When Dave Thompson of Henderson, Inc. first became a safety guy, his boss suggested that he find someone in the profession who could serve as his mentor. His recommendation was Scott Sutton. Dave was cynical because Scott was the safety director for W M. Jordan, a competitor. Despite his doubts, Dave put his trust in his boss and gave Scott a call. Scott invited Dave to his office and during their first conversation Scott told Dave something that he still remembers 10 years later.

"Scott told me that there are no trade secrets when it comes to safety. He opened the doors of his company to me. This gave me the ethical and philosophical foundation for my professional life. Every time I do a walk-through of a job, every Time I teach a class especially one that might include other GCs, every time I address a group of peers, I always come back to those words that he spoke to me," explains Dave.

Competition, quite simply, is about finding a better way of winning, executing and closing out the job. Commercial construction is an industry full of competitive people who never tire of finding ways to ratchet up the level of quality in the service they provide to the marketplace. It's an industry that constantly improves. It's full of intense, passionate and talented people that enjoy going head to head to win and keep a client. They are in it to play hard and win.

But safety isn't part of that game. "If you know of a way to be safer on a job site, it is a disservice to the industry for it not to be shared," says Dave. Construction injuries transcend competition and every player in this industry must work together to make the industry safe.

The absolute most important component of our industry is the people that do the work. Contractors are legally bound by the General Duty Clause to make sure employees are protected from harm whi le working. However, safety professionals like Dave will tell you that our industry should not need a law to guide us in the effort to keep workers safe.

Have you ever noticed how safety professionals seem to work for the industry at large, not just the company that employs them? Maybe because they realize that the employees working for their competitor today might be working with them tomorrow. Or perhaps it is the nature of their job, to educate and protect, that creates a culture of sharing best practices and openness. All around our state you will find peer groups of safety directors, whose employers are often competing aggressively for the same work, sitting together with one shared mission: seeing to it that everyone on every job site goes home every night.

Dave recently taught a class that included some people from his biggest competitor in their home market. When he found out they needed training that he could provide, he offered his services without a second thought. After teaching the class, he heard from the group that they had initially been concerned about coming to a competitor's office for safety training; Dave was quick to respond with the words Scott had shared with him years ago, "There are no trade secrets when it comes to safety."

"I still occasionally get a call from Scott. One of the last times he called, it was because he saw our mechanics truck driving down the road and he saw that the guard had been removed from the pulleys on the air compressor. He didn't need to call me, but he did. Ten years later, he is still living the message that he gave to me when I first walked into his office," said Dave.