“Without Silvia and her commitment to safety, research on infectious diseases would not be possible.”
Safety First, Last, and Always!
Silvia Zemgals’ Story
Conducting biomedical research requires many people: research scientists, veterinarians, vet techs, animal caregivers, and support staff. Each of these positions have different requirements and safety concerns. One department at Texas Biomedical Research Institute is responsible to ensure the safety of all these individuals – the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). Silvia Zemgals is the Safety Manager, but maybe safety cheerleader is a better description! Silvia is dedicated to maintaining the highest levels of safety throughout the institution. Without Silvia and her commitment to safety, research on infectious diseases would not be possible.
Silvia is originally from Boston but thanks to her military roots, she has lived in multiple places, finally coming to a stop in San Antonio. Through the Alamo Community College System, Silvia completed safety training and obtained her Hazardous Materials Management certification. In her position, Silvia needs to stay up to date with the everchanging regulations regarding safety and the disposal of biomedical and chemical wastes. She also needs to maintain multiple local, state, and federal certifications. With the other members of the EHS team, she keeps Texas Biomed in compliance with all these regulations while creating a safe work environment for everyone. Silvia conducts safety trainings targeting the specific needs of the diverse work environments at Texas Biomed. From maintenance to pathology and every department in between, Silvia’s energetic training sessions are designed to keep everyone safe. She also ensures the wellbeing of the animals! Silvia provides personal protection equipment (PPE), such as gloves, masks, and goggles, to anyone who works with animals. The PPEs are to protect the animals, not the humans! The animals are susceptible to contracting illnesses from humans, such as the common cold and flu.
The health and well-being of animals is important to everyone at Texas Biomed, and Silvia is the first line of defense to keep everyone, including the animals, safe. Silvia admits safety training can be quite boring, so she uses her cheerleader-type personality to make training sessions engaging and interesting. In an environment that studies infectious diseases, everyone must be diligent about safety. Silvia is there to ensure regulations are followed, doing her part to ensure Texas Biomedical can continue to conduct research in the safest way possible.
Additional Materials
Discussion Questions
- Why would organization skills be important for Silvia to fulfill her position?
- Silvia provides safety training from maintenance to pathology and every department in between. What safety issues do you think are needed for the maintenance department and pathology departments?
Suggested Activity
Silvia earned her certification in Hazardous Materials Management Certification. Conduct an internet search and describe the types of training needed to obtain this certification.