Industrial Hygiene Alumni Profiles

Lt. Geoff Betsinger, Head Occupational Health/Preventive Medicine Branch Clinic, US Navy

Nicole Vars Mcullough, Senior Product Development Engineer, 3M Company

Kris Traubel, Loss Control Specialist, Palm Beach County Risk Management

Timothy P. Blodgett, Safety and Health Specialist, Reliant Energy/Minnegasco

Nicole Flessner, Compliance Officer, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Washington State

Lt. Geoff Betsinger, (MS1997) Head, Occupational Health/Preventive Medicine, Branch Medical Clinic, MCAS, Iwakuni, Japan, US Navy

Describe your job-what do you do, what is a typical day like? I'm an Industrial Hygiene Officer (IHO) in the U.S. Navy. There are approximately 145 of us serving in the Navy. Our jobs are very diverse and we provide Industrial Hygiene support to the Fleet (ships and submarines) and the U.S. Marine Corps. Our tours of duty usually range from 2-3 years. For more information on the Navy Industrial Hygiene program visit this website: http://bumed.med.navy.mil/med24/med-242/ihoprospect.htm

My current position is Head, Occupational Health and Preventive Medicine at Branch Medical Clinic, Iwakuni, Japan. This is my fourth assignment as an IHO. My previous tours were; Ship Safety Officer, USS Sierra, 1990 - 1992, Head, Industrial Hygiene, U.S. Naval Hospital, Beaufort SC, 1992-1995, Out Service Training, University of Minnesota, 1995 - 1997.

Our department consists of an IH (me), Environmental Health Officer, Audiologist, Occupational Health Nurse, Immunizations Technicians (2 Corpsman), three Preventive Medicine Technicians, one Audiology Tech and one IH tech. Our mission is to provide the best possible Public Health services to the Marine Corps Air Station community which is about 5000 people.

I'm also the Safety Officer and Public Affairs Officer for the Clinic. My job is split between my Industrial Hygiene duties and administrative (Dept. Head) duties. A typical schedule would be as follow:
0700 Morning Report
0800 Departmental Meeting
0830 to 1130 Industrial Hygiene Surveys/ Workplace Monitoring/ Administrative
1130 to 1300 Lunch (We are required to exercise on a regular basis and that is usually done during lunch)
1300 to 1700 Meetings/Administrative/Asbestos ID or counting

What do you think is the most important part of your job-the most important thing you do? I think the most important part of my job is to ensure that the Department works as a team. We have the rare opportunity of having most of our Public Health services consolidated under one Department. When I perform my IH surveys I work directly with the Occupational Health Nurse and the unit safety representative. All of our technicians are cross trained to cover for Immunizations/Preventive Medicine/Audiology and IH. It is a very nice arrangement.

What do you like about your job? What don't you like about your job? I enjoy the Navy. I also enjoy the opportunity to work in different areas other than IH. Naval Officers are required to perform many other duties not related to Industrial Hygiene.

I don't like the fact that many of my risk assessment decisions are based on one or two air samples. We simply don't have the time to perform a full study on every process that poses a potential risk. Many times I must use one or two air samples or simply professional judgement to make a decision. I'm confident that my decisions are sound but sampling data always makes decisions easier.

What got you interested in this field? I thought it was an interesting field and a good application of my chemistry degree.

Where do you see yourself going in the future (in this job, in this field)? I was recently selected for a Fellowship at the EPA Environmental Emergency Response Training Center. My future plans are in this field. The Fellowship will be one year during which I will receive training on Environmental Emergency Response and Exposure Assessment. This training will be used in the Navy's Environmental Risk Assessment Program. My subsequent assignment will be at the Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit #6 in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.

What did you gain from your University of Minnesota educational experience? I had worked in Industrial Hygiene for 5 years prior to attending the U of M. It was an outstanding program and really rounded out my knowledge of the field. However, the more I learn the more I realize I don't know. You must keep current in this field or you will be left behind. Industrial Hygiene is changing as a profession and I think the U of M did a good job of conveying that fact.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in this field? Keep an open mind and be flexible. I see many colleagues struggling with the adjustment of the IH field. In the Navy many IH's are working in environmental, training, safety and inspection areas. Traditional IH, where we simply assess work processes and perform stressor quantification is playing less of a role in our day to day jobs. I am frequently asked to perform air quality surveys, ergonomic assessments, environmental risk assessments, and render opinions on a wide variety of public health concerns. These concerns range from allowing pets in government housing to air quality concerns from the surrounding industrial activities.

