As an environmental scientist living in California, I've decided that I spend more time in class learning about new regulations and keeping my certifications current than I actually spend in the field putting those regulations and industry practices to use. Yesterday I was in an annual required asbestos refresher course for my building inspector certification. And, per my usual situation, there were four women in a class of 30 men. Three of the women, including myself, were from my own company. There aren't a lot of women in my industry and it has been an interesting experience for me. I was the supervisor (and lone woman) at a job site the other day with a subcontract crew of men. I'd just finished my health & safety speech (required at any job site) when one of the workers raised his hand and asked if "I'd be a good girl and pop around the corner to get the guys some doughnuts and coffee". I would never dream of asking such a thing of my boss. I didn�t get the doughnuts. Anyway, back to my asbestos refresher. I was pretty disgusted by the way that many people treat the regulations and the refresher courses in my industry, including the company that teaches these courses. The professor showed up an hour late and then promptly gave the class a 1/2 break since we'd already been sitting for so long. He showed one (ancient) video and administered a final exam. No new or updated information was presented in the entire class. What a waste of money. In case you're wondering, this is a picture (of a picture) of an asbestos fiber (specifically chrysotile), which, as you all should know, is a mineral that is mined from the ground. Asbestos can also be very harmful and the industry has pulled approximately 3,000 asbestos-containing products of the market. However, if you�re careful, you can work (and live) around asbestos and have no harmful or long-term health affects. Cool fact of the day: Asbestos, combined with smoking, has a synergistic effect on your lungs. You have a 50-80% greater chance of getting lung caner if you inhale asbestos fibers and smoke. Delightful.
