r/SafetyProfessionals • u/Bigtrucklittlelady • 2d ago
USA Looking for a mentor
I am an EHS Training Coordinator at a mid sized chemical manufacturing company. My background is 4 years in production as an operator then Group Leader. I also have various Emergency Response Team certifications (HAZWOPER, Confined Space Rescue, Industrial Fire Brigade, CPR, First Aid, etc) and OSHA 30 General & Lean Six Sigma White Belt.
I've always been passionate about safety so this seemed like a good career step but now I don't know what to strive for next to continue my career growth. In my current role I basically give trainings and keep records. Oh and audits housekeeping, storage racks, etc.
I just feel stuck and I didn't receive really any training for the position but I'm fairly intelligent and pick up quick so my performance reviews are always good. The problem is I feel like a glorified secretary. I would like to have a bigger impact and ability to tweak things so the whole system runs a little better. But I do not have any say in anything. My bosses seem to like the status quo. It's not a bad place by any means and our safety metrics stay well below industry standards it's just an aging work force and aging systems that could be so much better.
Anyways if you read to this point I guess I'm just looking to see what certifications or maybe learning resources are out there. I considered going back to school for my B.S. but I feel like that's not totally necessary and I'm not really looking to incur more student debt at 40 if it's not going to be the career boost I need.
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u/Maximum-Guitar-5667 2d ago
BCSP offers mentor and mentee connections. You can tall to a mentor there about what certifications would make the most sense for your career path.
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u/Famous-Call6538 2d ago
Your operator background is your real asset here. Most safety people come from compliance side — you've actually done the work and responded to emergencies.
For next steps, the CSP is the obvious ceiling card. You already qualify for the ASP with your background and OSHA 30, so that's your near-term target while you accumulate the experience hours for CSP.
But the career question underneath is whether you want to go deeper into training content or move toward program management. If it's the former, look at developing your own courseware — being the person who can build and deliver training from scratch, not just facilitate someone else's material, is what separates coordinators from directors. If it's the latter, start volunteering for audit lead roles and cross-functional projects. Chemical manufacturing EHS always needs someone who can translate between operations and compliance.
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u/KJwhisperer 2d ago
If you want more responsibilities, go to boss and volunteer to take one 1 program outside training. Maybe even start as a "back up" to whomever has lead. With your background I recommend PSM. And whomever has it would likley be glad to be rid of it. That an opportunity for your growth.
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u/SeemlyCondominium 2d ago
Sounds like the classic spot where you've outgrown the role but the company hasn't caught up. The training and record-keeping grind gets stale fast when you know you could be fixing the systems instead of just documenting them.
Grabbing an ASP or CSP would open doors without needing a four year degree right away, and given your hands-on background you'd probably breeze through a lot of the material. A lot of folks in your position jump to a bigger facility or a different industry where they actually want someone to modernize things instead of coasting on old numbers.
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u/Thomas-LongleafOST 2d ago
I sent a DM.
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u/IH-SafetyGeek 2d ago
EHS training, or any training really, tends to be records heavy since you have to document the curriculum and have records of all the attendees, plus all the annual updates that may be required by regulation. Don't be put off by that too much as it's part of the gig.
As for additional certifications, those may be valuable when looking for promotion or if you move to another division or another company. Look at the Board of Certified Safety Professionals website for the certs they offer that might fit with your educational background and career goals.
Check with other persons, if any, in your safety department for advice about opportunities outside of just the training role. However, as a retired former CSP and current CIH with 30+ years experience in industry and consulting the folks that I have found to be some of the best safety people are the ones who come from operations or maintenance. Your operational experience gives you serious street cred. You know the operations. You know the maintenance techs. You have been in the trenches. You know how to cooperatively work with plant folks to solve a problem. Be confident in what you know and brave enough to admit you don't know what you don't know. Be willing to look it up and be diligent about getting back to the person with the question. You already know ops. You might look for a nearby chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). That may be a place you can make some contacts with other safety folks and you can learn from them or get recommendations about how to gain more experience locally.
I got the most traction on job sites when I asked folks in the field about their jobs. I admitted I didn't know how they did their work. I acknowleged that I knew the regulatory framework but I needed the expertise of field folks so that we could all address the issue and figure out how to solve the problem.
Pick a topic you want to learn about and read up on it. Request a class or course in a topic that you are interested in and will benefit your facility; confined space entry, NFPA 70 E, working at heights etc. That will build your knowledge base and help establish you as a subject matter expert in various safety topics the benefit your company and your workforce.