46 www.thesafetymag.com/ca
P E O P L E
FOR PEOPLE
Natalia Pashutina, is a health and safety
specialist, teacher and safety trainer and runs
her own consulting company. She is also the
chairwoman of the Canadian Society of Safety
Engineering B.C. Lower Mainland chapter.
Q
How did you get into health and safety?
A
After obtaining my bachelor's degree as a marine engineer and working in the
construction sector for two years, I moved to Canada where I started to
explore my new professional journey. My love for health led to me working as a
fitness and then wellness co-ordinator, where I helped people who were injured at
work go through rehabilitation. Through this role, I became interested in health
and safety, as I wanted to know what caused workplace injuries and why. At that
time, I made a significant decision in my life, and I went back to school to obtain
my health and safety diploma program at Simon Fraser University.
Q
What motivates you to do your best at work every day?
A
The impact I am making on the workers, students, organizations and the
opportunities to stretch my potential. And I also would like to acknowledge
my grandfather. He worked in the construction industry and has received many
awards for the contribution he made. He would share his stories and inspire me.
He was my role model.
I believe in personal and professional development. We're always learning; that's
how we evolve. [We develop the] ability to adapt to changes, which allows us to
grow personally and professionally as well.
Q
What do you like the most about being a health and safety
professional?
A
People, for people, because of people! Through my experience working
in sectors like construction, non-profit, Crown corporation and
education, I have managed programs involving emergency preparedness,
incident investigation, audit, first aid, new worker orientation… I have learned
that safety is not about written dos and don'ts or even reducing injuries but
about changing attitudes and behaviours at all levels of the business. I value
those moments a lot when workers say or suggest something to me due to the
positive impact I made during the training or incident investigations. I know
many jobs have emotional rewards, but I strongly believe health and safety take a
special place.
Q
How do you promote safety outside of work?
A
I have an emergency preparedness kit at home, ready to be used if needed.
That is something I communicated to my family — why it is important and
what are the consequences could be if we don't have it. Although, I haven't asked
them to exercise an annual evacuation drill yet — can't be too harsh on them!
Conducting a site audit
in Lower Mainland
Hosting the first CSSE
LMC online session
M Y S A F E T Y M O M E N T
