The Good Stuff: Sanchez-Soria Interview, Part 1

We recently sat down with toxicologist Pablo Sanchez-Soria, Ph.D. and discussed what he values in his job with CTEH as part of our ongoing Good Stuff series focusing on our people and what they see as the most important aspects of their jobs.

Sanchez-Soria was part of a response team quickly after joining CTEH for an emergency in Aliceville, Alabama. “A train derailment involving 26 crude oil-containing cars was the cause of an oil spill and fire for several days,” Sanchez-Soria said. He remembers how CTEH led the work with multiple companies to secure the area, prevent hazards and avert more issues, while protecting workers’ safety during stressful remediation conditions.

“Hundreds of workers progressed towards the goal of reconstructing the site as efficiently as possible,” he said. “By being with CTEH during this response, I had the opportunity to see how effective implementation of an incident command structure is fundamental to such complex environments, and it made me appreciate not only my role as a health and safety professional, but also the key value of every member of an emergency response team.”

Experiencing that so early in his time with CTEH helped Sanchez-Soria realize quickly that he is part of a company of what he calls “top-caliber decision-makers.” He said all the work the company does on a day-to-day basis creates a level of preparedness that allows for successful responses to such emergencies.

We’ll talk to Soria more next time about what he likes most about his job and what CTEH has contributed to his career.