I direct the Field Research and Consultation Group and oversee or coordinate with the other service-related groups in the department: the Environmental Health Laboratory, the Continuing Education Programs and the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program. As assistant chair, I have the opportunity to see the larger picture of worker health and safety, which helps me coordinate these activities.
The Field Group conducts workplace health and safety consultations free of charge throughout the state. These consultations are made at the request of the employers. We develop reports that evaluate and quantify potentially hazardous exposures and present recommendations for control. The recommendations will typically go further than the minimum requirements of the regulations and will identify best practices that can be implemented. The work we do doesn’t stop with the reports. We try to work with companies to implement the recommended changes and conduct evaluations to see if the changes have been successful. This work is done for the employers and employees in the state, but we also involve students, giving them practical experience so they can help future generations of workers and employers.
I am also a member of many internal and external committees.