Paul Johnson, Safety and Security Manager at IKEA Group, has long-term experience in the service industry, helping him to meet and exceed customer expectations with service that sells.
His current role looks to manage risk and keep standards in alignment with laws and regulatory requirements—all while promoting a safe, low risk culture in IKEA. Johnson enjoys ensuring the safety and security of the people and property within the organization. On a day to day basis, you can find him supporting safety and completing site safety, security, and compliance audits and trainings, among other responsibilities.
Part of what makes Johnson a Safety Hero is his ongoing dedication to assisting a variety of workers (and customers), in many environments, across a variety of industries. Johnson knows that safety, and acquiring and maintaining loyal repeat business as well as spreading the word of your business through these loyal patrons is of the utmost importance in every company.
Why did you choose your profession?
An early mentor of mine was in this field and he would share his daily hurdles and experiences. From there, I took on personal enrichment courses to catch up with the industry and developed a passion.
As I started to get more experience through those programs, I realized my creative problem solving skills coupled with my time management abilities were best suited towards this fulfilling career path in safety.
What’s important to be effective in your role?
To meet future challenges, safety professionals need a strong academic background. To maintain their competency, they must continue their professional development throughout their careers. Business, technology, and legal changes demand that safety professionals stay abreast of the impacts on professional practice.
Have you ever had an incident that changed you, and how did you approach it with your role?
I don’t have an incident that has been impactful within my career. I am an avid OSHA violation researcher. Which this research it aligns my approach to be the subject matter expert within my organization and bring relative material when problems or “hurdles” arise.
What do you want everyone to know about safety?
Safety and health professionals are the critical link to assuring worker health and safety. Every workplace can benefit from the valued knowledge and experience safety professionals bring to an organization. Safety professionals not only help identify and reduce workplace hazards, they help reduce costs and optimize the contributions of all working men and women for any organization.
What is your superpower?
I believe that all successful safety professionals must be effective communicators with strong “people skills.” Most people in this profession also characteristically possess the desire to help and work with others.
As safety professionals face new challenges almost daily, that satisfaction of knowing that people have been protected due to strategic training and strong safety awareness programs is the reward associated with being a safety professional.
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