Orhan Eribac, MS Applied Environmental Health and Sciences student with a focus in Exposure Science/Industrial Hygiene, shares his experience working with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
I grew up in Roswell, Georgia and went to the University of Georgia for my undergraduate studies where I completed my BS in Environmental Health with a Certificate of Global Health and a Minor in French in May 2023. That August, I moved to Seattle to start my MS degree at UW. I graduated this December with an MS (applied) in Environmental Health Science with a focus in Exposure Science/Industrial Hygiene.
I have always been interested in solving and exploring problems/opportunities at the intersection of public health and culture. This interest blossomed through my undergraduate research in household air pollution exposures looking at how traditional cooking methods involving the burning of biomass fuels affect the health of pregnant women and their babies in several Lower-Middle Income Countries.
Internship with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
I have explored this intersection further through my internship as a Health and Safety Officer with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife this past summer. The agency had the major objective of revitalizing and improving its employee health and safety program, and I got to play a role in this cultural shift alongside a team of skilled safety professionals. This cultural shift has been no simple feat.
How does an organization operating across dozens of remote facilities and varied environmental conditions throughout the state of Washington foster a culture prioritizing safety? How do we change work practices and understand the risk perceptions of highly passionate conservation workers? How do we foster a collaborative, bidirectional, and non-hierarchical work environment that gives workers the power to speak up when safety is in question? These are some of the questions I have been exploring in my MS applied report.
From Roe to Reel: A Lifecycle Analysis of Hatchery Salmon and Building a Culture Around Health and Safety at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
My report is built on the idea that improved safety at WDFW acts as a force multiplier for positive outward effects on cultures and ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). By implementing a far more robust health and safety program, WDFW is better able to support its employees. The downstream effects being that by keeping them healthy and safe, they may continue their work to support salmon populations.
With salmon populations better supported by a healthy workforce, the ecosystems of the PNW become healthier and more resilient. As a result of this higher resilience, people are better supported at the cultural level with a higher availability of fish to eat, the ability to recreate outdoors, build community, and keep a key food source for indigenous people.
Data and information for the report were collected through my field observations, experiences, conversations with WDFW employees, and a thorough review of existing safety protocols and water-based Job Hazard Analyses (JHA’s) and Accident Prevention Programs (APP’s).
Reporting on a cultural shift
Hatchery operations are crucial for mitigating the decline in salmon populations, with hatcheries producing up to 90% of the salmon caught in Washington, Oregon, and California. However, these operations pose significant health and safety risks to workers, including drowning, hypothermia, and exposure to hazardous chemicals. The analysis identified a gap in the literature regarding occupational risks and hazards for work tasks related to wild hatchery operations in the United States.
Twenty-four different system-wide water-based hazards, injuries, and contributing factors were identified, with drowning, failed communications, heat stress, cold stress, toxic plant exposure, and biting/stinging insects and animals being the most prevalent. The identified hazards include physical, biological, chemical, and psychosocial hazards. Most of the associated controls were PPE and Administrative controls.
The report highlights a cultural shift within WDFW towards a more inclusive and safety-conscious work environment, driven by recent incidents, the hiring of Regional Safety Officers, and the implementation of stronger diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and training initiatives.
Continuing to be inspired
It was inspiring to meet so many people who were passionate about protecting and preserving the flora and fauna of our beautiful ecosystems in the PNW. It meant the world to be able to help make an impact on these workers and the agency. I saw so much growth throughout my time there, and I am beyond proud of the hard work the safety team at WDFW is putting in to support these workers. I will be forever grateful to the safety team and to the agency for the invaluable knowledge, experience, and relationships I built there.
Additionally, I loved getting to work with my committee members on creating this report. It was so fascinating to see this report come to life over the past few months, and I could not have done it without their support and multidisciplinary expertise. Thank you so much to Dr. Eddie Kasner (DEOHS), Dr. Marty Cohen (DEOHS), and Dr. Marie Spiker (FSNH) for all that you’ve helped me accomplish with this report.
To learn more about Orhan's internship: https://deohs.washington.edu/hsm-blog/looking-out-health-workers-who-protect-our-environment
