Hill Huang

I work for an employee-owned construction services company. My job is to make sure our projects meet environmental guidelines and have the least environmental impact as possible. To do this I make sure our company, as well as companies we subcontract to meet all environmental regulations. These could be federal, provincial, or municipal regulations. I also manage our company’s policies related to construction sites. To do my job properly, I spend time at the work sites. At the work site, I will carry out inspections to make sure everything is running smoothly. I also check to make sure all regulations are being followed.

I used math, physics, chemistry, and geoscience every day in my work. I sometimes used specialized equipment to monitor the air, noise, and vibration. I also use equipment to screen specific soil or water samples before they are sent to the lab for analysis. This is known as field screening.

My problem-solving activity is related to making sure the construction activities run on schedule with minimum impacts to the surrounding environment. The most obvious things we look at are the soil, water, air, animal, fish and trees or other vegetation. Less obvious are things related to protecting cultural heritage resources, archeological resources, and the most important of all, people.

I make decisions every day. The first step in my decision-making progress includes making sure I understand the issue or issues. Then I will gather information and assess possible solutions.  When I have decided on the best action to take, I’ll implement that decision. Afterwards, when the issue has been taken care of, I will evaluate the decision. At this time, I’m double checking to make sure it was really the best decision. If things could have been done differently, or if the issue was new, I’ll create a lesson learned report. This helps us make better decisions in the future.  Science, technology, and engineering help me understand the issues. You must understand the issue before you can propose any solutions or suggestions. It is important that all are based on science not on emotions or feelings.

I always work as part of a team. Being part of a team is important because no one is perfect, and everyone can make mistakes. Also, everyone has their area of expertise. When working as a team, you can resolve issues and make the right decision more efficiently and in the right way. I interact with my colleagues equally regardless of their seniority, race, religion. Everyone is equal. I only use English in my daily work. If you know Spanish it may benefit you in the construction industry.