Safety for Women in Trades Isn't About Orange Cones It's About Going Home

This is for every woman working in construction, trades, aviation, transportation, or any male-dominated job who knows what it feels like to choose between safety and silence.

Let me be direct with you.

When we talk about safety in male-dominated industries, we're not talking about the standard briefing. Not the sign-this-form-and-get-to-work kind. We're talking about the kind of safety that determines whether you go home at the end of your shift.

This isn't fear mongering. This isn't sensationalizing. This is real life, what actually happens to women in the trades and how to protect yourself without disappearing.

The Story We Can't Ignore

Some of you have heard about Amber Czech. Twenty years old. A welder, proud of her craft. She went to work one morning and didn't make it home. A coworker killed her at work.

I don't bring up Amber to traumatize you. I bring her up because people love to pretend this doesn't happen. Like women are being emotional. Like we're exaggerating. Like we're overthinking.

No. Sometimes the danger is real. Amber is not the first woman who lost her life on a job site. And if nothing changes, she won't be the last.

Danger Doesn't Always Look Like the Extreme

Safety threats don't always show up in dramatic ways. Sometimes they arrive through shortcuts, silence, and culture. Through "just do this anyway" and looking the other way.

It's not always about murder. But it's always about what we're willing to tolerate, and what tolerating it costs us.

I know because I've lived it.

My Story: When Speaking Up Made Me a Target

Early in my career in paving, I spoke up about a supervisor who was manipulating the overtime equalization list. We had a bargaining agreement with the company that was set up to protect us and our positions on the job. The overtime list dictated who got assignments, and where you stood on that list affected your earnings.

But this supervisor had friends on the crew. They laughed together, drank together, knew each other's kids. So he made sure they were covered, regardless of what the agreement said. He'd wait until everyone left the building, handle things quietly, and didn't even bother changing the numbers on the list. He thought no one would notice.

I noticed.

When I raised the issue to him directly, he ignored me. My coworkers, people I worked shoulder to shoulder with on the jackhammer, told me to let it go. "They're gonna do what they wanna do."

But I couldn't let it go. It wasn't right.

So I went to the chief. His response? "Samantha, you're a troublemaker. You're a problem."

Funny how I became the problem.

I took it to HR. They contacted the chief, and things got worse. I don't know what was said behind my back, but I felt the shift.

The Night Everything Changed

One night, we had excavated a hole, eight to ten feet deep. My job was to climb down the ladder and sweep it out, cleaning out the debris so the new asphalt would adhere properly. I wasn't asking for a free ride. I was doing my job.

And while I was down there, they thought it was funny to sweep dirt on top of me.

These were the same coworkers who had stopped speaking to me. Who were ignoring me. Who were giving me heavier equipment to lift. Who were laughing and having secret conversations.

In that moment, I became afraid for my safety.

Not because I thought I'd be buried alive. But because I'd been on the inside of groups like that before. I knew what they were capable of when they were angry. And anything could have happened to me down in that hole.

When I reported it to HR, they said since sweeping the pit was within my job specs, everything was fine.

So let me ask you: Is HR really for you?

Starting Over But the Reputation Followed

I decided for my own mental health and physical safety to leave that group. Even though I loved the work. I genuinely loved doing concrete, mixing, pouring, the finish work especially.

But I no longer felt safe.

So I transferred to another facility. And before my feet could step inside the door, they had already called ahead.

"I heard about you," the biggest bully at the new site told me. "They called about you."

He harassed me for months.

I didn't leave. But I got quiet. I became a shell of who I was, the woman who spoke up, stood up, showed up.

That experience took something from me. Getting myself back didn't happen overnight. It took therapy. It took learning who I am outside the job, outside other people's opinions, outside what society thinks a woman should do.

What We're Actually Afraid Of

Here's the truth that needs to be said clearly:

Women aren't afraid of the job. We're afraid of the consequences of speaking up.

Being labeled difficult. Getting talked about. Getting skipped over for training. Losing hours. Being ostracized.

Let's call it what it is: Sometimes the danger is the environment, not the task.

What Unsafe Actually Looks Like

Unsafe isn't always obvious. Here's what it can look like on a job site:

Rushing through a job without proper PPE or instruction. That's not safe.

Being told to "just make it work" without the right equipment. That's not safe either.

Having your concerns met with jokes, side-eyes, or silence. That's not safe.

Learning by watching instead of being trained. That's not safe.

When your body tells you something isn't right. That's not safe.

You're not overreacting. Your instinct is your data.

The TRUTH Method: Not Motivation, Survival

This is where my TRUTH Method comes in. Not as a pep talk. As a survival tool.

T – Tell yourself the truth about what you're experiencing. Is this situation actually safe, or are you being pressured to ignore red flags?

R – Remember your power. You have the right to question, to pause, to protect yourself.

U – Understand your environment. Know the dynamics at play, who has influence, what the culture tolerates, where the support systems are (or aren't).

T – Trust your voice. Even when others try to convince you that you're wrong for using it.

H – Hit the stop button. When something isn't safe, you don't push through. You don't "just do it." You don't hope for the best. You stop the work.

"This isn't safe. We need to stop."

"This harness doesn't fit. I'm not going up like this."

"We're not moving forward until this is secured."

You are not refusing to work. You are refusing to die.

And if someone gets an attitude? That's their ego. They'll get over it. Your life matters more than their pride.

Why Women Leave And Why That Needs to Change

Women don't leave trades because they can't do the job. They leave because they're tired of being unsafe.

Many women love the work. Love the skill. Love the money. Love what they build.

They just don't want to be unsafe.

You shouldn't have to quit to stay alive. You shouldn't have to shrink to stay employed. You shouldn't have to silence yourself to be respected.

Track Your Safety Leadership

Safety and visibility go hand in hand. Track your safety leadership the same way you track your accomplishments. Put these moments in your Brag Bag™:

"I stopped a situation that could have gone bad."

"I asked for the proper PPE."

"I spoke up."

"I waited for clarity before continuing."

"I trusted myself."

These aren't traumatic moments. These are leadership receipts.

What You Deserve

You deserve to be trained. You deserve equipment that fits. You deserve to speak up without losing your job. You deserve to walk onto a site confident and walk off alive.

This isn't fear. This is power.

This is a movement. It's not just about using your voice, it's about keeping it. Trusting it. Even when someone tries to take it away from you.

We don't shrink over here. We speak from our roots.

Samantha Kaye Harris is The Brag Bag™ Strategist and host of the Rooted in Your Confidence podcast. She helps women in male-dominated industries build confidence, document their wins, and speak from their roots. Connect with her at https://www.theskhsolutions.com or listen to the full episode of Rooted in Your Confidence wherever you get your podcasts.