{"id":3828,"date":"2023-07-18T18:24:31","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T18:24:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/?p=3828"},"modified":"2025-05-08T15:03:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T15:03:18","slug":"tracie-gibbs-brings-new-perspective-to-forestry-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/tracie-gibbs-brings-new-perspective-to-forestry-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracie Gibbs Brings New Perspective to Forestry Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New England Forestry’s Director of Safety shares how she developed her passion for safety and the unconventional approach she takes to moving safety forward not just for New England Forestry, but for our entire industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

When Tracie Gibbs was five years old, her dad introduced her to the thrill of professional racing and gave her the first glimpse of the direction her life would take. As she watched the action on the track, she was captivated by the National Hot Rod Association\u2019s Safety Safari team, who wore bright yellow hi-vis suits and ran to help anyone in need. This was the job she wanted to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, as New England Forestry\u2019s Director of Safety, instead of racing hazards, Tracie\u2019s attention and efforts are focused on the hazards that come with working in the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its core, safety is about people. Fortunately, Tracie is passionate about forging relationships. When she first stepped into safety, she encouraged open and honest communication both internally within New England Forestry and externally with contractors. Safety quickly became a company-wide focus. In fact, it is now one of the company\u2019s core values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tracie
Watching professional racing with her father, shown with Tracie on the left, is what first inspired Tracie to work in safety. She continues to enjoy racing events with her daughter Allie, shown with Tracie on the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What started as a team of one has expanded to a safety department with five employees reporting to Tracie. In six years, she has taken New England Forestry\u2019s safety program from one that had only a few measurable goals to one that is applying for OSHA\u2019s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) \u2014 the highest safety certification available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under her leadership, New England Forestry has launched a myriad of new reporting and training tools, including a safety app that can be used in the woods without access to cell service. In 2022, the company hosted safety training events in 8 states, helping the logging companies New England Forestry works with to begin developing safety programs of their own and educating more than 650 contractors on OSHA\u2019s safety standards. You can learn more and watch a video about the logger safety training events here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not like other safety professionals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No one goes into safety because it\u2019s glamorous or an easy way to punch a timeclock, especially when it comes to the timber industry, which consistently ranks in the top three of the most dangerous industries in the U.S. Safety professionals are often thought of like police, but Tracie is not like other safety professionals. She doesn\u2019t want to police her coworkers and contractors, she wants to help them think differently about safety. Her philosophy is that, if they understand why certain policies and procedures are in place, they will be more likely to adopt safer behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loggers and foresters report some of the highest job satisfaction rates of any profession, but missteps in safety can quickly become a matter of life and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have three rocks on my desk from the first fatality I investigated. I wanted something to remind me of how I was feeling in that moment because it was the exact situation I wanted to help prevent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeeing a tragedy like this firsthand and knowing there are things we can do\u2014through education, training and maintenance\u2014to help prevent this type of emotional, physical and financial mess from happening to others helped me see the disconnect and wonder what I could do about it. The experience personally changed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Tracie listens to a logging contractor speak during a New England Forestry safety training event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Helping others understand why<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Convincing folks in the timber industry to think differently about safety can be a challenge. Tracie\u2019s mission is fueled by her passion for helping others and by a deep personal understanding of loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also understands the types of \u201cwhat-if\u201d questions that pop up in the aftermath of a tragedy. Tracie\u2019s father had a heart attack at work and his coworker, who wasn\u2019t trained in CPR, was unable to save him. Since then, Tracie, who is a certified CPR and first aid instructor, has personally trained all of New England Forestry\u2019s U.S. employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m talking to people, they understand my passion is genuine. Safety conversations are often about telling others what to do, but if you focus instead on what it means to experience a loss or feel a sense of fear about what might happen if you don\u2019t behave in a safe manner, it helps them understand why they need to adopt safer behaviors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tracie
Tracie joins a team of contractors as they hand-plant a New England Forestry forest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day in the life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Tracie\u2019s world, no two days are the same, but there are some tasks that remain consistent from one day to the next. She begins each day by skimming her email and new near-miss reports to get an idea of what\u2019s happening at New England Forestry locations across the country. She finds out if there are any major issues or fires to put out \u2014 sometimes this even includes actual<\/em> wildfires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many of the tasks on Tracie\u2019s to-do list are obvious, such as refining policies, working on new initiatives, reviewing safety communications prior to publication, preparing reports for New England Forestry\u2019s Board of Directors and keeping up with OSHA changes, she also handles things that most people don\u2019t ever think about. On any given day, she may help a department create a job hazard analysis (JHA) for the top four hazards facing their employees; determine how many straps need to go on a load before a truck leaves a landing and how far they can travel before they finish strapping; or work with New England Forestry\u2019s safety mentors to help prepare for the upcoming VPP audits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracie enjoys interacting with others and says, \u201cWhen you know the people, you really connect.\u201d Because of this, she goes into the woods at least once a week and is often on the road, visiting New England Forestry locations from coast-to-coast. As the main safety resource for New England Forestry\u2019s U.S. employees and contractors, she likens her role to \u201ckeeping a ship going in the right direction all the time.\u201d The rapport she works so hard to build is essential for making course corrections as safety issues arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tracie
Tracie speaks with loggers during a cross-country safety training event her team organized.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Safety as a way of life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A commitment to safety doesn\u2019t end when her workday is done. When Tracie is tempted to look at her phone while driving or do something else that isn\u2019t safe, she asks herself if it\u2019s truly worth the risk. She reminds herself and family and friends of their own value, so that everyone understands what\u2019s at risk if they don\u2019t practice safe behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSafety doesn\u2019t have to be painful. It doesn\u2019t have to be intimidating. There are a lot of resources out there that make it accessible to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A steadfast dedication to protecting others and Tracie\u2019s willingness to challenge the way things have always been done have inspired her to extend her focus beyond the walls of New England Forestry\u2019s safety program. She truly wants to show everyone that New England Forestry is passionate about safety and unafraid of sharing what they\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople in the timber industry take a lot of pride in what they do and how well they do it. I\u2019d like to see them adopt that same level of pride in doing their jobs safely. To do the work we do should not cost a life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracie\u2019s goal is to challenge safety practices industry-wide. She is convinced that the only way forward is for the entire timber industry to come together and raise the bar. Strong safety cultures are fostered when expectations and accountability pertain to everyone from the CEO or owner to the new hire breaking in that first pair of boots. It will take an industry-wide effort to improve safety statistics and get off the list of the most dangerous occupations. Everyone must get on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSafety is unique because we all have the right to it. It doesn\u2019t matter what job we have, how much money we make in a year or how we\u2019re different from anyone else. We all deserve to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article written by Karie Kermath, Safety Manager, Western Operations<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New England Forestry’s Director of Safety shares how she developed her passion for safety and the unconventional approach she takes to moving safety forward not just for New England Forestry, but for our entire industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[63,1,2,72],"tags":[27,19],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nTracie Gibbs Brings New Perspective to Forestry Safety | New England Forestry Stories<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A New England Forestry Stories blog post shining a spotlight on New England Forestry's Director of Safety and how safety remains a way of life within New England Forestry.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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