‘The honor motivates me’: NSC celebrates Distinguished Service to Safety Award winners

New Orleans — Officially, Lester Claravall operates as the only full-time child labor officer within the Oklahoma Department of Labor.

Given the support of his agency and continuous collaboration with various partner organizations, though, Claravall says he’s far from alone in his mission to protect young workers from workplace abuse, exploitation and endangerment.

That sense of community resurfaced Monday as Claravall accepted a Distinguished Service to Safety Award during the Opening Session of the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo. Recipients of the National Safety Council’s highest honor are nominated by their peers.

“I just love what I do,” Claravall said. “I’ve just developed a passion for doing what I do every day. And you can only do so much, but when you’re out there trying to do what you can, it eventually starts to have an impact and it’s something that can lead to change. The honor motivates me to continue doing the work that needs to be done.”

Claravall was among eight safety professionals honored, joining fellow DSSA recipients:

Joaquin Diaz
EHS Director
SKANSKA USA Building

Mike Ezzell
Master Trainer and Director of Safety and Compliance
Greater Texas Safety Training

Michelle Garner-Janna
Executive Director – Corporate Health, Safety and Environment
Cummins Inc.

Joe Grabinski
Chief Environmental Safety & Health Steward (retired), Teamsters Local 1150
Sikorsky Aircraft – a Lockheed-Martin Co.

Dan Nabors
Transportation Engineering and Operations Bureau Chief
Arlington County (VA)

Marc Simpson
Director of Safety
University of North Dakota

Larry Wilson
President/Founder
SafeStart International

NSC first presented the Distinguished Service to Safety Award in 1942 to recognize organizations and individuals who work to reduce occupational injuries.

“The prestigious Distinguished Service to Safety Awards honor the unique, individual efforts made by those who value safety above all else,” NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said. “Each honoree has helped make our world a safer place, and by honoring their achievements, we can set the bar for what’s possible and inspire others to pursue our shared goal of eliminating preventable deaths and injuries.”

Grabinski also devoted much of his career to influencing young workers, albeit in an industry that many teens might not have fathomed at the start – helicopter manufacturing.

Recently retired, Grabinski served Sikorsky as a safety leader, mentor and Teamster during nearly four decades with the Connecticut-based organization. He previously directed the Teamsters-Sikorsky Career Pathways Union Mentoring program, which has trained students from Connecticut technical high schools in various trade disciplines since its launch in the early 2000s.

Grabinski, who’s part of the NSC Board of Delegates and former chair of its Labor Division, attributes his accomplishments to being accessible and expanding a network of peers willing to collaborate.

“It’s just doing the things that I learned at the National Safety Council to make sure you’re available, make sure you’re sincere and make sure you not only talk the talk but walk the walk,” he said. “I don’t intend to be anybody special. The only one thing I could say is I learned how to listen at a very early age in my career, and that made the difference.”

Ezzell finds the same skill has boosted the effectiveness of the training in which he’s involved. A master instructor in four NSC training courses – workplace, work zone, defensive driving and first aid – he believes communication has boosted the evolution of training.

“It’s trying to get the message out in a way that people can have a better understanding of the issues and the importance of it,” Ezzell said, “and looking at the learner as far as ways to effectively reach them with the message.”

Hearing of his DSSA honor was “awe-striking” to Simpson, a longtime safety pro in the U.S. Air Force, federal government and the construction sector before pivoting to UND.

“This is something that you’ve done over time and you’ve put in the work and you’ve helped other people and you’ve shown that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to be able to do your job and to do it well,” Simpson said. “And you’ve helped mentor others and you helped guide them through the process.

“It’s like a career achievement award. It makes you feel proud because you know that you’ve done a good job throughout your career of helping other people in doing the right thing and trying to keep people safe.”