#SafetyforLife: Safety is a lifestyle
April 28, 2016, is World Day for Safety and Health, and we’re celebrating all the ways AECOM keeps its people safe. Join us here this week as we recognize our safety champions who are dedicated to ensuring our projects – and people – remain safe.
As children, we all tried to imagine our future job. I never guessed that I would be a health and safety manager, nor that I would love it. In fact, I was not even aware of health and safety as a career option. AECOM opened the door for me to explore opportunities I never thought were possible. Now I’m getting ready for one of the biggest yet.
I graduated from college with a degree in geology and worked as hydrogeologist for more than eight years. At the beginning of my career, I was involved in environmental and civil works that demanded a high focus on safety, health and environment (SH&E) — investigation and remediation of contaminated sites or decommissioning and demolition of old industrial plants. Watching the benefits to personnel and project outcomes of embedding SH&E, I gradually became interested in this field.
One of the biggest projects I worked on as a SH&E supervisor was demolishing a 15-hectare (37-acre) oil and gas storage terminal. While initially some subcontractors viewed our comprehensive safety procedures with skepticism, in just a few months, the culture completely changed. They started to be proactive and saw value in working safely. This commitment resulted in no accidents during the project, a personal award from the client, and the annual Excellence SH&E Award to legacy URS for contributing to client’s SH&E success. This project was the perfect example of why we care about safety and was definitely one of my motivators to continue growing in this area.
Alberto on the Lindane Landfill project site located in Sabiñánigo, Huesca, Spain.
I have been working in SH&E for more than ten years as AECOM (and formerly URS) SH&E manager for Spain and with international clients in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. Our team was recently awarded with the AECOM Annual Continental Europe (CE) Excellence Award for the success of the safety integration in Spain for 2016.
In my international role, overcoming legislative, language and cultural barriers has been essential to consistency and good safety performance across the countries I oversee. Many companies think of safety as just a legal issue, but I am proud to say that at AECOM, safety is a lifestyle, and that is what we want to transmit to employees, subcontractors and clients.
Health and safety has taught me to help others, listen, communicate, be open, stop and think before resolving difficulties and more. Last year, I joined the new global SH&E innovation and collaboration excellence committee to help promote collaboration, growth and development within the AECOM SH&E organization. My next challenge is moving to the U.S., where I will assume the role of area SH&E manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Washington D.C. metro area. I am excited to work to ensure a safe and healthy workplace in the new location.
Health and safety makes a difference at every company, so I hope reading my own experience and thoughts motivates others to integrate safety into their work and lives. It’s really worth it!
Safety Tip: If you are aware of an unsafe situation, speak up to your supervisor or another responsible party to ensure that it is corrected.
Alberto Munuera is a geologist, specializing in occupational safety, health and environment. He loves travelling, tennis (he’s been an international umpire for 15 years), the outdoors, learning new languages and spending time with his wife.
LinkedIn: Alberto Munuera