Editor's Note: Here's to the champions

This month, Safety+Health is showcasing the National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety, an annual recognition of safety and health professionals younger than 40. As NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman points out in her introduction, these “safety champions” help “make the world a safer place to live, work and play.”

While I wholeheartedly join her in congratulating this group of up-and-coming occupational safety and health leaders, my hat also is off to those of you who for years – and often decades – have championed the cause of safety.

As I write this, the What’s Your Opinion? poll on the S+H website is asking occupational safety and health pros if the rewards of their job outweigh the frustrations. So far, the numbers have stayed pretty consistent, with more than 70 percent of respondents saying “Yes.”

The results aren’t a surprise. Here at S+H, we know that for the majority of safety pros, the job is a labor of love.

That’s not to say it’s an easy one. Numerous comments to the poll detail the frustrations that come from trying to reach people (both workers and management) with a message they don’t necessarily want to hear.

Responses also show that many of you place great value on similar things – such as the occasional, out-of-the-blue thanks from a worker who heard and acted on your message, or from simply knowing, deep down, that you’re doing important work.

But that still leaves a gap. So, although I know that words from me won’t come close to making up for the gratitude safety and health pros deserve and don’t receive, I want to take this opportunity to say, “Thank you.” You make a difference.

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