Student Profiles
Travis Roberts
As a US Coast Guard Health Services Technician, this summer I worked throughout Louisiana on the BP Gulf Oil Spill as a Safety Officer, ensuring the health and safety of all hands involved in the response effort. Safety Officers work during any large scale incident regardless of its nature and serve to ensure that no further harm is incurred due to response efforts.
Possessing federal law enforcement power and jurisdiction, I supervised and inspected work sites and ship yards ensuring workers were practicing safe work habits, using all required personal protective equipment (PPE), and were complying with all OSHA, DOL, and USCG safety mandates. During these site visits I also assisted the US Public Health Service and EPA by collecting air samples at worksites to be tested for harmful conditions such as HS2S, Benzene, and Oxygen displacement, as crude oil is toxic by nature.
When incidents or near misses (injuries, casualties, etc.) occurred I participated in investigations to see what may have caused the particular situation, and what changes in practice needed to be made to prevent the incident from happening again. As a Corpsman by trade I also provided emergency medical care to patients suffering from a variety of ailments such as trauma, heat stress/dehydration, hyponatremia, stress induced cardiac emergencies.
Semper Paratus,
Travis L. Roberts
HS3, US Coast Guard
Atop a modified working barge which had been outfitted with Kevin Kosner's oil cleaning machine. This was the first vessel outfitted in this fashion ever and therefore required extensive safety review and inspection prior to getting underway. The picture is taken from the 3rd deck on the bridge, overlooking the contraption. Finding safe ways to secure this toxic waste oil temporarily was a major concern.
From a Coast Guard HC-144 Aircraft during a mission which included flying over the source (the Deepwater Horizon rig). During this flight we were spotting and evaluating for oil sheens. As a Safety Officer, my job was to ensure overall safety of everyone involved in the effort.
At the end of my deployment I was to work at Air Station Cape Cod. President Barrack Obama visited Massachusetts and Marthas Vineyard during that time. I was selected to be part of the team on this safety/security detail.
