Fourteen years on the tools. About twenty in safety. A safety expert witness. An author. And a woman who got a 98 on her journeyman's test, better than the guys who did all four years.
Kim Pierce is the kind of safety professional Jesse says he wishes he'd had on every job. She doesn't stand over the crew like a "bird dog" and then tattle to the foreman. She shows up early, asks what's coming, explains the why, and finds a compliant way to get the work done.
In this conversation, Jesse and Kim dig into:
• Why safety is still hard 50 years into OSHA
• How production pressure and personal risk tolerance shape what happens on a jobsite
• Why the "safety guy" who only writes people up kills trust and retention
• What new safety grads need to hear before they walk onto a site (hint: go get dirty first)
• What happens when a company hands the safety job to someone with no training and a chip on their shoulder
• How Kim became a construction safety expert witness
• Why she wrote The Hands That Built This: Restoring Respect and Rebuilding the Future of the Trade, and what it will take to keep new people, especially women, in the trades
If you work in construction, lead people in the field, or are the person who gets called when something goes sideways, press play.
Connect with Kim:
Author Site: https://kapiercebooks.com/
Expert Witness Site: https://www.kajelegacy.com/
02:30 Why Safety Is Hard
04:27 Risk Tolerance Clash
05:53 Proactive Safety Planning
08:04 Real World Safety Lessons
12:29 Field Experience Matters
16:52 Advice for Young Safety Pros
22:22 Punitive vs Culture Safety
25:23 Credentials and Career Paths
27:33 Mentorship and Knowledge Loss
31:17 Choosing a Service Mindset
32:04 Safety Bird Dog Problem
33:41 Building Trust On Site
36:44 Safest Option Not Perfect
38:12 When To Drop Hammer
39:46 Life As Expert Witness
43:41 Writing The Hands That Built This
48:38 Retention And Respect In Trades
52:09 Breaking In As Woman Apprentice
54:57 Where To Find Kim Online
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