Regardless of your job title or role, every person in the workplace has influence.
Whether we recognize it or not, our actions, words, and attitudes affect the people around us—especially when it comes to workplace safety. In recycling operations, where heavy equipment, balers, forklifts, and material handling are part of daily work, that influence matters more than ever
What Kind of Influence are You.
Influence Is Always Present
Think about how much time we spend with our coworkers. For many people, it’s more time than they spend with their own families.
Because of that, the influence of a single coworker—or supervisor—can shape the tone of an entire shift, department, or facility. That influence can be positive or negative, intentional or unintentional, but it is always there
What Kind of Influence are You.
How Influence Impacts Workplace Safety
Safety isn’t just about procedures and equipment—it’s about behavior.
A coworker may have a great attitude about production but take shortcuts when it comes to safety. That behavior sends a message. Over time, those messages shape how others think about safety and whether they choose to follow safe practices or ignore them.
Negative attitudes, dismissive comments, or unsafe actions can compound quickly, creating a weak safety culture. When that happens, injuries become more likely—not because people don’t know better, but because unsafe behavior has become normalized
What Kind of Influence are You.
Choosing to Be a Positive Influence
Not everyone has the authority to set policies or make rules—but everyone has control over how they respond.
Choosing a positive attitude toward safety, even when changes are inconvenient or unpopular, has a ripple effect. Others are more likely to follow safe practices when they see peers taking safety seriously.
Allowing negative attitudes or unsafe shortcuts to go unchallenged can quickly undermine even the best safety programs. Once a negative safety mindset takes hold, it becomes extremely difficult to reverse
What Kind of Influence are You.
Safety Culture Is Built One Person at a Time
At Black River Trading, we believe strong safety cultures are built from the ground up.
They’re built when:
- Operators look out for one another
- Supervisors lead by example
- Coworkers speak up when something isn’t right
- Everyone takes ownership of getting home safely
Being a positive influence isn’t about authority—it’s about responsibility.
Final Thought
Every day, each of us answers an important question through our behavior:
What kind of influence am I today?
In workplaces where safety matters—and it always should—that answer can make the difference between a normal shift and a preventable injury.
Choose to be the influence that protects your work family.
