Belinda Mendez builds safety culture for construction and industrial workers

Belinda Mendez, a Safety Manager at Excelsior Safety Solutions in New Albany, Ohio, is being featured for her work leading safety programs rooted in compliance, accountability, and worker protection. Her career spans more than six years in construction and industrial safety, shaped by overseas Air Force contract training, field experience, and a continued push toward higher credentials.

Why it matters: - Belinda Mendez’s work focuses on reducing jobsite risk and helping workers return home safely each day. - Her role reflects the growing need for safety leaders who can combine compliance, hazard prevention, and practical field judgment. - Construction and industrial sites depend on consistent safety programs to protect workers and support operations.

What happened: - Influential Women featured Belinda Mendez, who serves as Safety Manager at Excelsior Safety Solutions in New Albany, Ohio. - Mendez leads safety initiatives that protect employees, improve workplace practices, and support compliance with industry regulations. - Her responsibilities include overseeing safety programs, conducting jobsite assessments, identifying hazards, and working with teams to strengthen accountability. - Her experience covers construction safety, occupational health and safety, workplace safety compliance, OSHA standards and regulations, and safety program development.

The details: - Mendez’s expertise includes OSHA compliance, personal protective equipment enforcement, corrective actions, incident prevention, and practical safety solutions tailored to operational needs. - She is a Graduate Safety Practitioner and says that field-tested judgment and technical knowledge shape her approach on every site. - Her interest in workplace safety began in 2011 while she was working overseas on an Air Force contract. - Safety training on that contract helped spark her decision to pursue a career centered on protecting workers. - Mendez earned a bachelor’s degree in Safety from Columbia Southern University, where she studied Occupational Safety and Health Technology and made the Dean’s List. - Her credentials include OSHA 510, OSHA 500, fire safety certification, and the Graduate Safety Practitioner designation. - Mendez is working toward Certified Safety Professional certification. - Her previous experience includes work with Turner Construction, Born Industrial LLC, and Fisher Tank Company. - She has more than six years of field experience in construction and industrial safety.

Between the lines: - Mendez’s career path shows how frontline experience can lead to broader safety leadership. - Her emphasis on communication, early hazard recognition, and corrective action points to a prevention-first model rather than a reactive one. - The feature also highlights a broader theme in safety work: strong programs depend on both credentials and the ability to apply them in active jobsite conditions. - Mendez says young women entering the field should pursue work that matches their passion, keep learning, and believe they can make a meaningful impact. - Her own career suggests that finding purpose in safety can create long-term professional momentum.

What’s next: - Mendez is continuing to pursue her CSP certification. - She plans to keep focusing on stronger safety culture, better hazard identification, and worker protection across changing jobsite demands. - Her stated goal remains making sure every worker has the knowledge, resources, and support needed to return home safely.

The bottom line: - Belinda Mendez has built a safety career around one simple standard: protect workers first, and make sure everyone gets home.