Zach Ramos, Safety Director, M.C. Dean
Years as an ASSP member: 10+
Years in the safety industry: 14
Key responsibilities of your job
My responsibilities consist of key functions including leading a continuously growing team of safety professionals, executive leadership, construction, security, maintenance, & manufacturing risk management, client engagement, and fleet risk management for a multi-billion-dollar organization, M.C. Dean.
“M.C. Dean is Building Intelligence®. We design, build, operate, and maintain cyber-physical solutions for the nation’s most recognizable mission critical facilities, secure environments, complex infrastructure, and global enterprises.”
What do you like most about being a member of the ASSP Greater Tidewater Chapter
ASSP continues to engage, support, and celebrate the top minds in EHS. The Tidewater area has so many strengths, including innovative construction & manufacturing organizations, and many great public & government sector opportunities. This drives the top talent to the area and in turn provides a robust ASSP Chapter, both engaged in leadership and developing a bench of up-and-comers.
The local and national chapter have always been important to me as a past scholarship recipient.
What or Who inspires you
Outside of family and friends, it would be the people “at the point of contact”. This was a saying of a great safety professional who mentored me for a few years, a true servant leader. I am inspired by the front-line, the people that show up every day engaged with the work, the risks, and leading the conversations that protect themselves and their co-workers.
What tips or advice would you give someone just starting out in the safety field
Get out in the field and learn as much as you can, get involved with operations, attend meetings, listen closely and take notes. Spend time with the smartest people you know. Keep YOUR foot on the gas, opportunity doesn’t always come at your timeline, but it will if you continue to work hard. Be willing to say “YES” for an opportunity to gain experience. Test your knowledge through certifications, read and stay ahead of the industry. It’s always improving, so should you.
Tell us about a professional success story that you are proud of
A success story as a Safety Professional is any contact that produces a positive impact. We have a responsibility to build trust as SPs, trust is the pathway to integrated teams. Integrated teams plan, communicate, execute, and improve as a unit.
The story for me is that I have tried to refine this approach, learn techniques to improve my skills with people, not all are the same.
What is something surprising that not many people know about you
I competed at an exceedingly prominent level as a child and teen in archery.
How would your best friend describe you in three words
I asked them… Steadfast, Life Giving, Humbly Confident
What do you enjoy doing outside of work
I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife and two little ones are my life.
Outside of that, as an EHS professional, I believe being an example of health is especially important. I enjoy exercising (lifting, running, BJJ). I recently completed my first ultra marathon.
What is your most embarrassing moment of your life (so far)
Anytime you (I) over promise and under deliver. I don’t do this much anymore, but they are character defining moments, moments where you learn and get drastically better.
List a favorite line from one of your favorite movies:
Fury: Shia LeBeouf speaks, “and I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”” Isaiah 6:8
(They are at the end their rope in the tank, knowing the value of their mission, but the outcome is surely dark on earth, but their purpose is greater than what is here on earth.)
If you could pick a superpower, what would it be and why
Superman is so legendary, convert me to his superpowers. Superman is strong, caring, and cunning.
What did you want to be growing up
Engineer, I started in engineering school (AS) then transferred to EHS because of a significant Arc Flash event at the organization I worked for. It shook the organization and gave me both a passion for prevention and an opportunity to grab on to.