Safety: It’s personal

Reflecting on occupational safety this June, designated National Safety Awareness Month by the National Safety Council in 1996, TritenIAG Safety Manager David Reyna shares that in his case, it’s personal: He decided to pursue a career in safety after experiencing family trauma caused by workplace accidents as a child.

“When I was young, my dad and my grandfathers were severely injured in workplace falls. Both my grandfathers fell while working at heights: one broke his neck, the other broke his back. And my father, who fell a few times, has been permanently disabled for almost 30 years now.” Growing up, it was David’s understanding that everyone was expected to work hard, that accidents and injuries were accepted as consequences of that hard work, and that if you got hurt somebody else would come in and fill your shoes. “I thought it was very common, very normal, until I got older and — after experiencing the pain, struggles, and difficulties my family suffered — I realized that shouldn’t be normal, that those accidents could have been prevented.”

“When I was young, my dad and my grandfathers were severely injured in workplace falls. Both my grandfathers fell while working at heights: one broke his neck, the other broke his back. And my father, who fell a few times, has been permanently disabled for almost 30 years now.”

In retrospect, David feels that the language barrier contributed to his family’s and others’ workplace incidents. His father and grandfathers, who started as migrant workers at a very young age before learning other manual labor trades, were predominantly Spanish speaking. Had bilingual safety guidance been provided at their work sites, perhaps they could have been spared some of their troubles. David, a Houston native who feels fortunate to speak both Spanish and English, chose safety as a vocation to help other families avoid the same misfortune and consequential hardship his family has endured.

“I knew that if I got into safety, I could make a difference. That’s where my passion stems from. I’ve always been very passionate about working safely because I don’t want children or any other individuals to go through what my family went through, and to think that that’s normal and that’s acceptable. Working to prevent that is the whole reason why I do what I do.” David’s grandfathers knew about his passion for work-life safety before they passed away, and he is gratified that he could turn their bad experiences into something good: his life’s work.

Joining our team as Safety Manager in August 2022, David is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, and a subject matter expert (SME) on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). David recalls that his father’s and grandfathers’ accidents occurred around the time OSHA was enacted in 1970. “So, as I got older, a lot of workplace safety rules and regulations were coming into place. But the thing is, all those rules and regulations were written in blood. Someone had to get hurt — or worse! — for OSHA and other safety regulatory agencies to create a regulation or put a law into place.”

"I knew that if I got into safety, I could make a difference.... Working to prevent that is the whole reason why I do what I do.” David’s grandfathers knew about his passion for work-life safety before they passed away, and he is gratified that he could turn their bad experiences into something good: his life’s work.

While his family’s accidents fortunately weren’t fatalities, workplace falls remain a major concern. In light of that hard fact, on May 1, 2023, OSHA announced a new National Emphasis Program that focuses enforcement efforts on fall-related hazards, the leading cause of workplace fatalities. David shares a sobering anecdote regarding workplace falls before OSHA improved occupational safety. “Back in the day, if you were building a 70-floor facility, it was assumed that there would be 70 deaths: one death per level.” Imagine the stress construction workers felt going to work each day, when workplace deaths were considered the norm, not the exception. And this dated mindset mirrors the fatalistic “accidents happen” working conditions that David’s father and grandfathers worked in.

Then and now, workplace fatalities have serious repercussions from a business perspective. But from a personal perspective, the repercussions can be devastating. Before joining TritenIAG, David worked on projects that involved fatalities “where we had to bring in counselors to give coworkers of the deceased someone to talk to. People often develop close relationships, especially those who have worked together for a long time. If you think about it, your colleagues are like family: you spend two-thirds of your time with them! And if something bad happens to a colleague and therefore to their loved ones, it can be as traumatic and disruptive as something bad happening to a relative.”

"...whether you know it or not, you’re an influence on others: your coworkers in the field, your peers in the office, your family and friends at home. Choose to be a positive one!”

