Distinguished for his thought leadership in human factors management for SafeStart, Danny Smith regularly speaks at state, regional and national conferences on a variety of topics related to injury reduction, engagement and culture. He has the ability to make the concepts being taught relatable and valuable to every participant.
Much of this practical application stems from his more than 25 years of EHS experience working in industries such as aerospace, oil and gas, construction, iron and steel, chemical processing, automotive and pharmaceutical.
Smith represents SafeStart as a member of the National Safety Council’s Exhibitor Advisory Board and is a long-standing member of the Alabama Governor's Safety and Health Conference Planning Committee. He also is a member of ASSP’s Management Practice Specialty Advisory Committee and is the co-founder and co-host of the SafeTalk with SafeStart podcast.
I am interested in becoming the assistant administrator of the Training & Communications Practice Specialty to continue my goal of “giving back” to others in the safety profession.
My career did not start in safety, but was rather in manufacturing management and production scheduling. As such, when I transitioned to my role as a safety professional I needed lots of advice and assistance from other, more experienced people. Any list I compiled would invariably leave someone out, but their actions inspired me to help others in their safety journey as well.
For more than a decade, I’ve co-presented a session on New to Safety at the Alabama Governor's Safety and Health Conference that helps people who are just starting out or who have been given safety as “another hat to wear” determine where to begin in keeping their workers safe. A part of this revolves around key elements of training, communication, engagement and leadership.
I would hope I would be able to extend this conversation to others — regardless of their level of experience. I would seek to find creative opportunities for networking to enable everyone to share best practices and form professional relationships that would help further their careers in the field of safety.
I recently joined not only the Training and Communications Practice Specialty, but also the Advisory Committee for the Management Practice Specialty. I am a long-standing member of the Planning Committee for the Alabama conference and represent SafeStart on the NSC’s Exhibitor Advisory Board.