Ismael Garcia has spent nearly three decades shaping workplace safety practices at OSTS, but his career didn’t begin in safety. It developed through a series of hands-on jobs that eventually brought him to the field.
Before joining OSTS, Garcia worked in metal fabrication making dies for punch presses used in stamping operations. From there, he shifted into healthcare as a phlebotomist, where he drew blood for laboratory testing.
“I was in a mobile unit, so I would go to people’s houses and draw their blood. That’s how I got into safety.”
That experience—especially working around blood exposure and strict health protocols—helped steer him toward the safety field. It also led to OSTS discovering him, since he already had CPR training and knowledge of bloodborne pathogens.
Looking back, Garcia says that if he hadn’t ended up at OSTS, he would have likely pursued sales.
“I actually grew up in sales” he said, “Since I was just a little kid, I was good at buying and selling everything that I could.”
Over the course of his 28-year safety career, he’s seen a noticeable shift in how people approach risk on the job. In his view, workers today are far more aware of personal protection and the dangers tied to chemicals and equipment.
He also notes a broader cultural change in the workplace mindset:
“Most people are knowledgeable about the requirements and what they need to do, but I think they’re more conscious about their own personal safety. That’s different than before. Before, people used to take chances and just do the work any way possible.”
Today, Garcia not only works in safety training, but he also manages the OSTS safety trainers. He acknowledges that working with people can be challenging but emphasizes the strength of his team and the organization’s standards.
Garcia noted that OSTS trainers are completely different from those found at other occupational safety training companies.
“I’ve seen a lot of people who do what we do. Other trainers out in the field take a lot of shortcuts. We don’t—like finishing classes too early, not doing the right thing for the client or the student, or not going through the entire class. We don’t do that.”
For him, the reason is simple: completing training fully matters. It’s about giving workers the knowledge they need to stay safe and confident on the job.
He also stresses that employers play a major role in reinforcing safety culture. Conducting job-specific safety assessments, he says, helps identify risks, improve processes, and ensure workers understand how to apply safety principles in real situations.
Garcia mentioned that employers need to understand there are several important reasons to provide workers with safety training: it reduces costs, prevents injuries, and ensures workers return home safely to their families each day—something he believes ultimately benefits everyone involved.
