Q: What about PPE (personal protective equipment) designed for women?
“That’s one of the biggest problems I faced, being the only woman in the field. They never had small harnesses, small gloves, or small hard hats. Everywhere you go, we face that, and I don’t think it’s fair. They’ll say, ‘We don’t have smalls,’ and I’m like, ‘Well, I need a small now.’ They’ll try not to give it to you, but I learned to say, ‘This is my right. You’re supposed to give me small gloves because if you give me large ones, that’s a hazard.’
I think we’re still fighting that battle—they don’t provide proper PPE for women. I learned to buy my own, which I don’t think was fair, but I had to be safe. Maybe now it’s changing because more women are getting into safety roles. When I see a woman, I know to ask, ‘Are you getting proper PPE? How are they treating you?’ Being in safety, I’m more aware.”
Q: What common safety mistakes do you see from newer tradespeople?
“When you’re in pre-apprenticeship or taking OSHA training, you learn the correct way to do things. But when you go out in the field, it’s a different ball game. You get paired with a journeyman who might do things wrong, and we all get complacent. We tend to do things the easier way or the fastest way, and it’s not necessarily the safest way.
I’m guilty of it too. I used to think, ‘It’ll take me five minutes to get a ladder to do this safely, let me just do it this way.’ Now that I’m in safety, I wonder, ‘What was I thinking?’ I tell students they have to be very conscious and that it’s okay to tell their foreman, ‘I don’t feel safe.’
The problem is that you can become complacent because you’ve done something a thousand times. I tell my students that they know the right way, and we need to start letting people know when something isn’t the correct way. The new generation has to implement this change.”
Q: Why is OSHA 10 training important for student success?
“OSHA 10 provides general safety information that many students don’t know. It teaches them about their rights as American workers, not just in construction, but in any working environment. We have a right to a safe workplace, and many people don’t know that if there’s a problem, they can report it to OSHA.
People hear OSHA and think it’s bad, but I tell them OSHA is actually our friend—it protects us. It’s important that students go to job sites with some knowledge of safety and what their rights are as American workers.
I teach the introduction to OSHA and worker rights, focusing on hazards with special attention to falls because they’re the number one cause of fatalities in construction. We cover electrocution, struck-by hazards, caught-in accidents, personal protective equipment, and health hazards in construction. I also like to teach ergonomics, fire protection, power tools, and bloodborne pathogens.”
Q: What role has CWIT played in your life as a tradeswoman?
“CWIT has been amazing to me. Not only did I become a tradeswoman, but they’ve also supported me in transitioning into safety as a professional. When I told CWIT I didn’t want to be a carpenter anymore and wanted to get into safety, they supported me 100%. In my heart, I will forever be a carpenter, but CWIT backed my career transition completely. If it wasn’t for CWIT, I would not be where I am today.
We need more women in safety because we know what other women need in the field. This is a great career, and it’s easy to get into safety, especially for women who have been in the trades. We’ve worked, we know the hazards. Just going to school, taking a few classes, and you can change careers. And CWIT will always have your back.”
