What led you to become a safety professional?
It may be an easy answer. It may be a personal answer. It may have just happened. Whatever it is, we want to hear about it.
The path for some professionals, such as doctors, is somewhat straightforward: Get your bachelor’s degree, take the MCATs, go to medical school, pass licensing exams, go to residency, land a fellowship, do more training and then practice medicine for the next 30 or so years.
After meeting and talking with so many of you, we know that the path to safety isn’t always as direct. Maybe you studied safety in the classroom or learned through experience. Maybe you have sought additional credentials, maybe you didn’t; and, even if you once had those letters, maybe you let those credentials lapse because they were no longer serving you.
We ask some demographics questions in our annual National Safety and Salary Survey, but you, dear readers, crave more. We receive inquiries about the importance of formal education to be an effective safety leader. We receive inquiries about the necessity of credentials when starting as a safety professional, especially among those considering safety as a new career path.
We realized we didn’t feel comfortable answering. We’re knowledgeable about the industry, sure. But we’re not doing the Gemba walks, submitting incident reports to leadership, filling out paperwork for OSHA or talking with people who have been affected by a SIF. We’re not in the thick of it like you are.
So, we have decided to create an opportunity for your voices to be heard. We want to know about your journey to safety. We want to know what you would (or wouldn’t) recommend to others. And, if you’re feeling so generous, we’d love to for you to share your thoughts on what makes safety training effective.
Thanks in advance for taking our quiz. By sharing your individual story, you’re offering greater insights into the collective safety experience. And, if you share your name and email address, you may be featured in an upcoming story.