Editor's Note: Things change

This month, Safety+Health features the results of its annual Job Outlook. The theme was spurred by something the editorial team spotted in raw data from previous years – namely, that an increasing number of safety professionals seem to be changing jobs more frequently.

This dovetails with Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2014 (the most recent year for which data is available) showing that the typical U.S. worker stays at his or her job for 4.6 years. When Associate Editor Tom Musick and I discussed this, he immediately asked, “What effect does that have on safety?” The 2016 survey asked that question, and – as always – many respondents gave thoughtful answers regarding both the challenges and the opportunities for the safety pro and employers’ safety programs. Our thanks to everyone who took the time to respond.

Looking over the survey results and reading the comments from respondents has made me even more aware of how fortunate I’ve been to have worked with longtime colleagues Bryan O’Donnell and Kyle W. Morrison – both of whom have recently decided to say goodbye to the National Safety Council and the S+H team.

Bryan, our rock-solid copy editor, was the first person I ever hired back in 2005; and Kyle, our senior associate editor and eye on all things OSHA- and Washington-related, was a close second. Together, we’ve grown professionally and personally, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. So I’d like to take the opportunity here to thank them for their good work and wish them the best. I’ll miss having them as co-workers, but I look forward to having them as friends.

The opinions expressed in “Editor’s Note” do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or affiliated local Chapters.