Getting Ready for My Internship at LNI
By Jennifer
For my internship, I get to work as a Safety and Health specialist with the State Department of Labor and Industries (LNI). The department splits up Washington State into 6 regions; amongst the 6 regions, I work in Region 1 which includes Snohomish, Skagit, and Kitsap county. My home office is located in Everett where I get to work with many consultants and compliance officers. Most of my work days include going out into worksites with either a consultant or compliance officer on inspections, assisting with air/noise/spot sampling, compiling information about employer’s accident histories, and more.
In addition to learning about the field of worker safety and industrial hygiene hands on, I think that I am also excited to explore and learn more about the different kinds of businesses and how they operate. I will be able to go out onto constructions sites, warehouses, grocery stores, and even doctor offices to learn about how they manage to keep workers safe on the job. I think I will become more knowledgeable in how industries function and therefore become a more well-rounded member of the field. I am also excited to put my communication and people skills to the test. I know that a big part of being a state worker at LNI requires going out and meeting/working with new people every day and so I’m excited to start networking and discovering new strengths and weaknesses in myself. One thing that I am nervous about is whether I will be able to build any kind of relationship with my coworkers. If there is one thing I learned from past jobs is that the people you work with can make or break your experience on the job. However, I am pretty optimistic because I was able to meet some people before my internship starts and everyone was very welcoming and they readily expressed how excited they were to have an intern.
I got my internship when Hayley released an email of an internship opportunity with LNI. I was hesitant at first because the process for applying did not include anything else except an interview. However, I’m glad that I decided to go for it because the two supervisors I interviewed with were very nice and it gave me a chance to practice my interviewing skills (even if I didn’t get the job). I think that taking the internship class (ENV H 480) really helped me feel prepared for the sudden interview because I already had a resume ready and I had all the interviewing skills in the head. If there is one piece of advice I want to give future students, it is to not be afraid to just try. Just apply to that internship you are so certain you won’t get because the reality is that nobody knows for sure.