Deb Bridges, Health & Safety Consultant, ASSP CWC Community Service Chair

Can you share what initially drew you to Safety & Health and what continues to motivate you in your work? Additionally, is there a particular project or achievement in your professional career that you’re especially proud of?

I was offered a job at Safety Northwest shortly after I left my job as the food service director at Reed College, where I’d spent the previous 17 years.  I had always been intrigued by the Safety & Health field, distinctly remembering my first meeting with an EH&S director and thought, wait, you can do that for a living?!  So when the owner, Joe Mullens, offered me an opportunity, I couldn’t wait to get started!  Joe absolutely loved what he was doing and I was certainly looking for place that allowed me to feel like my work was making a difference in people’s lives.

When and how did you begin your safety career?

I started in the Sheet Metal Apprenticeship (Local 36) in 1999 in St. Louis, Mo.  My safety started when I started my Mechanical company “Brison Mechanical” in 2006.  Throughout my time in the field, I realized just how unsafe I was and the stupid risk that I took so I wanted to make a difference.  We did not have a positive safety culture when I worked in the field.  Work was profit driven without the three-leg stool “safety, production, & quality”.  It was always hurry up and get it done!  If you reported and injury, you would be let go so we did not report anything.

How long have you worked in Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)?

I started working in EHS or OHS in 1999 after my discharge from the Marine Corps. 

When did you begin your safety career? What was your first job?

I was working as a project manager for a small painting contractor. My boss approached me about doing safety because we were getting into military construction. He knew my background in the Marines included being a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical warfare specialist for my section.