OSH Generations is about family and the safety profession. Many OSH professionals have parents or children who are also in the profession. Our members share their stories of the people who influenced them to enter the safety profession or those who they inspired to become safety professionals. Here's the story of Cory Grimmer, CSP, CHST, a professional member of our Lower Columbia Basin Chapter, and his father, Dwight Grimmer.
I had been working in the safety field just over a decade when my father, Dwight (pictured on left), retired. He had been working for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 30 years, holding job titles such as regional safety trainer, postal carrier and postmaster. His career had been both challenging as well as rewarding and had allowed him to support his family of six children through the years.
Upon retirement, he found out quickly that he needed the challenge that fulfilling employment provided. I recommended to him that he update his safety training and work on professional certifications in an effort to get him into the safety field. I worked with him on his resume and helped to provide the direction that he would need to land his first full-time position.
A perfect opportunity surfaced only a year later when he was given the chance to work as a field safety representative on the very same project that I was on. Now, going on 7 years later, his post-retirement career is as strong as ever. Not only has he developed in his skills and experience, he also recently sat for and passed the CHST exam in an effort to improve his qualifications and value to prospective employers.
Quite possibly the best part of this experience is having been able to work side by side with my father on multiple projects throughout the years. Working side by side with him and seeing him become a steward of this profession has been a reward in and of itself. Experiences like these are what make my own career choice fulfilling.