Editor’s note: This summer, 26 students in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) are getting hands-on experience as interns with government agencies and private companies. In our occasional “On the Job” series, we feature some of their stories.
Angela Zhu, BS, Environmental Health
Intern with: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH)
I am working this summer as an industrial compliance/safety and health specialist intern with DOSH.
Our office is responsible for ensuring all King County-area businesses are compliant with Washington state codes, so I encounter a broad range of occupational health and safety issues daily.
I accompany compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) as they conduct field inspections, interviews and closing conferences where we discuss any observed violations to worker health and safety.
This has been great professional experience. I have even conducted field sampling procedures on my own.
It is a role that encounters so many different types of work sites. I have learned that CSHOs sometimes have as many questions as I do!
This has made me less afraid to ask questions because everyone is learning, and the CSHOs have been happy to answer my questions. L&I is a workplace where my thoughts and ideas are both welcomed and encouraged.