Nicole Vars McCullough, (M.S., 1994; Ph.D., 1997) Senior Product Development Engineer, Environmental Safety Division, 3M Company, Minnesota

What do you do, what is a typical day like? My department makes respiratory and hearing protection for occupational use. I don't have a typical day. I work on several teams to develop respirators. I have worked on teams to develop products for several different uses - healthcare, people with smaller faces and emergency response personnel. I have also worked on products for workers in other areas of the world.

What do you think is the most important part of your job? Developing products to protect people, making sure these are the right products and that they are used correctly.

What do you like about your job? What do you like least about your job? I have two favorite things about my job. The first is that there is a lot of variety in my job. I do different things every day. The second is that I work with really good people who come from very diverse backgrounds. There is a great deal of knowledge for me to rely on in my division. The thing I don't like about my job sometimes is that there are so many people at 3M that things take a long time and I can't always do them myself. I don't like waiting or not being in control of things.

What got you interested in this field? I was interested in the environment (i.e. trees and lakes) in college and after college I applied for a job at an "environmental consulting" company. It was really an industrial hygiene company and two of the people who worked there were adjunct faculty in the IH program at the U of Minnesota. They got me going to classes through extension and I enjoyed it so much I applied to the program full time the next year.

Where do you see yourself going in the future (in this job, in this field)? I see myself having several options in the future. At 3M there are a lot of options. I could continue in my current position for a while, turn more towards research, go into management, or go over and work with our corporate industrial hygiene group. If I wasn't at 3M, I would be interested in teaching or maybe consulting, if it was the right situation. I plan to stay at 3M for the immediate future.

What did you gain from your University of Minnesota educational experience? I got a solid base of industrial hygiene knowledge along with the ability to write well and give good presentations. I learned the scientific method, how to do research, and how to evaluate others research. I also made a lot of contacts which have been very useful in my job. And I made some good friends.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in this field? Finish your education and get your masters degree. Take the IHIT exam as soon as you can. Pick your internship carefully because it may be the most valuable experience you will ever get and will prepare you for your first "real job." Learn everything you can while still in school - its a lot harder to find the time to learn a lot about one subject once you're working.

Kris Traubel, (M.S. 1994); Loss Control Specialist, Palm Beach County Risk Management, Palm Beach, Florida

Describe your job--what do you do, what is a typical day like? I'm a loss control specialist for Palm Beach County Risk Management. My main functions are worker health and safety with an emphasis on industrial hygiene functions. There are no typical days on this job. The majority of my time is spent developing and implementing programs and conducting training.

What do you think is the most important part of your job--the most important thing you do? The most important thing I do is train employees and act a resource for them when they have health and safety issues.

What do you like about your job? What don't you like about your job? I like the interaction with employees and doing field work. I don't like the administrative paperwork.

What got you interested in this field? I'm very interested in health and science and I wanted to work with people. This field combines all those areas.

Where do you see yourself going in the future (in this job, in this field)? I would like to develop my management skills and lead a group of health and safety professionals.

What did you gain from your University of Minnesota educational experience? I gained technical background in industrial hygiene and critical thinking skills. I feel that having an advanced degree in this field puts me at an advantage and allows me to approach health and safety issues with more professional maturity.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in this field? I would tell them to look out for their own professional development and career growth because unfortunately it's rare to have a supervisor who will. It's important to keep current on your technical skills and also develop needed skills for the future.

Timothy P. Blodgett, (M.S. 1997) Safety and Health Specialist, Reliant Energy/Minnegasco

1. Describe your job-what do you do, what is a typical day like?

I am a Safety and Health Specialist with Reliant Energy Minnegasco responsible for all of the industrial hygiene, ergonomic, and chemical safety needs as well as working with other safety professionals on other safety related issues.

