Two months ago, in the blistering August heat, I began taking my oldest son to his “two-a-day” football practice. As I watched him and his teammates work out and run plays, it brought back so many memories I had when I was his age and began playing football. I remember my coaches shouting, “Stay low and keep your feet moving.” They also added, “Be perfect.”
Although my son doesn’t realize it, and I didn’t either at the time, there are many life lessons to be learned on the football field. These lessons remain forever relevant and applicable to one’s professional life. I am sure you, if you have loved a game and played it with true passion, can relate. Sports can be physically and mentally challenging. Teamwork is key. There are time limits and budgetary requirements at all levels. Human safety is not to be taken lightly.
Like sports, our industry faces constant challenges. And now, with many multimillion- and even multibillion-dollar projects underway or on the horizon, the latest greatest challenge we face is manpower. Much available manpower has been lost due to the recent boom in both the upstream and midstream sectors. Couple this with the fact a large number of veteran workers have already transitioned or soon will be transitioning into retirement. This reduction in available workers combined with the increased labor demand will escalate and is certain to create huge challenges.
Not only are there serious concerns related to the number of workers available, but there are also significant safety concerns because many workers who can fill the labor gap will be new to our industry. They likely will be coming from industries that have subpar safety cultures and practices compared to those of our demanding refining/petrochemical safety requirements. Safety is a top concern for all operations at all levels that cannot be com-promised. Companies are going to have to find solutions to these challenges. In order to prepare, CertifiedSafety already has begun implementing new career path opportunities to attract and retain star players in the field of safety. We have revamped our training curriculum, built new facilities and adopted new technologies to make training more effective. Additionally, we are implementing a company-wide behavior-based observation practice geared to enhance performance in all areas of our business.
With so many big projects and huge challenges on the horizon, most of us will be working long hours and under a great deal of pressure to be on time, on budget and incident free. There will be hundreds or maybe even thousands of workers from dozens of companies who you will depend upon to help reach those project goals. Like the sports we enjoyed as kids, winning will require teamwork, determination and accountability. The teams you create and the companies you choose to partner with will, in large part, determine your level of success. Be careful to choose those who’ve prepared for game day and whose track record demonstrates “heart.” I hope to see you in the field. Until then, stay low, keep your feet moving and be perfect.
For more information, call toll free at (800) 994-2339, email sales@gocss.net or visit www.certifiedsafety.net.
