Jorge Otalora is a dynamic and highly motivated bilingual safety professional with 19 years of solid experience in the safety field and over 21 years in the construction sector. Having received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Cartagena, Colombia, and after moving to the US in 2001, he began his career in construction safety as a safety coordinator in the South Florida area. Since November 2020, Jorge has worked as the Corporate Safety Director for Harkins Builders, Inc. Jorge is the President/Founder of the Latino Safety Professionals Association, which was created to assist and facilitate the path for Latino workers to become Safety Professionals and to provide consultation to small Hispanic-owned businesses. He is a Professional Member of ASSP (American Society of Safety Professionals), where he served as Administrator of HSP (Hispanic Safety Professionals). He also serves at Region VI as the ARVP for CoPS and the treasurer of the Nova Chapter, where he also served as President. He is also the Vice Chair of the ABC-VA BUILT Committee. He holds a credential as a Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), ASHI- CPR Instructor Train of Trainer, ISO 9001 and 1400, and OHSAS 18001 implementation facilitator and Authorized OSHA Construction Outreach Trainer. He also served as a member of the A10.2.He received the chapter-based 2016 President’s Award for his outstanding service to the NoVa Chapter, 2017 Chapter Safety Professional of the Year (SPY), and 2017 ASSE Region VI Safety Professional of The Year (SPY).
Since moving to the US in 2001, I have faced the same challenges that all immigrants endure while working in different industries. Through this endurance, I have learned that we all have a responsibility to help all other workers overcome those obstacles regardless of their origin. And I think it’s a privilege to serve and give back to our profession and the workforce community. I have been very honored to have the opportunity to be the administrator of the Hispanic Safety Professionals CIG. My dream has been to make a difference by facilitating the path for new Safety Professionals and enhancing our profession by providing initiatives where leaders are spawned and fostering a Safety culture among our workforces. Bringing professionalism to our career is not only a matter of speaking the same terminology but also understanding our cultural diversity and providing the tools needed to close those gaps and assure all safety messages are effectively delivered and understood. There is so much work to do, and I would love to have the opportunity to bring together all those Safety Professionals who, with their ideas and mentorship, will make a difference and help change our profession's perception.
Thank you for considering my nomination and for allowing serving and work for our Safety Professionals in our Norther Area of Region VI and ASSP.