I found the safety profession totally by accident (pun intended). In 1991, I was an undergraduate at Millersville University of Pennsylvania and had no clue what career path I might want to follow. During the first year-and-a-half of my undergraduate studies, I made stalled decisions and/or feeble attempts at majors. Three semesters into my collegiate studies and I still had no clue what I really wanted to do.
One day a fellow student asked if I wanted to try a class called “Introduction to Occupational Safety” because he heard it was an “easy ‘A.’” So I took it.
Fast forward to the end of that semester. I did indeed receive the “A” that I was hoping for, although it wasn’t as “easy” as had been suggested. There were some things I realized at the conclusion of that class: 1) I actually enjoyed it and was yearning to learn more; 2) I would never become a millionaire doing it, but I really enjoyed the idea of working in safety and helping others prevent injuries and deaths; and 3) The school offered a major in occupational safety and hygiene management. That one informal suggestion put me on the path to major in occupational safety and hygiene management, and I graduated in 1995, with a minor in industrial technology.
Today, I look back and realize that I have spent the past 22 years working in the safety profession as a private consultant, a state inspector, a safety manager for a medical waste company and a majority of my safety career in the insurance industry as a loss control consultant. I have found the safety profession to be very rewarding. I can’t pinpoint the exact number of injuries or fatalities I may have prevented, but I find the fact that I have made a difference in people’s lives along the way as the most rewarding aspect.
Edward S. Sowers Jr.
GSP Risk Management Specialist
Tampa, FL
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