Each day is different and there definitely is not a "typical day" in my job. Some days I might spend conducting a training class, others may involve working on ergonomic solutions to employees who have been injured or to prevent injuries. I may be responding to an exposure concern by quantifying the exposure and recommending solutions or I may be working with a management group on safety strategies. The most exciting part of my job is when there are urgent safety and health concerns or questions where my safety and health expertise is needed.

2. What do you think is the most important part of your job-the most important thing you do?

The most important part of my job is working to find answers for employees with questions regarding occupational health. Being able to reassure concerned employees with scientific data or being able to find solutions that eliminate or reduce risks means that they can go home just as healthy as they were when they came to work.

3. What do you like about your job? What don't you like about your job?

I enjoy the satisfaction of being able to make a meaningful difference (i.e. provide them resources and tools to stay healthy) in people's lives. I also enjoy that my job is fast paced with so many varied responsibilities.

One thing I don't like about my job is the fact that in a utility company where employees tend to stay around throughout their career, it is difficult to motivate behavior change when they have been performing a task a certain way for 30 years.

4. What got you interested in this field?

I had a mentor during my undergraduate studies who suggested Industrial Hygiene as a possible good match for my interests. Because of her, I decided to shadow an Industrial Hygienists to determine if this would be an area of interest. Watching him solve problems and work towards preventing problems really got me excited about the field.

5. Where do you see yourself going in the future (in this job, in this field)?

I see myself working in this field for as long I can make a difference. There are so many varying types of jobs in the occupational health field that I look forward to other exciting challenges.

6. What did you gain from your University of Minnesota educational experience?

The biggest thing I gained from my experience was instant credibility to colleagues in occupational health. I also gained the essential background skills that allow me to stay on top of an every changing game.

7. What advice would you give someone just starting out in this field?

Be patient with yourself. It is ok to tell someone you are not sure, but can find the answer and get back to them. Admit your mistakes and above all, try something new.

Nicole Flessner, (M.S. 2000) Compliance Officer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Washington State
email: nicole_fless@hotmail.com

1. Describe your job-what do you do, what is a typical day like?

I am a Compliance Officer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Washington state. My days are rarely typical. I inspect a plethora of different businesses and agencies. Some of my more interesting days included monitoring for Chrome-6 while the Navy dismantled nuclear submarines and inspecting the National Park Service Ranger Stations on the Olympic peninsula. I attend many classes at the OSHA Chicago training institute to stay current on regulations, inspection techniques and industrial hygiene methodology. Many days I stay in the office and fill out paperwork. My most interesting experience with OSHA was a trip to the World Trade Center (Ground Zero) in Manhattan to monitor for contaminants. I worked seven days from 3pm-12am. The clean-up was absolutely amazing. I will remember that trip for the rest of my life.

2. What do you think is the most important part of your job-the most important thing you do?

The most important thing I do is protect employees through enforcing health and safety regulations. The best thing about OSHA is that the employer must comply with the law. Unlike some corporate health and safety professionals, management may ignore some of their ideas or recommendations and not protect workers. Management can't ignore us.

3. What do you like about your job? What don't you like about your job?

I like the variety with my job. It is never boring, I am constantly learning. Sometimes the paperwork gets cumbersome.

4. What got you interested in this field?

At first, I was interested in protecting the environment, then I found the field of Environmental Health, which protects people.

5. Where do you see yourself going in the future (in this job, in this field)?

Future prospects include either climbing the OSHA corporate ladder or finding a job in private industry after gaining OSHA job experience. I really enjoy working for OSHA, I love the variety. I will become a Certified Industrial Hygienist after I obtain a few more years of industrial hygiene job experience.

6. What did you gain from your University of Minnesota educational experience?

I gained broad knowledge about the field of environmental health and specific knowledge about industrial hygiene. I learned the physics of how and why sampling instrumentation works. The overall knowledge gained in all my graduate classes helps me perform my current job.

7. What advice would you give someone just starting out in this field?

Employers are impressed with a master's degrees in environmental health/industrial hygiene. Become a Certified Industrial Hygienist. Become a knowledgable and friendly professional, industrial hygienists are few in number and know each other throughout the country.