Teri Urban
“I am proud to now be part of the group of Gold Seal Certified people in the Canadian construction industry. I honestly believe that it should be a career goal for everybody in this industry. I believe it adds credibility, and it shows that you have the experience and education behind you to be a top-level player.”
Teri Urban, GSC, Safety Coordinator
Teri is the Safety Coordinator for her family’s general contracting firm. She single-handedly runs the entire workplace safety and health program at Park West Projects. As part of her role, she manages the safety of approximately 20 functioning work-site at one time, and ensures that all sites are operating safely. This includes tracking and ensuring that all Superintendents are doing their job. She runs the training program for the entire company, and makes sure everyone has all the proper training to accomplish their roles, etc.
Teri’s career in safety began accidentally. She used to be a coordinator on First Nations reserve job sites in Northern Ontario. “When work was wrapping up, the Safety Coordinator at the time was taking a leave to go to Red River College. I had applied to fill in that position for their 6-month absence. The Safety Coordinator never did return after their leave, which provided me with the opportunity to take over his role on a more permanent basis. At that point on, I fell in love with safety.
I enjoy interacting with everyone on a job site, which is probably the highlight of the role.” She continued by describing how she discovered the Gold Seal Certification, “my husband is a Gold Seal Certified superintendent, and in my family business, the Gold Seal Certification has always been an important aspect for the company because it’s an asset for the company. We value it immensely, and know it’s a great thing to have for ongoing education.”
“I think it benefits my employer to have me as a Gold Seal Certified employee involved in their business. From an owner standpoint, I’m going out and I’m making sure I have the extra education and that I’m striving to be my best, which in turns helps the company get projects.”