Safety professional’s job is to protect the workers. This can be done proactively or reactively, but either way it is our job. Being proactive and preventing incidents from happening is one of our top priorities. But how do we know how to advise on the work if we’re not out on the field?

It is hard to get buy-in from people if they don’t know your face. Get out there! Get out of the chair and prepare to talk with the line workers, the construction guys, and the researchers. Your number one job is making sure that you build rapport with these folks.

One of my favorite quotes that I stand by is below..

“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Theodore Roosevelt

What a powerful message, and it’s true! People just don’t give a damn about what you have to say until they know that you care about their work. One of the ways you’ll build rapport is your influence in the company.

If you go guns blazing spewing regulations, compliance, and changes without any regard for their concerns, then you’ll be met with a BIG wall. They will not listen to you and just say yes to everything then ignore everything you’ve brought up.

If you’re one to hide behind a monitor, I encourage you to get out there and start talking to people. I bet you everything that you will learn about things you’d never know sitting behind that desk. You’ll get more positive responses to your concerns as you learn about theirs.