Safety Spotlight: Getting to know WILLIE SHELTON

Q:  Introduce us to yourself.
A:  I’m a man of faith. I enjoy new challenges in learning to broaden my perspective in life.

Q:  How long have you been with the City of Houston?
A:  Since March 14, 2022.

Q:  What preceded your current role with HR Risk Management?
A:  I previously worked as a safety specialist with NRG Energy.

Q:  What is the most interesting or exciting aspect of working in safety?
A:  The challenge of assessing a situation and determining if it’s being performed in the safest manner possible. Also, being a change agent — getting people to understand the importance of hazard recognition and how to eliminate those hazards proactively.

Q:  Why is safety so important to you? And why should it be important to COH employees?
A:  Safety is paramount — on the job and at home. The life experiences we learn can save lives as well as the financial burdens placed upon families if they so choose to not work safe.

Q:  What do you do in your free time?
A:  I enjoy fishing, sports cars, and walks in the park with my wife.

Q:  What key message do you want COH employees to understand about the importance of safety?
A:  Being safe is a personal choice: make the right one. Your life may depend on it.

 

Safety Spotlight: Getting to know STANLEY TUCKER

Q:  Tell us a little about yourself.
A:  I am an accomplished Safety Professional with twelve years of experience in the U.S. Army, where I served as a Petroleum Supply and Process Safety and Hazardous Materials specialist. After the military, I moved to Texas and started my safety profession with Seadrill Americas as a safety officer and received my Certified Occupational Safety Specialist credential in the process.
I held the positions of branch safety manager for Evergreen North America Industrial Services for four years, as well as the area safety manager for Sage Envirotech Industrial Services. During my successful performance as an accomplished safety professional in the oil and gas industry, I received my bachelor’s degree from Columbia Southern University in Occupational Health and Safety and a recipient of numerous safety certifications.  Above all, continuously recognized for unquestionable leadership and professionalism.

Q:  How long have you with the City of Houston?
A:  I have been with the City of Houston for five months.

Q:  What made you want to work with HR Risk Management?
A:  I chose safety because it gave me the opportunity to still have the feeling of accomplishment with the employees. Knowing that we are here to help provide them with a safe work environment, that they can all go home to their family the same way that they came.

Q:  What is the most interesting or exciting aspect of working in safety?
A:  The ever-changing environment that we work within. Safety is always changing and evolving day to day, so that constant challenge of change is what entices me the most.

Q:  Why is safety important to you? And why should it be important to COH employees?
A:  Safety is important to me because it’s the way we can help protect each other against danger, risk and injury together as one — morally, economically and legally. That gives us a broader perspective of an organization that should suffice the “what if” factor in all our lives, ensuring that we work safely together to ensure a safe work environment for all.

Q:  What do you do in your free time?
A:  My free time is spent mostly with my family and kids playing baseball. Also, I love to play golf and hunt whenever I get that opportunity.

Q:  What key message do you want COH employees to understand about the importance of safety?
A:  When safety is first, you last.