Alumni spotlight: Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley (Occupational and Public Health ’04)

Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley (Occupational and Public Health ’04), also known as ‘Canada’s Safety Diva,’ is passionate about workplace safety – and isn’t afraid to share it.

Lyon-Bartley is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional and a Certified Professional in Food Safety. As executive vice president of health, safety, environment, and quality at Dexterra Group (external link) , an infrastructure support services provider, Lyon-Bartley leads the organization in complying with health, safety, and environmental legislation and requirements.

She volunteers with the Women in Occupational Health and Safety Society (external link) , Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, (external link)  My Safe Work (external link)  and Threads of Life (external link) . She frequently speaks to the media about workplace and home health and safety, and is a contributor to Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine.

Whether through her work and leadership at Dexterra Group, volunteering with health and safety organizations, speaking to the media, or writing, Lyon-Bartley regularly shares her passion for safety and expertise with others.

Recently, she was recognized as one of this year’s top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (external link) , included in the Top Women in Safety 2021 (external link)  list by Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine and appointed to the Prevention Council (external link)  of Ontario. 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I work with team members and other colleagues in the organization from across the country, so my day includes several virtual meetings. I enjoy that we’re all so much more comfortable now with meeting in a virtual space. These meetings can cover anything from planning to improving our processes, to discussing ideas to further reduce loss and harm in our workforce, to meeting one-on-one with my amazing and dedicated team members. Now that we’re getting back out into the field, I’m looking forward to connecting with our amazing people at Dexterra Group (external link) . We really are powered by passionate people, and it gives me energy to speak with them and understand how my team and I can serve them better.

In January, you were recognized as one of this year’s top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. How did it feel to be recognized in this way?

It felt transformational to be selected by the nomination committee and the co-authors of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (external link)  book, Dauna Jones-Simmonds, the Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine and the university’s very own Dr. Denise O’Neil Green. My mother was selected in the first cohort back in 2016. I remember seeing the room full of excellence and it reminded me that I am capable of more. Having been born and raised in Canada, I wasn’t often broadly exposed to examples of professionals who looked like me or people in my family; the school system rarely shared anything about Black Canadians, their accomplishments or contributions to Canada. An opportunity like 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women creates a legacy that others will be able to look at, talk to their children about, and so on. To be a part of this legacy is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

What drives your passion for health and safety? 

Health and safety is everywhere and in everything. What I find interesting is that we don’t hear enough stories about workplace health and safety; yet it's where working adults spend a lot of their time. I’m passionate because people are leaving home for work and still too often getting injured and worse than that, never coming home again. It shouldn’t be acceptable that this is happening, and as a Canadian, I’ll do my part to affect change. Thankfully, I work for a great employer that recognizes the business and social benefit of doing what we can to create healthy and safe workplaces and understands the work that my team is doing to support the success of the organization.

How can everyone contribute to creating safer workplaces? 

A simple answer: “don’t walk by, take action now.” This is an approach at our organization that is embedded into our values and culture. Respectfully speak up and know that every action adds up (in my best Jamaican patois, “every mickle, mek a muckle.”) People’s lives are depending on us to all get involved and exercise our right to participate to create healthier and safer workplaces and spaces. Remember that everywhere we go in our day-to-day lives is someone’s workplace – so this isn’t just about your own workplace –  we can affect change beyond our own workplace. If you see something, good or not so good, don’t walk by, take action now.

How did your time in the School of Occupational and Public Health prepare you for your career? 

Having to take courses in both occupational and public health prepared me for better understanding the hazards and risks that are in workplaces. Having grown up in the suburbs and being downtown everyday also helped me to see firsthand some of the issues that we learned about in class. I remember covering the social determinants of health in class, then leaving to walk down to Union Station and seeing these dynamics in the people and places around me, and then getting back to the suburbs – which seemed like another world. 

What advice do you have for students or recent alumni considering a career in your field?

My advice would be to keep trying. Too often the job postings will say you need “x number of years’ experience,” which rules out a number of recent grads, but don’t give up and keep trying.  Also consider working in another part of Canada where the competition for positions might be lower and the employers might be willing to take less experience. Volunteer with charities like Threads of Life (external link)  or My Safe Work  (external link) and take advantage of student memberships for the various organizations that are available for our profession. Really ask yourself if you’re ready to be of service – I think part of my journey is that I’ve looked at my work as a service to others – and that in of itself is where I have found the most reward and joy for what I do.