Safety People – What do you do?
I have just enjoyed reading the latest post on the Safety Differently Blog (extract below) and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling a little squirmy when people say: “so what do you do” – I think it would be easier if I were a Mechanic or a Lawyer (maybe not), Butcher, Baker or a Candlestick Maker but a “Safety Person”???
My Partner’s daughter thinks I paint yellow lines on concrete stairs, my son’s think I go around looking for fun things to stop and my friends think I’m a Drug Dealer cos’ of the weird places I go and hours I work!
I spent the worst 2 years of my life working for a safety consulting company who really hadn’t worked out what their products and services were and it was pretty much a case of cold calling and saying: “We do safety and we are here to help” or submitting tenders or being presented with project by a client, winning the work or taking it on with no idea if we were in any way capable – yuckkk!!!!
There are many others, more eloquent than I, who have pondered this question in recent times and, rather than rave any more myself, I think you should have a read and perhaps come back here and share your thoughts.
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Safety as a Helping Profession
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What Is It That You Do Here?
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Customer service tips for Safety People
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What Safety Means to Me
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Safety Professionals – We Are Our Own Worst Enemies
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Safety Professionals Identity Crisis
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Are You Making A Difference As An OHS Professional?
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The Safety Generalist
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What is Safety?
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Ode to The Safety Professional
Déformation professionnelle: How profession distorts perspective
If you work in a health and safety role, there is one question that can make for an awkward conversation: “So, what do you do?” I was asked this question at passport control on entering the UK on my Australian passport. I considered my options: safety specialist, ergonomist or psychologist. All three come with baggage; they trigger different preconceptions. As he was an immigration officer in the border security business, I replied “I’m a safety officer”, modifying my job title. He continued to check my passport, and asked, “So, do you think we have too much safety nowadays?” I thought this was a curious question to ask with the smell of a safely-landed B737 still fresh in the air. Then I realised what he meant. “Oh…no, I’m an aviation safety specialist!” I exclaimed. This pleased him. He stamped my passport and let me on my way. READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE
Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below