Path to Safety Leadership

Path to Safety Leadership

Many safety professionals first encounter safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) practice when working in positions where occupational safety is a necessary component of their primary job duties. These individuals, like you, discover a passion for protecting their coworkers and community. But how do you increase your impact?

“There is a path to safety, and credentials in safety, that can really help you stand out in your field,” explained Wes Wheeler, SMP, CESCP, Executive Director of Safety for the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) during a career building panel hosted by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).

The path to safety leadership can be broken down into several steps, including self-assessment, the adoption of new responsibilities, seeking mentors, related skill-building and professional development, and achieving SH&E credentials.

 

Self-Assessment

Before starting on the path, begin with a self-assessment. As described in The Hub guide How to Find a Job in Occupational Safety and Health, this involves mapping your skills to your career goals.

Begin by identifying the type of work that most interests you, whether that is risk assessment, safety engineering, training, the management of safety programs, or something else. Then, assess your skills and consider how they match your career goals. This will identify your strengths and any areas of weakness that require further development.

As a safety leader, you will have to present the value of safety in a persuasive manner, translate safety policy into clear procedures, and engage others, influencing them to participate as part of your organization’s safety culture.

Your self-assessment is foundational and your experience is valuable. They will inform the steps you take on your path to safety leadership. As Wheeler explains, “When you look at being in the field, being in uniform, being a supervisor, being a superintendent, there are a lot of day-to-day safety activities that you have to do, to document. Once you understand what your responsibilities are as the site safety supervisor, and then you transition to the office where you are not just managing one site, you’re managing a company’s safety program —that’s what really benefited me— [knowing] the challenges that we have in the field...and [where] we need to provide that support.”

 

Adopting New Responsibilities

If you are starting on your path to safety leadership, look for ways to gain greater responsibility for safety-related tasks at your workplace.

“I remember having a manager who was very conscious of making sure aisles were clear and messes were cleaned up,” says Joe Atkinson, SMP, sharing an early experience he had working as an associate at a supermarket. “When I would try to convey this message, I often got pushback from coworkers, but I quickly got recognized for my hard work and received more responsibility until I was truly in my first leadership role.” Atkinson would later pursue a safety degree and is now a safety director.

Many positions in the trades, construction, manufacturing, and others require adherence to safety practices which new team members must learn, and experienced workers should regularly review. Take the initiative to mentor new colleagues and emphasize the importance of safety measures. When opportunities arise to assist with safety training, step up to help lead those sessions. Request these duties be added to your job description. Consider how you might support the work of your safety committee, if one exists, and volunteer to conduct safety audits alongside safety staff or with worksite leadership.

If you currently have safety responsibilities and are looking for ways to increase your impact, seek opportunities to engage those who have a stake in the safety of your organization. By identifying stakeholders and what they want, you can better define how safety benefits them and take responsibility for addressing their needs. Greater details on how to do this can be found in the ebook How to Build Your Safety Team.

Adopting new responsibilities for your organization’s safety demonstrates initiative, builds your resume, and creates opportunities for occupational advancement.

 

Finding a Mentor

In addition to speaking with the safety leaders at your workplace about taking on relevant safety-related responsibilities, express your interest in pursuing a career in SH&E and seek their guidance and mentorship.

If you don’t have the opportunity to regularly interact with safety professionals at your workplace, consider mentorship programs offered by BCSP and other safety organizations to connect with experienced mentors:

• The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) offers mentoring to those interested in industrial hygiene careers through the AIHA Mentoring Institute.
• The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) provides ASSP mentor matching within specific member communities for its members.
• BCSP offers Mentor Connect, a free online service that pairs mentees with mentors.

Once you establish these connections, nurture them—your mentors will become valuable members of your professional network as you advance in your safety career.

 

Building Knowledge and Skills

Having completed a personal assessment, started identifying and addressing the SH&E needs in your organization, and consulted other safety practitioners, you will begin to discover new knowledge you need to grow professionally. Numerous professional development opportunities exist in the field.

Many not-for-profits with safety-focused missions provide free or low-cost webinars on various safety topics. The National Safety Council (NSC), American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), and American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) all host frequent webinars, as does BCSP.

BCSP also partners with Dale Carnegie to offer webinars and courses on leadership. The courses focus on the foundation of leadership, influence, and are specifically focused on enhancing the ability of participants to engage their teams as trusted safety partners.

It is highly recommended, and often required of U.S. safety practitioners, that you pursue and obtain an OSHA certificate. The OSHA 30-hour is widely regarded as a must-have certificate for safety professionals. Officially recognized OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers can support you in achieving this certificate. In addition to the 30-hour, there are many additional courses offered at OTI education centers related to industry, hazard type, and practical matters like reporting and recordkeeping that can be of great benefit to your safety practice.

 

Credentials

As you build your knowledge and skills, you will increasingly find opportunities to earn SH&E credentials that provide recognition of your accomplishments. As previously expressed by Wheeler, these can help you stand out. “If you’re walking into a room with people who don’t know you and you’ve got some of these credentials... It helps with the credibility,” explained Tara Perez, CSP, SMP, the General Manager, Corporate Safety of Delta Airlines, in the same webinar.

Each of the individuals quoted in this guide hold BCSP certifications, specifically the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or Safety Management Professional (SMP), credentials designed for those with qualifications in the development and management of safety programs. BCSP provides a variety of well-recognized, highly respected safety certifications accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) that professionals at all levels of safety practice can achieve to advance their careers.

You might also consider the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) from the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (BGC) or Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) from the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM), should you work in those fields.

“I believe having this certification gives me the recognition of my accomplishments and knowledge in the field,” Atkinson says of his SMP. “While I may know the regulations, if I don’t understand the practical application where the work happens, I’ll never be a true safety professional.”

For Atkinson, like many others, the commitment to safety began with a personal experience: His mother suffered a back injury when she was lifting a heavy load off of a cart onto a workbench. Though she wanted to return to work, she was unable. “I remember my father working three or more jobs to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. As soon as my older brother and I were able to work, we did.” Now, Atkinson has a career in SH&E and is dedicated to ensuring that he continues seeing his team members stay safe.

Whichever path to safety leadership you pursue, it is the positive impact you make that determines your success as a safety professional.

Tags: Safety Career Safety Leadership Career Advancement Career Path

Resource Reviews

---

Related Resources