Wesley R. Carter, CCPSC is the Co-Founder and President of the Oil & Gas Division of Amplify Process Safety, LLC.

Amplify Process Safety offers overall review, strategy, development, and implementation support of PSM/RMP programs. They help clients build and improve process safety systems to not only ensure compliance, but also continuously improve in ways that require the minimum of resources to maintain.

Wesley epitomizes this relentless focus on continuous improvement which helps to keep employees and communities as safe and healthy as possible.

We sat down with Wesley to talk more about his first job, the best advice he’s received to date, and what it takes to be effective as a proactive safety leader.

What was your first job…and what did you learn from it?

I went to work for an Oil & Gas super major in a development role for recent college grads (challenge program). I was in the field (not an office), and think it served me well to have a first-hand account of operating assets and how each support function worked with operations.

The people who had forgotten more than I had learned were always willing to share their knowledge and experience with me. I just had to be willing to work hard and listen.

How did you end up in your role?

I got into Process Safety and Risk Management because of an opportunity while I was earning my undergraduate degree at Texas A&M. While studying Chemical Engineering, I also decided to pursue a safety engineering certificate from the Mary K. O’Connor Process Safety Center.

It was the spark that led me to pursue a career in my field.  I’m forever thankful that I lucked into taking that opportunity.

 What’s the best piece of advice you have been given and who gave it to you?

In my professional career when I first started out of college, my mentor told me to read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  He advised to not only read it, but practice it every day for the rest of my career.  I’ve done my best to always remember this, in every interaction.

What’s important to be effective in your role?

Treat people with respect because communication is an essential part of working through challenges. Motivating teams or an individual is much easier when you have mutual respect for each other.

What’s your advice for someone starting out in a role that supports safety and/or health of employees in some capacity? 

Don’t ever give up your integrity and be brave. Sometimes speaking up or going against the team can be the reason an incident is avoided.