Safety is Comfort and Comfort is Confidence

A question recently posed to the Safety Justice League was along the lines of why continue in safety. Perhaps there were heroics needed in another line of work. Jason Lucas knows why he stays in the game, and it’s all about comfort.

Comfort doesn’t mean complacency. In this case, Lucas knows that his experience and knowledge in the safety field give him the confidence to know he’s where he should be and needed the most.

Abby Ferri agreed, but Jason Maldonado wasn’t shy about saying there were times he thought he’d hang up his safety crusader cape. “I was looking to escape,” Maldonado said. “I was one of the great escapees. I was on the verge of taking a job in engineering.” But not getting that position was a blessing in disguise. “The one thing that resonated with me as I was going through this process is talking to someone who would have been my peer in this alternate role, and she goes, why would you quit? You’re so good at this, and you love it so much. Maldonado reminded himself that safety was his love and that he was good in his role. Most importantly, he realized that what he does makes a difference.

As mentioned in previous show episodes, safety is a job that doesn’t always get noticed, but a little validation goes a long way. When someone on the job lets a safety professional know that their job matters, it provides comfort and respects safety’s value to an organization. “I love that people are willing to tell safety professionals thank you for their effort,” Lucas said.

When those efforts are not recognized and appreciated, that’s when a safety professional won’t feel comfortable and may seek out other opportunities. In post-pandemic times and the great resignation happening in workplaces across the country, Ferri said this is an opportunity for safety professionals to find comfort elsewhere or for companies to get their safety act together. “Go to those companies that really, really need the help,” Ferri said.

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