My journey to become an environmental, health and safety professional is far from linear, and I’ve begun to believe this is more typical than I originally thought.
I grew up as an Army kid in Europe and came back to Kansas to attend school for business. During this time, I began volunteering as a firefighter, and then working part time as an emergency medical technician. Shortly after, I found my way into law enforcement and decided to step away from school to feed my adrenaline addiction. Responding to emergencies, driving fast and saving lives just seemed far more interesting than sitting in classes.
I ended up working as a government contractor in a security capacity on a construction site after deciding to look at a longer-term career to pay off student loans for a degree I didn’t obtain. A severe injury occurred on the project, and my first thought was, “Wow, that guy should be more careful.”
What followed was an intensive investigation and showing of leaders from the contractor to truly understand the many systemic failures that led to the incident. As I observed this unfold, I was fascinated and began reading every article, taking every online class and watching video I could find on the safety field. All the components that come into play with a root cause analysis, human factors and behavioral-based safety were eye-opening to me. That contract was beginning to end, and another contractor was hiring a safety manager with relatively low pay and job security. Because I lacked the experience, I came to them with a packet of the free online courses I completed and a cover letter detailing what I could bring to the table, even with my limited experience and education. They took a chance and hired me!
Throughout the first years in my career, I continued pursuing the lower-paying and unstable contract roles to learn numerous industries: construction, logistics, industrial maintenance and manufacturing. My experience spanned larger organizations, including The HON Co. and Amazon, during which I completed my bachelor’s in business and master’s in occupational safety and completed numerous professional certifications.
My message for anyone getting into the field is to be willing to take those entry-level roles to gain experience and know that there are longer-term benefits to what you can achieve. You don’t need a degree or certifications to start growing your career and should not let that stop you. Sometimes, you must take one step back to take two steps forward.
Zach Smith, CSP, CHMM
Senior Director, EHS
American Tire Distributors
What’s your story?
Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “My Story.” You may be featured in an upcoming issue of Safety+Health.
