r/SafetyProfessionals

We have Official Gear now!!!

I’ve been a long time lurker and posted once or twice in this sub for some advice and ya’ll always come through! So I want to ask again.

A few years back, I screenshotted a post I still think about to this day. It was by a someone who was at a director level and was feeling unsure of themselves, and having imposter syndrome. The person didnt feel like they deserved the title/position they were in because they didnt know everything.

We as individuals operate within different business units, so all challenges are unique.

Id love to hear feedback from all of you about what business units you’re in, how long you’ve been in a safety or an EHS position, and what you find most difficult about your role?

Is it culture change, not knowing how to report to agencies, trouble collecting data to report, injury investigation, compliance and regulation, not knowing what you dont know!

Toss it in the chat!

Tomorrow I'm resigning from my EHS Manager position after a little over 6 months, and honestly I just need to get this off my chest.

I was hired as a corporate EHS manager at $120k a year. The role was presented as one where I would travel to sites, support operations, build relationships, and help improve safety performance across the network.

The reality has been very different.

I am the only safety professional supporting over 20 sites. There are no site safety managers, no safety coordinators, and no other EHS staff. Almost every safety-related responsibility eventually lands on my desk.

Since starting, I've worked on OSHA recordkeeping, OSHA responses, incident investigations, PIT programs, training development, policy creation, customer reporting, corrective actions, and countless other projects. We have had OSHA visits at multiple locations, and much of the burden of responding fell on me. When I needed support gathering evidence and documentation, there was very little help available.

What has frustrated me the most is that suggestions for improving the program have largely gone nowhere. No additional resources. No additional safety staff. No meaningful reduction in scope. No real support structure.

The biggest issue isn't even the workload.

It's what the job has done to my health.

I've lost sleep. I've spent nights lying awake thinking about work. I've become anxious to the point of physically getting sick. At some point I realized that no paycheck is worth sacrificing my health.

I'm proud of the work I accomplished while I was there, but tomorrow I'm choosing myself.

Not looking for advice. Just needed to say it out loud.