Safety, Influence, and Impact: What Sarah Anderson’s Journey Can Teach Us

Sarah Anderson didn’t plan on a career in industrial safety. Her early goal was to become a park ranger—ideally in Yellowstone, sharing knowledge about the natural world. But a catastrophic industrial disaster abroad changed the course of her life, and eventually, the lives of many others.

“I realised I could be more effective working from the inside,” she says. That moment led her to change universities, leave behind a scholarship, and pursue a field she hadn’t even heard of before: industrial hygiene.

It was the first step on a path that would turn her into one of the most respected voices in workplace safety. Now Anderson is involved with Brystol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals and is a leader known for challenging complacency and helping organisations build real, lasting safety cultures.

Key Learning: Technical Knowledge Doesn’t Equal Trust

One of the most important lessons Anderson learned early in her career came not from a classroom, but from an aluminium smelter.

“I was new, and the workforce didn’t see me as someone on their side,” she recalls. She quickly found that technical knowledge and good intentions weren’t enough—credibility had to be earned.

Lesson for developing professionals: Before you can influence others, you need to build trust. And that means listening first, showing up consistently, and demonstrating that you understand the work—not just the regulations.

“Being on-site mattered,” she says. “Not just attending meetings. Walking the floor. Wearing the PPE. Showing respect.”

Key Learning: Experience is the Best Teacher—Especially in Crisis

One moment that shaped Anderson’s thinking more than any other came during the BP Texas City refinery disaster. She and her husband saw the explosion from the road—then felt the shockwave hit their car.

“I knew right away that lives had been lost,” she says.

In the aftermath, Anderson supported investigations and compliance audits. She saw firsthand how gaps in maintenance, internal auditing, and engineering oversight can lead to tragedy.

Takeaway: Safety professionals must learn to recognise warning signs—before they become breaking points. And that means asking tough questions, challenging cost-cutting decisions, and staying alert even when everything looks fine on the surface.

“The most dangerous companies,” she says, “are the ones that think they’re too good to fail.”

Key Learning: Culture Is Built Through Consistent Action

Anderson recalls seeing a worker crossing a 14-foot drop with no fall protection. Instead of reprimanding him on the spot, she asked him to step back, then met him on the ground to talk.

“I told him, ‘You’re close to retirement. You don’t want to risk going home in a box.’” He hadn’t even thought of the danger—he was just trying to work quickly.

The bigger issue? Leadership already knew he worked that way—and no one had stepped in.

Professional insight:Culture is what you tolerate, not what you write in a policy. If a hazard is known and unaddressed, it’s as good as approved.

Anderson’s philosophy: Accountability isn’t about catching mistakes—it’s about designing a system where they’re less likely to happen in the first place.

Key Learning: Influence > Authority

Today, Anderson sees artificial intelligence as the next big shift in workplace safety. Predictive tools, automated hazard detection, and tailored training could radically improve outcomes—if used well.

But even with smart technology, the fundamentals haven’t changed.

“Safety professionals often don’t control budgets or make final decisions,” she says. “But we do control how we frame risk, how we communicate value, and how we influence outcomes.”

Her advice for those growing into safety roles? Always bring solutions. “Don’t just say, ‘This is broken.’ Come with three ways to fix it—low, mid, and high investment. Give leadership a choice about how to act, not whether to.”

Final Word: Safety Careers Are Built on Purpose

Sarah Anderson’s career has been shaped by disasters, setbacks, and hard conversations. But also by progress, trust, and impact.

If there’s one thing she wants future safety professionals to know, it’s this: “We don’t have to own the company to make a difference. Our job is to influence—to get people to care. That’s how safety sticks.”