West Shore Home

Jonte Hawkins

Leadership Pipeline Champion

Building strong safety leaders is one of the most effective ways to create a sustainable, highperforming safety culture.

At West Shore Home, investing in internal talent and promoting from within not only reinforces our commitment to safety but also strengthens employee engagement, accountability and long-term organizational success.

When companies prioritize developing safety leaders internally, they benefit from individuals who already understand the company’s operations, values and expectations. These team members bring real-world experience from our installations, allowing them to connect safety principles directly to daily tasks. This practical understanding builds trust with frontline employees, making safety initiatives more relatable and effective.

Promoting from within also demonstrates that safety is not just a requirement. It is a pathway to career growth. Employees are more likely to take ownership of safety when they see their peers advancing because of their commitment to it.

One setback I have noticed as a director is an initial gap in safety knowledge. Because we train everything in-house, including brand new employees, a safety training program was needed. Employees were only trained in what was provided by us so far, and we needed to supplement their knowledge.

“When companies prioritize developing safety leaders internally, they benefit from individuals who already understand the company’s operations, values and expectations.”

A key strategy has been the implementation of the OSHA 30-Hour Construction Training programs. I am an OSHA authorized Outreach Trainer in Construction. We started regional courses in-person, providing an opportunity to build consistency in safety knowledge while fostering collaboration across teams.

In-person training allows employees to engage in discussions, share experiences, and align best practices specific to West Shore Home’s operations. This also created an environment where emerging leaders can build confidence, ask questions and learn directly from experienced instructors and peers.

We then made the decision to transition to the virtual OSHA 30 course to expand accessibility and to ensure scalability. Virtual training allowed us to reach more managers across different locations, eliminating travel barriers while maintaining the same high standard of education.

Equipping managers with OSHA 30 certification is enabling us to not only enhance compliance, but also empowering individuals to think critically about hazard recognition, risk mitigation and accountability. These skills are foundational to leadership and help create a workforce that actively contributes to a safer environment.

Ultimately, developing safety leaders from within strengthens our culture, improves operational performance and reinforces our commitment to protecting our people. It is now a requirement for any manager who wishes to be promoted into upper management.

Through strategic training initiatives like the OSHA 30-Hour Construction Training and Certification, West Shore Home continues to build a pipeline of knowledgeable, confident leaders who drive safety excellence every day.