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Personally, we can all promote safety — at work, at home, on the road. To do so, David counsels against slipping into complacency or doing anything on autopilot. He uses the daily commute as an example. “Every day we get in a vehicle, this 2,000-pound piece of machinery, and we don’t think twice about driving to and from work. But how many times have you made that drive distracted, not 100 percent aware of your surroundings and actions? I’ve slipped into complacency too, then must ask myself, ‘Why did I take that risk and not think about the consequences?’ The thing is, I must keep reminding myself and my family, friends, and colleagues to always remain vigilant. I often bring that up during toolbox talks or when I’m out there talking to the guys. Because, whether you know it or not, you’re an influence on others: your coworkers in the field, your peers in the office, your family and friends at home. Choose to be a positive one!”

One way to achieve true safety teamwork is to require buy-in from all team members. It is management’s role to establish and communicate safety practices and rules. And it is each employee’s responsibility to follow those practices and adhere to those rules. For instance, workers may be required to document how often they hydrate and consume electrolytes on a job site; this is especially critical in demanding climates and terrains. Similarly, on a TritenIAG project in Nebraska, out-of-state workers unaccustomed to driving in the snow are required to take driver safety training for those conditions.

Like David, TritenIAG strongly encourages its employees and colleagues not to “leave it at the office” but rather to take safety home. Just because you’ve removed your hardhat and steel-toed boots, you still need to dress appropriately for activities around the house. Mowing the lawn is one example: for that job, David discourages wearing flipflops and encourages wearing safety glasses. Driving with the family is another example: “If dad or mom isn’t wearing their seatbelt or texts while driving, the kids are going to carry on that same behavior when they start driving their own vehicles.”

Coincidentally, David also discusses flipflops on the job site. On one project in Thailand, workers have shown up in that flimsy footwear, sometimes even barefoot. Other countries have different safety standards and practices; some countries don’t have the equivalent of OSHA or other safety regulators, and some are not required to report workplace injuries and fatalities. And our colleagues abroad might have norms that contradict what we know about working safely.

As David sees it, our job is to explain what we know and always lead by example. “Dealing with new coworkers in different cultures, we need to be open minded. You can’t just say, ‘You’re doing it wrong,’ but rather, ‘I see it from your perspective, but can you consider it from our point of view?’ And that’s the point of toolbox talks: getting multiple minds together to understand the risks and hazards and to identify the appropriate mitigations. It’s all about understanding others’ points of view, then working as a team efficiently, productively, and most important, safely.”

“Dealing with new coworkers in different cultures, we need to be open minded.... It’s all about understanding others’ points of view, then working as a team efficiently, productively, and most important, safely.”

Says David, “You can’t fault others for not knowing what they don’t know. It’s our job to show them. What’s great about working at a consulting company like TritenIAG is that our SMEs can provide guidance to companies and clients who might not know how best to implement safety measures. We get to have a positive impact on others’ lives and livelihoods.”

While David spreads our safety focus on projects across the globe, he also is involved in safety initiatives closer to home. Those have ranged from routine matters like fire drill coordination and an emergency action plan for company headquarters to life-threatening matters like active shooter training and domestic violence awareness for all employees.

Looking back on his first year as TritenIAG Safety Manager, David says he especially appreciates the easy communication he has with senior management. He notes their receptiveness to his guidance on workplace safety best practices — which are ever evolving — and acting on his ideas or concerns without the delays and red tape he had sometimes encountered in other organizations. He also appreciates that the company selectively works with colleagues, teaming partners, and clients with good safety records, avoiding those with bad ones. And with a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) of 0.0, TritenIAG is clearly as passionate about safety as he is.

National Safety Awareness Month may end June 30, but that’s no reason to get lax about safety — especially with the Fourth of July just around the corner. David extends a gentle reminder to take extra care when setting off fireworks with friends and family, and to be mindful of leading by example. A happy Fourth is a safe Fourth, and every one of us can help make that happen!