Anad Reflection

Anad Reflection

As a safety scholar, I find safety procedures of most corporations fascinating and intriguing. However, my pursuit for knowledge in this field has been limited to theoretic work. A recent tour to Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfurt changed my perception regarding safety. It was a real-life experience not only was fruitful but also it helped me to inch closer to my dream. Buffalo Trace Distillery safety department was committed to observing legal safety requirements to keep the firm’s property and the workforce safe.

My expectations for the visit were mixed. I expected basic safety measures to be already in place. I also expected to have a face to face meeting with competent professionals that will possibly become my future colleagues when I join the workforce albeit in a different corporation. In the end, the experience exceeded my expectations. I got a chance to learn about the latest safety protocol yet to be academically documented. It was then that I realized that safety profession demands a dynamic mindset ready to adapt to an environment with shifting tectonics.  I learned that safety professionals are burdened with a task of keeping hundreds of souls at the workplace out of unpredictable risk. This knowledge is humbling. At the same time, it serves as a constant reminder for safety employees to exercise vigil and utmost professionalism.

A career in safety demands discipline, passion, and commitment.  I learned that a slight mistake on the part of a safety crew can be disastrous. There are legal requirements put in place for enforcement by a safety department. At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we were taken through an action plan for an emergency situation, for instance, in case of fire outbreak. It is notable that the firm deals with highly combustible substances, hence a need for constant lookout and elimination of possible causes fire accidents.  Buffalo Trace Distillery safety department subjects its safety employees to periodic training to equip them on vital skills of controlling or preventing safety hazards. 

On a light note, I would emphasize on a need for a return trip. We had a limited time at the premises. It was hardly enough to absorb all the important information including how operations at safety control room are executed. I noted the level of sophistication in use of latest technology for alarm system and communication for fire department. As such, a second trip to the firm should be organized.