As corporate safety manager for Wegmans Food Markets Inc., Mike Liberty is responsible for the health and welfare of the grocery chain’s more than 40,000 employees.
“We handle groceries and materials every hour, every minute, of the day, so our employees are constantly lifting, pushing and pulling things,” said the 48-year-old from Manchester, who oversees industrial hygiene, ergonomics and traditional safety measures.
The job is a good way for Liberty, who once wanted to be a doctor, to help people.
Employment prospects for occupational health and safety specialists in Western New York are projected to grow 4 percent between 2010 and 2020, with 10 annual openings, according to the New York State Department of Labor. Specialists are needed to work in a variety of industries to make sure employers are complying with existing and new regulations.
Liberty became interested in the field after taking a job with an environmental testing firm in the early ’90s, where he analyzed air, water, soil and waste samples for contaminants, and that interest grew at a subsequent job in an industrial hygiene lab at Eastman Kodak Co. Now in the traditional safety field, he rolls out safety training programs, responds to safety issues, and spends about half his workdays in the field. “You may have a plan when you get to work in the morning, but that doesn’t always work out that way,” Liberty said.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Rochester and a master’s degree in industrial hygiene from the University of Rochester Medical Center, he has certifications through the American Board of Industrial Hygiene and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
Liberty, based out of the grocer’s headquarters in Gates, said being proactive is essential in a company the size of Wegmans — a company that continues to grow.
“The challenge is trying to get programs out to everyone and to engage everyone all the time,” he said. “But that’s what we’re here for, to keep our people safe.”
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