Safety Hero Zach DeLoach says that he first entered the safety profession due to sheer luck—but he’s so grateful that he did, because it’s where he belongs. “I obtained my degree in Human Resources with no idea of what I really wanted to do. I had the opportunity to take on a safety management role and fell in love with the field,” he says.

Today, Zach is Safety & Compliance Manager for Pac Van, Inc.

Pac Van leases and sells portable buildings and storage including modular office buildings, mobile offices, storage containers, steel frac tanks, prefabricated classrooms, event trailers and much more. The company was founded in 1993 and operates in more than 50 locations in North America. Similar to Zach, Pac Van is dedicated to safety, putting people first, and ethical leadership. Zach (and Pac Van) believe that safety is something you’re committed to 24/7—not “just” at work.

Keep reading to find out the best piece of advice this passionate Safety Hero has been given, and the mantra he works and lives by.

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

Just show up. Changes aren’t made overnight. They’re made when you show up and put in the work each and every day over long periods of time.

Do you have any mantra you live or work by?

“The safety of the people shall be the highest law.” – Cicero

What organization or company – aside from the one you work at – do you really admire in terms of safety and health?

Southern California Edison has an incredibly robust safety program. They hold their contractors to the same standard as their full-time employees through regular site safety audits and safety program reviews. When an incident or near miss occurs, SCE staff quickly investigate and send a root cause analysis so that employees and contractors can apply lessons learned to prevent future similar incidents from occurring.