Meet OSTS Safety Instructor Fabian Fuentes

From Construction to Workplace Safety

OSTS Safety Instructor Fabian Fuentes’ career began in construction, where he worked as a union carpenter.

“Safety has always kind of caught my eye. I always wanted to be part of a workspace that ensured the safety of workers,” he said.

Coming from a field where accidents can happen quickly, workplace safety was something that immediately caught his attention.

Learning From the Jobsite

Fuentes explained that during Monday morning meetings with the safety trainer, he would often ask questions, follow up on information and try to learn as much as he could.

“I wasn’t just interested in the information they could give me, but also in what direction they could point me toward if I wanted to pursue something in safety training down the line,” he said.

During that stage of his career, Fuentes began noticing hazards in nearly every part of the job. He recalled impalement hazards, blades without guards and situations where workers did not have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the task.

He recalled working with cement, which contains chemicals that can irritate the skin.

“There are certain gloves you’re supposed to use for that, but sometimes it would be, ‘Well, we don’t have those gloves for you guys. Just use the gloves you normally use to carry wood material,’” he said.

Building a Strong Safety Culture

Now, as a safety trainer at OSTS, Fuentes said he can look back and recognize many of the red flags he encountered on construction sites. He credits that awareness in part to the safety culture at OSTS.

“OSTS has a very good safety culture,” he said. “The way they approach safety is unique in the sense that they’re not overly strict or too ‘by the book’ with the wording or explanations. It’s more so about making safety easy to understand and clearly explaining what OSTS is trying to get across.”

For Fuentes, a strong safety culture is also about giving workers the knowledge they need to perform their jobs safely and with confidence.

“I think safety culture is important because, aside from protecting employees from situations where they could lose a limb or even their life, it also educates workers on how to get the job done without exposing themselves or others to those kinds of hazards,” he said.

Making an Impact Through Safety Training

One of Fuentes’ favorite parts of being a safety instructor is meeting different people and seeing the wide variety of work being done in the field.

“With this kind of position, you’re able to go into different types of work zones, from construction to general industry, so you get to see a lot of different moving parts,” he said.

“You’re able to help keep people safe and help them understand that safety really is a priority.”

Real-World Experience With Confined Space Work

Looking ahead, Fuentes said one area he would like to teach is confined space training. It is a subject he has personal experience with from his time working in construction.

Although he knew how to perform the work, Fuentes said that as an apprentice, he was not always taught about the safety preparations that should happen before entering a confined space.

“I just knew to go in there and do whatever I was told,” he said. “I never really understood the safety setup beforehand, like checking for gases and other hazards.”

Those precautions can be critical when working in confined spaces. Learn more about confined space hazards and important steps workers should take before entry.

He said safety considerations are not always fully explained to apprentices entering the trade.

“It can be more like, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing. Go in there and take care of it like this,’” he said. “So, you don’t really have the knowledge or reassurance to know, if I do this, what could the consequences be? Am I going to get the job done and be safe, or am I going in kind of blind and risking something happening as a result?”

Growth Beyond the Classroom

Becoming a safety trainer has also had an impact on Fuentes outside of work. He said teaching, meeting people from different backgrounds and learning how others think has helped him grow both professionally and personally.

“I think being a safety trainer—teaching, talking to people, meeting different people and learning about their backgrounds and mindsets—has helped me expand my skills, not just professionally but personally as well,” he said.

That confidence now carries into his everyday life.

“I think the way I communicate, the way I put my thoughts into words and the confidence I’ve built have all definitely come from being a safety trainer,” he said.