My Journey from Corporate HSE Director to Running My Own Consulting Business

Why I’m Taking the Next Step

Over the past 28 years, I have dedicated my professional life to the safety industry, beginning at the plant level in my first organization and ultimately progressing to global responsibility for health, safety, and environment (HSE) at a large multinational company in the mining, manufacturing, and construction sectors. Along the way, I have held a variety of roles that have shaped me both professionally and personally.

Throughout my career, I have experienced considerable growth, forging valuable connections that I deeply appreciate. These relationships have contributed to my development and have enriched my journey in the field of HSE.

What stands out most to me is the impact I have made on the culture and mindset surrounding health and safety in every organization I have worked with. I am proud to have influenced positive change and fostered environments where safety is prioritized.

My Journey in HSE

My HSE career began at a facility where I built a solid foundation in safety practices and gradually advanced to global leadership roles. A plant manager saw my potential early on, offering me a Safety Supervisor position despite my unrelated educational background. Through collaboration and communication in a 60-person plant, I helped achieve zero Lost Time Injuries over five years.

A decade of hands-on experience led me to a Global Refractory Company, where I progressed from Ontario Supervisor to Global Director for Safety. The refractory company was involved in mining, manufacturing, and installing refractory materials. This provided me extensive exposure to a broad spectrum of industries through our customer base, which included petrochemical, cement/lime, steel, copper, nickel, glass, aluminum, as well as pulp and paper sectors. Working across these various fields, I addressed hazards such as high heat, silica, confined spaces, and heavy equipment. Focusing on leadership, integrated management systems, and preventive measures, we tracked incident metrics and prioritized hazard prevention. Over ten years, our efforts reduced Lost Time Injury Frequency by 97%, reaching an industry benchmark of 0.19.

In my last position prior to making this decision, I served as Safety Director for a construction materials organization. During my tenure, I implemented measures related to safety practices, leadership development, and hazard management. As a result, the Reportable Accident Rate decreased by 73% over a three-year period.

In each of these roles, I interacted with individuals across all levels of the organization, while understanding the critical importance of securing the support of key leadership. I successfully communicated and advocated essential messages to, and in collaboration with, these leaders.

Why HSE Matters to Me

Health, safety, and environmental (HSE) considerations are integral to my professional philosophy and decision-making. My commitment to HSE is demonstrated through efforts to foster secure workplaces and protect the well-being of all personnel. This is accomplished by proactively engaging stakeholders, rigorously evaluating organizational challenges, and maintaining an unwavering focus on preventing harm.

Throughout my career, I have consistently reflected on workplace incidents involving injuries, analyzing preventive measures and identifying actions that could mitigate future risks. I recognize the importance of ensuring that employees can return home safely each day and continue to participate fully in their personal and family lives.

I firmly believe that safety must be embedded as a core value within any organization to effectively protect our workforce. Safety should be an ongoing consideration, integrated into everyday responsibilities and decision-making. Through collaboration with various organizations, I have successfully instilled this mindset among leadership teams. While prioritizing safety is essential, creating lasting change in safety culture requires safety to be recognized and practiced as a fundamental organizational value.

Why This Is the Right Time

This decision to take the next step is significant for me. As I reflect on my career, I recognize that the time is right to embark on a new chapter, leveraging my experience and passion to make a broader impact through my own consulting business.

I have had the experience of transforming safety cultures in my career. It has been very rewarding, but it has come with costs. Time away from family has been a constant for the last 16 years. Having this breadth of responsibility caused significant travel, being away from home upwards and sometimes more than ½ the time. I wanted to practice what I was preaching, to have a better work-life balance.

I have worked with larger organizations, but throughout my career, I have recognized that smaller businesses are not able to dedicate resources so readily to health and safety. There can also be situations where the requirements around health, safety and environmental topics is not clear for these small/medium size businesses. There exists a gap for these businesses as well as businesses that are only beginning to be established. I will be bringing my experience to positively impact these organizations, but more specifically the people who work for these organizations, ensuring them to have a workplace free from risk to themselves and the environment.      

Vision for 20-20 HSE Consulting Solutions Inc.

Looking forward, the vision for 20-20 HSE Consulting Solutions Inc. is to enable organizations through sustainable strategies that prioritise personnel safety and environmental responsibility. The mission is to provide effective tools and expert guidance that drive ongoing improvement in health, safety, and environmental (HSE) performance, ensuring these efforts align with each client's strategic goals.

By offering comprehensive support and leveraging industry expertise, the organization seeks to develop, strengthen, and maintain robust health and safety cultures across a range of sectors.

My unique selling position centres on offering fractional HSE leadership tailored specifically for small businesses, addressing their distinct operational needs and resource limitations. Drawing on extensive experience across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, mining, construction, petrochemical, and steel, I will be able to provide proactive solutions to help organizations anticipate and respond effectively to health, safety, and environmental challenges. I understand the pressures faced by startups and will deliver compliance guidance in a relatable, plain-language style, ensuring that best practices are approachable, practical, and easy to implement for teams at any stage of their development.

I am excited by this new challenge and will look forward to continuing to impact safety cultures, no matter how large or small.

Brian Plaskett

Owner and Senior HSE Consultant

20-20 HSE Consulting Solutions Inc.

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