It might sound like the premise to a movie, but Dustin Hickey was inspired to start a safety career because of family ties to the 1947 Texas City Disaster, one of the deadliest workplace accidents in U.S. history. (More on that incredible story in a bit.)
Hickey has been a safety professional for over 15 years, and he currently serves as senior vice president of HSE for Industrial Specialty Services. The company has locations throughout North America and provides integrated mechanical services and solutions to the refining, petrochemical, and other industries.
Hickey is a board-certified and chartered safety executive, holding designations in the United States (CSP), Canada (CRSP), and the United Kingdom (CMIOSH). As an active member of the EHS community, he has volunteered and served on several boards and committees, spoken at conferences, and authored articles for industry publications.
To learn more about Hickey and his take on industry issues, please read the Faces of EHS interview below:
Q: How did you get your start in the field?
On April 16, 1947, my (maternal) great-grandfather, Frank Randall, died in the deadliest industrial accident in United States history—the Texas City Disaster—when the SS Grandcamp, a French tanker ship loaded with about 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, caught fire in the Port of Texas City, and subsequently exploded and destroyed the Monsanto Chemical Company’s Texas City plant. Also killed in the disaster were two of my great-uncles, Harold Bogart and Robert “Bobby” Smith. My grandfather, “Jim” (James John) Hickey, was also an employee at the Monsanto plant but was not on-site when the explosion occurred.
My grandfather continued to work for Monsanto until his retirement decades later. My father would also go on to spend his career working for a different chemical plant in Texas City. While I have spent my career working for contract companies, not directly as a plant employee, I am the fourth generation of my family to work in the refining and petrochemical industry.
While the disaster occurred long before I was born, I grew up hearing the stories and observing the impact and ripple effect that it had on my family for decades and generations to come. This was one of the driving factors that led me to choose a career in the field of occupational safety and health.
Q. Who has been your biggest influence in the industry?
There are many people who have influenced me throughout my career in a variety of ways from both a technical and leadership standpoint, but my father probably has had the biggest impact on me and my success. He taught me the value of hard work and integrity. I attribute my work ethic to the example that he set for me, and I view that as the foundation upon which everything else is built.
Q: What’s your best mistake, and what did you learn from it?
Every mistake that I learned from! When I was a very young and new safety professional, I wanted to change the world overnight. At the time, my manager was a gentleman named Quinton Edwards. I would often get frustrated with an event or scenario that I encountered, and I would bring the issue or concern to Quinton’s attention. Many times, Quinton would ask, “Well, what are you going to do about it?” My answer would usually describe a less-than-ideal response to the situation that was sure to result in some personality clashes with the operations department. Quinton would tell me bluntly that my idea was bad, explain a better option, then say, “But, you handle it however you want. I have your back.”
After things blew up in my face enough times, I began to value Quinton’s advice. I began to listen to his wisdom, not because he was my boss and forced his approach on me, but because I knew he was right. Having a boss that allowed me to make mistakes—and fail—in a controlled environment was invaluable. Quinton never dampened my enthusiasm, but in time, he taught me how to channel it in a much more productive manner. I learned the importance of building relationships with operations folks and learned how to change my approach in a more strategic way that resulted in a better outcome for all involved.
Q: What’s your favorite and least favorite part about working in the industry? Would you change anything?
My favorite part of an EHS career is the satisfaction and fulfillment in the importance of what we do, in keeping people safe and healthy.
My least favorite part is safety “professionals” or companies that give safety a bad reputation. Policing safety from an enforcement mindset is one such example of a negative approach to EHS management.
Another pet-peeve of mine is “risk washing.” Risk washing describes actions that an organization may take to give the appearance of addressing a safety risk, but have no actual value. I will give an example: An employee knows and understands a work procedure but makes an error. A company knee-jerk reaction may be to automatically retrain the employee. Retraining the employee does absolutely nothing to reduce the risk and does not prevent an error in the future. This is risk washing. The focus instead should be on how to eliminate the potential for error, or how to ensure that when an error occurs, the negative outcome is eliminated.
Q: What are your thoughts on safety culture? How can company leaders make safety a value within their organization?
To me, safety culture is the collective mindsets, attitudes, and behaviors that dictate what is normal within an organization. It tells employees what is expected, allowed, and tolerated. Leaders’ words and actions are crucial to establishing and maintaining a positive safety culture. It starts with clearly defining and communicating what things should look like, measuring and checking how we are doing, and making adjustments. This also includes an accountability piece. Positive actions and behaviors should be recognized, rewarded, and reinforced, while opportunities for improvement need to be corrected.
Q: What safety concerns or issues do you think need more prioritization in EHS programs?
I’d encourage safety professionals and their organizations to learn about Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and begin adopting this operational philosophy. We should be striving to simplify safety, making things easier to do and understand, and making it easier to succeed and harder to fail. We must understand that human error is inevitable, so we should be focusing on how we can “fail safely.” What contingencies, redundancies, etc., can we build into our systems and activities so that when an error occurs, the outcome is eliminated or significantly reduced? While safety culture and behavior-based safety should continue to be focal points, HOP-based principles need much more prioritization in EHS programs.
Q: How will new safety technologies influence the work being done by EHS professionals?
New technologies with integrated systems and automations will continue to make EHS management easier and more effective. There are so many different types and applications for technology, you really should narrow in on a few key goals and objectives specific to your own organization and then look for technology solutions that are applicable.
One such area that my company has implemented is the use of forward and rear-facing dash cameras with AI technology to reduce motor vehicle incidents. The cameras have audible coaching that “talks” to the driver and gives them feedback on their driving. The forward-facing cameras can coach drivers on things like following distance, while the rear-facing camera detects things like mobile phone usage, eyes not on the road, and no seatbelt.
Q: What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the work that I have done to train and mentor other EHS professionals who have gone on to excel and carve out their own place in the industry.
Q: Do you have any advice for people entering the EHS profession?
Get engaged outside of your employment! Join an organization like the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), National Safety Council (NSC), or a local safety network, committee, or board. Network and volunteer your time. The connections you make and the experience you gain will be invaluable to your growth and development and will open doors to new opportunities in the future.
Are you or a colleague an EHS professional interested in being profiled for the Faces of EHS series? Please contact Joe Bebon at JBebon@BLR.com.