Editor's Note: What's your story?

We’re happy to have our friend Richard Hawk as part of the Safety+Health family. His All About You column is a popular part of the magazine, and we’re pleased to announce that he has agreed to continue to offer his special brand of motivation and insight in 2018.

One of Richard’s recent columns describes how he often asks people he encounters, “What’s your story?” He goes on to say that many people respond, “I don’t have much of a story.” Richard doesn’t believe that. And neither do I.

Here at S+H, we’re certain that you occupational safety and health professionals have lots of interesting stories to tell about how you got into the field. Past surveys have shown us that a large majority of you didn’t intend to pursue safety as a career. And responses to our informal polls show us that most of you continue to find the job rewarding despite the numerous frustrations that come with it.

This was reaffirmed for me during the time I spent in the Safety+Health booth at this year’s National Safety Council Congress & Expo in Indianapolis. When chatting with attendees who stopped by, I heard some interesting stories about how people became safety and health pros and why they love their job.

In 2018, we’d like to feature some of those stories in the magazine. And we’d love to hear yours. Did you choose a career in safety, or did it choose you? What motivates you to keep going? Using the subject line “My Story,” email us at [email protected] and tell us about it. (No need to turn in a perfectly written essay – a few sentences are fine.) You could be featured in an upcoming issue of S+H.

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