Meet Tracy Taszarek, a Health and Safety practitioner with Antea Group based in our St. Paul office.
Name:
Tracy Taszarek
Office:
St. Paul (Home based in Madison, WI)
Practice Area:
Areas of Expertise:
Audits, Office and Manufacturing EHS programs, Training
About Me in 140 Characters:
I love traveling with my family, watching my sons live their best lives, game nights with friends, and relaxing near water (rivers, lakes, oceans – I love them all)!
Favorite Thing About Being a Health & Safety Practitioner:
My favorite thing is knowing that I’m helping make a difference – whether it’s making jobs safer for employees or reducing a company’s environmental impact. It’s a great feeling!
What is the most interesting project you’ve ever worked on?
While working for an environmental engineering firm in Colorado I had the opportunity to manage one of our field projects in Guam. I spent a total of 6 months on the island over a 2 year period, conducting quarterly water sampling events, collecting soil samples, and completing lead and asbestos assessments in old, abandoned buildings awaiting demolition. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, experience island life, and take a break from winter weather!
What is a key ingredient for success as a Health & Safety practitioner?
The ability to listen! When you truly listen and understand what concerns a client or individual employee has, it becomes much easier to partner with them to develop effective solutions and implement positive changes.
If someone at a party asks what you do, how to you respond?
When I say I work in the Environmental, Health, and Safety world, I get a lot of confused looks, so instead I just say I’m the person that makes sure employees go home at the end of the day in the same condition as when they arrived at work!
What was your first job?
My first job was at a photography studio in my small hometown in central Minnesota – back before everything was digital! I spent the summers creating new backdrops, greeting customers, and sorting through boxes and boxes of old negatives and unclaimed prints.
If you had one month off, where would you go, or what would you do?
Growing up, my parents and siblings and I would take a road trip each summer, always visiting a National Park (or several!) as well as other fun tourist destinations. While we’ve all gotten together for a couple of shorter trips recently (a train adventure to Glacier National Park and a road trip to Yellowstone National Park), if I had a full month, I’d love to get everyone together again for a trip out west, so I could introduce my sons to some of my other favorite parks (and share some of the crazy stories from our trips years ago)!
Is there something unique that people might not know about you? (hobbies, hidden talents, etc.)
I love to bake and be crafty! When I’m not busy watching my boys in their various activities, you’ll probably find me in my kitchen baking up sweet treats or in my office crafting away on some new crazy project I found on Pinterest!
