I had hired some months earlier. This was in the late '70's when occupational health and safety was in its infancy in Canada. The fine to the company was $1500.00. This never seemed right to me.

Fast forward through the years and I was voluteering and heading up committees trying to make a difference to safety in the workplace. Quite suddenly at a facility that I worked for in 2002, the "Health and Safety" person quit suddenly and I was recruited for the position. It meant going back to college and getting my certificate, but I knew this was where I really wanted to be. I've never looked back. I'm having the best time of my life in a very rewarding career...just wish I'd done it sooner!

]]> By: Safety Core http://www.safetyxchange.org/the-safety-profession-and-your-career/day-committed-safety/comment-page-1#comment-15750 Safety Core Thu, 06 May 2010 13:26:42 +0000 http://www.safetyxchange.org/article.php?id=441#comment-15750 Mr. Fettig, Great Story. I am a dedicated Safety Professional, who is committed to Safety wholeheartedly, although I have not one life changing event to connect it to, as you have. I just sincerly believe there is a safe and correct method to complete work. Where this evolves from, I cannot say. I have had a excellent mentors, and work for an very good and supportive company where safety comes from a perspective of people not paperwork. Mr. Fettig,

Great Story. I am a dedicated Safety Professional, who is committed to Safety wholeheartedly, although I have not one life changing event to connect it to, as you have. I just sincerly believe there is a safe and correct method to complete work. Where this evolves from, I cannot say. I have had a excellent mentors, and work for an very good and supportive company where safety comes from a perspective of people not paperwork.

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