HazTek Safety Professional Deidra Wademan joined our team in 2021. She started in the construction industry by joining the Carpenters Union with no prior experience in the carpentry field. She admits that there have been a lot of ups and downs over the course of her career. Although Deidra was the only woman on her first job site, and it was often intimidating, she kept showing up because she knew it was a great opportunity for her. She reflected, “The most difficult experiences helped shape me into the woman and safety professional I am today.”

Working as a carpenter helped Deidra to learn a lot about safety and the importance of training and having the right equipment for the task. She shares her personal experiences as examples of how quickly an incident can occur. Deidra wants people in the construction industry to understand how the lack of proper training when using power tools and/or powder-actuated tools can lead to traumatic accidents. Deidra added, “When potential incidents remain unseen, the risk of other undertrained workers making similar mistakes remains. Potential injuries in these scenarios aren’t just scratches or cuts — the mishandling or misuse of power tools can lead to life-changing injuries. With more awareness of training inadequacies, we can address these issues and prevent future incidents.”

Deidra’s experiences fuel her passion for safety. She has been on the other side of the construction industry, so she fully understands the mindset of those in the field. Deidra wants to make sure that everyone is aware of all the hazards that are present. She thinks about worst-case scenarios, which then inspires her to ask more questions and pay closer attention to every detail on the construction site.

Reflecting on the past year and a half of working at HazTek, Deidra says, “I found my voice as a safety professional. I’m proud to be a woman in the construction industry and I look forward to learning, growing, and making a difference in how construction workers view safety. I love showing my son that gender should not keep anyone from having a career that they care about.”

We thank Deidra for the passion and commitment that she brings to our organization.

In honor of Women in Construction Week, HazTek is featuring several of our safety professionals who work out in the field.

The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) created Women in Construction (WIC) Week to highlight women as a viable component of the construction industry and as an occasion for the thousands of NAWIC members across the country to help raise awareness of the growing role of women in the construction industry and the opportunities available to them.

HazTek’s Inc. is a leading provider of comprehensive safety management services with a mission to enrich the health, safety, and well-being of our employees, our customers, and our communities.

Credit to: National Association of Women in Construction