For Chris Murphy, the world of safety isn’t just about enforcing rules—it’s about protecting lives.

Murphy brings more than two decades of experience in the utility construction industry to his role as director of safety at Aldridge Electric Inc., Libertyville, Ill. He additionally serves on the board of directors for the Underground Contractors Association of Illinois and on the board for the Construction Safety Council.

Murphy is also a member of the Electrical Transmission and Distribution Partnership Training Task Team and is a sitting member for the Construction Safety Research Alliance—Decluttering Safety Committee.

What sparked your interest in the safety profession?

From a young age in southern Indiana, I knew I wanted to help others. This passion led me to study criminology in college, where I worked as a counselor for troubled youth, realizing the power of guidance and encouragement. After graduation, I became a juvenile probation officer, helping young people break harmful cycles.

A friend introduced me to the world of safety, showing me how it wasn’t just about enforcing rules, but protecting lives. Initially uncertain, I soon recognized that safety aligned with my lifelong mission of helping people. Stepping onto my first job site, I saw the risks workers took and knew I could make a difference by influencing behavior and fostering a culture of empowerment.

What began as a career shift became my purpose. Every day, I wake up knowing my work matters—not just as a job, but as a responsibility to keep people safe.

What safety practices have been particularly effective?

Our Serious Injury and Fatality Prevention Program, SHOK (Seriously Hurt or Killed), emerged from recognizing that while incident rates improved, serious injuries and fatalities did not. This led us to focus on high-energy hazards—risks with life-­altering consequences.

A key initiative, Stop the SHOK, embraces the reality that failure is inevitable, but what matters is whether failure can be managed safely. We’ve shifted from just preventing hazards to designing systems that fail safely, protecting workers even in worst-case scenarios.

Central to this effort is the SHOK Exposure Wheel, helping crews assess high-energy hazards and implement the right controls. Our SHOK controls provide multiple layers of protection, ensuring failures don’t lead to serious harm. This shift has transformed our safety culture, making hazard recognition and exposure awareness second nature. Beyond compliance, we’re fostering a proactive approach where safety is embedded in every task.

Is there a specific injury or almost-injury that changed how you thought about safety on the job?

Three years into my safety career, the company I was working for experienced a fatality—an event that forever changed my perspective. The young man who lost his life was just 18. I had done his orientation months before, ensuring he understood the risks. He was eager, with his whole future ahead of him.

I was also friends with his father. When I got the call, I drove straight to Madison, Wis. Seeing the shaken crew, I realized safety wasn’t just about policies—it was about people, families and lives that could be lost in an instant.

That moment reshaped my approach. Safety became more than enforcing rules. It became about building a culture where workers truly understand and embrace it. From training to leadership engagement, I committed to making safety the foundation of everything we do, so no one else would have to experience the pain of that day.

What challenges do you face in managing safety responsibilities?

We’re fortunate to have strong executive support and a solid safety culture, but sustaining engagement remains a challenge. Leadership’s commitment must translate into consistent actions at every level, not just after incidents or during major initiatives. Keeping safety a daily priority amid production pressures is where the real work happens.

We’re shifting from traditional safety metrics to proactive, learning-based approaches. Injury rates don’t tell the full story, so we’re focusing on leading indicators like exposure controls, SIF (SHOK) potential and engagement levels—ensuring this data drives real improvement.

Mental wellness and cognitive fatigue are also key areas. Distraction and stress can be as dangerous as physical hazards, so we’re integrating mental wellness into safety programs. As we expand into new markets, we’re ensuring our safety culture extends to new team members and subcontractors. Our goal is a culture of learning, engagement and continuous improvement.

How do you encourage crews to take safety seriously on the job?

Safety must feel real and relevant to crews—it can’t just be about rules. I focus on making safety personal, practical and proactive.

First, safety can’t only come from the safety department. Crews listen differently when safety is reinforced by superintendents, foremen or peers. We equip frontline leaders to make safety a natural part of work planning.

I believe in engagement over enforcement. Instead of dictating rules, I ask workers what are the high-energy hazards that have the potential to cause harm? What controls do we have in place? Are they enough? When and how will we stop the work if necessary?

Chris Murphy