Workforce Wednesday: Meet a Safety Compliance Manager

“I'm the guy who has to make sure that we're following the rules,” said Zack Wysocki, Safety Compliance Manager with Lineage Logistics. 

Wysocki has been in the position for a little more than a year. A Safety Compliance Manager ensures that the facility is operating in a way that ensures safety for all.  

“Almost every day we're doing training, whether that is on food safety or human safety,” Wysocki said.  

Lineage Logistics is a global network of cold storage facilities that packages and/or houses frozen foods until they’re ready for their final distribution in grocery stores or supermarkets. Wysocki conducts trainings for staff to ensure safe handling of the food stored within the Stevens Point, Wis. facility. 

“We make sure that we're operating within the food safety rules and following all those,” he said.  

Wysocki also oversees safe operation of the equipment used within the facility.  

 I also deal with human safety,” he said. “We have a lot of forklifts running around and making sure that we're safe out in the warehouse.” 

He also conducts various safety drills including fire evacuation drills and more.  

Part of his job also included doing safety walks throughout the facility and maintaining compliance reports for audits.  

“It’s really being present out on the floor,” he said.  

Wysocki earned a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. He is no stranger to agriculture as his family owns a potato farm. He graduated from college at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there weren’t many jobs available, Wysocki said. 

“I'm very fortunate that I found this one,” he said. 

He began his career with Lineage in the management program, which is a 20-week course designed to teach “the ins and outs of warehousing and food storage and basically how the warehouse operates,” he said.  

“The intention is that you’re going to become a warehouse supervisor,” Wysocki said. “I graduated from that program, and then I quickly was moved into my position. Things fell into place.” 

Wysocki enjoys his career, but says with the “ever-changing” nature, he also has to ensure he keeps himself up to date on trainings and requirements of customers and regulations. Complying with audits is something that Wysocki says keeps him on his toes.  

“It's maybe not knowing everything but being able to figure out the answers right and come back to them,” Wysocki said. “I have to make sure that we can meet our customer’s needs and still stay in compliance with what we’re being audited on.” 

Wysocki said he enjoys his career and being part of a sector of agriculture that most people don’t even realize exists.  

“We want to make sure that that food can get from field to fork,” Wysocki said.  “So, we're a step in that even though none of the product is ours. After production, the food comes into our warehouse and it's our job to make sure that it stays in that condition, and it gets to that end consumer in the proper way. Even with my background, I didn’t realize that it is deeply involved in agriculture. People don’t really think about the warehouse that holds their food.” 

 What is a lesson that you learned later into your career that you would have liked to have known on day 1? 

One thing I have learned working at Lineage is communication is key. So, the more you communicate, especially the bigger audience that you have, the easier it's going to be. Once you have a miscommunication, it can kind of throw a wrench into things. If you're just honest with everybody at the beginning, it makes life a whole lot easier.