Byron Rodriguez
“I always want to progress, whatever I am doing, I just want to be the best at it. My Gold Seal Certification was a momentous step in my career in safety.”
Byron Rodriguez, GSC, Health and Safety Manager
Byron is a Health and Safety Manager. An important role, which Byron works hard at to live up to every expectation. Sixty percent of his time is spent on the job site, while forty-percent of the work is in the office. His responsibilities include handling ongoing and new projects, project meetings with contractors, pre-hazard assessments before employees come into work, orientations, in-house training, WHMIS, FLAGGER training, etc. He began working in construction after his father experienced a life altering injury and was no longer able to work. Byron assumed the responsibility, as the eldest child, to aid his family during this difficult period. He took a job in construction and has been in the field ever since.
Byron has been working on construction for approximately 15 years. When he first started in his field, safety wasn’t as important as it is today and may not have been enforced quite like it is nowadays. “I used to work in concrete, patching and repairs. One of my coworkers fell off a balcony, and I always questioned how he could have fallen. But, we had no fall protection at that time. The site we were working at didn’t advocate things like that.” This incident occurred in 2005, a pivotal point when Byron transitioned into safety. “I started thinking, ‘something’s wrong here’. I started taking courses because others were getting injured as well. I got injured on the job.” Byron began taking safety courses and thus began his journey into his field.
Byron is a Latin American Canadian. He is bilingual and can communicate with workers from different nationalities with different levels of English comprehension. “I find in my line of work there are a lot of people from all over the world. I can communicate safety advisories to most people. Immigrants coming to Canada looking for work find aspects of construction and safety intimidating, especially when English isn’t their primary language. I find that I am frequently able to assist new workers by helping them with translation and education.”
Byron discovered the Gold Seal Certification through his previous employer. After getting some information on the certification, he set his sights on obtaining it. Byron earned his Gold Seal Certification in April 2017.
His motivation for wanting to earn his Gold Seal Certification extends further than to improve his career. Byron has a fifteen-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son and wants to set a good example. “With my Gold Seal Certification finally accomplished, I have something I can look back on and say, ‘this is what I accomplished at my age’. Due to my family circumstances, I couldn’t pursue this kind of education when I was younger. But, it’s never too late to go back to school and learn. You can always achieve, even as a father with two kids, a wife, and a full-time job. Now I have something to show for my hard work. I hung my certificate on my wall. I’m showing my son and daughter that success can come to someone at any age.” Byron would also like to thank his wife for always being supportive throughout his journey towards success”.
“I strongly advocate for it. It’s a huge sense of accomplishment and pride. Now that other safety coordinators see my signature and Gold Seal written on my email signature, they recognise it and congratulate me. It’s a great tool to have under my belt.”