Congratulations to Brooks Scott, Regional Safety, Quality, and Compliance Coordinator for Miller Pipeline’s South Region operations. On April 2, 2019, Brooks was honored with the DCA Safety Person of the Year award at the annual conference in Nashville, TN. The Safety Person of the Year award recognizes someone who has made a lasting impact on safety. The candidate may be someone in Safety, Operations, Equipment Management or any department of the company that deserves recognition.
Scott joined Miller Pipeline six years ago as an SQC and was initially based in the Birmingham, Alabama area. He started his career in the energy industry 15 years ago on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and realized his true calling was in the safety area of the work.
“Safety professionals tend to see the world a little differently, and my nature tends to be critical. I notice things, and the thought process behind why people do what they do has always interested me,” Scott said.
South Region Vice President Chad Davis agreed. “Brooks has a great rapport with his coworkers and is respected by his peers, something he’s worked hard for over his six years. His commitment to the team along with his creative thinking around safety makes him a great leader; we are proud of and thankful for his contributions in helping us in meeting our safety goals,” Davis said.
Scott understands sometimes getting buy-in for safe behaviors can be an uphill battle, but takes it in stride. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and to influence people’s minds toward safety becoming part of a culture, you have to start somewhere,” Scott said. “Thankfully at Miller we have a great foundation already and a team where buy-in with safety is natural. Over time I hope to help advance the safety culture of Miller Pipeline.”
South Region Safety Manager, Austin O’Hara, said Scott has achieved that goal, and more. His guidance and passion are noticeable to those he works with. “Brooks’ abilities as a safety professional have positively influenced not only all of the crews and operations leadership in his area but also safety professionals across all of Miller Pipeline,” Austin said. “Brooks’ ingenuity in coming up with new ideas to help improve safety culture, coupled with his perseverance to see those initiatives succeed, are key aspects in his areas of operations going injury free in 2018.”
“I appreciate the freedom I have to create here and do what needs to be done to achieve positive safety results and get everyone home safe every day, which is the main goal. At the end of the day it’s how you influence people and not the accolades you receive,” Scott said.
Leading by example is a critical component of making safety personal and building a strong safety culture, especially at his own home. “I hope that by seeing certain situations, it helps keep my family safer at home. I’m finding the balance between preventing my kids from doing something stupid and sheltering them.”
Scott has been married to his wife, Joy, for 10 years. They have three children: Brady, 6; Grayson, 4; and Kimber, 22 months. The family resides near Meridian, Mississippi.
To find out more about the DCA, please see here.
