OSCAsafe Safety Trainer Spotlight: Mayra Castellanos
Meet OSCAsafe instructor Mayra Castellanos. Learn how her refinery experience brings practical knowledge and insight to workplace safety training.
November 13, 2024
This is the fourth blog in the OSCAsafe by Tang+Company Trainer Spotlight series, where you can meet the talented instructors who are the driving force behind our training programs.
In our previous conversations, we met Bill Grove and Curtis G. Martin, our seasoned workforce safety instructors.
In this edition, we’re excited to chat with Mayra Castellanos, another one of our experienced OSCAsafe Instructors.
Q1: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at OSCAsafe.
Hi, everyone, I’m Mayra Castellanos. I began my career at OSCAsafe in October 2018 and transitioned to a full-time instructor in 2021.
I love being part of a training team whose main goal is to help support safe workplaces by providing individuals with the practical knowledge they need. Currently, I instruct Principles of Petroleum, Refinery Safety Overview (RSO), Safety as it Pertaining to Crafts, PBF Torrance Site Pacific, and Alky Training.
Q2: What motivated you to choose OSCAsafe to pursue your training career?
One of my previous colleagues suggested I apply to be an instructor at OSCAsafe. He knew I had rich experience in the oil industry and workplace safety and believed I was well-suited for the role. I submitted my resume, and a few months later, I was hired by OSCAsafe.
Q3: Can you share your industry experience and expertise that you bring to the classroom?
I have decades of experience in the refinery industry with companies, including Total Western, Brinderson Inc., Irwin Industries, Bragg Crane Company, and Mistras.
Although I started as a laborer, I was always looking to learn more and progressed to roles such as safety attendant, helper, and various craft positions. I also have experience as a safety supervisor, QC inspector, and lead, and I hold NCCER certifications in maintenance mechanics and rigger.
I have extensive experience and am skilled in operating heavy equipment, including skip loaders, backhoes, man lifts, forklifts, and scissor lifts.
I love sharing this experience with my students at OSCAsafe, and my first-hand knowledge about safety helps them to better understand how safety concepts play out in real life.
Q4: What is a valuable lesson you learned during your career?
A valuable lesson I learned is to never give up because I am always capable of achieving my goals. My advice is that if you fall, dust yourself off and stand up again. Keep moving forward, and never look back.
Q5: Who is your safety hero or the person who influenced your ideas on workplace safety the most?
My work hero is Keith Crane. He was one of the first bosses who allowed me to truly work as a mechanical craft professional in the field.
He told me, “You can do this. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t handle men’s work because you are more than capable. Trust yourself.” His words have always stayed with me.
Q6: What do you find most rewarding about teaching safety?
The most rewarding part of my role is working with students who are new to the industry and helping them take their first steps, which can often be intimidating. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see them return and share how the knowledge and support they’ve gained have helped them achieve their goals.
Q7: If you could give one workplace safety tip, what would it be?
Safety culture trickles down. A leader’s commitment to safety filters down to the rest of the organization, and if done correctly, creates a shared responsibility for safety.
Q8: Can you share an interesting fact about yourself?
I love an adrenaline rush, so when I turned thirty, I went skydiving. I loved it and was able to check it off my bucket list.
Q9: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I want to travel to Cuba because it has a unique and vibrant culture. Cuban music and dance influence people around the world and I would love to experience a live Salsa performance.
Plus, I want to try the local food firsthand – being a fusion of Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences I’m sure it is delicious!
Travel is a chance to learn, and seeing the daily lives of the Cuban people would help to better understand their resilience and creativity.
Q10: Do you have a personal motto that you live by? If so, what is it?
As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
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