Jeff LaBossiere began his tenure as VLCT’s new Loss Control Manager in January, and it would not be a cliché to say that he hit the ground running, for running is what comes naturally to anyone who can vanquish the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, which he once did in only 28 hours. (That feat is all the more remarkable because the course actually measures 100.2 miles!)
Jeff is an environmental health and safety professional with more than 25 years of experience in laboratory and occupational safety and environmental management. For the past 15 years, he was a biosafety officer for the University of Vermont – and, more recently, Dartmouth College’s Biological Safety Officer – where he helped protect university laboratory researchers from biohazards. He says that his years of working to ensure safe environments provided for a seamless transition to his work at VLCT.
When asked what a typical workday is like, Jeff says that in the world of safety, there is no typical day. “It’s more like a typical week,” he adds, “which consists of member visit risk/hazard surveys, writing reports on the results of those surveys, following up on member inquiries, and VLCT and [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] education time with Fred (Satink, Deputy Director of Underwriting & Loss Control) and my other teammates.” Jeff characterizes working with individual members as the most gratifying part of the job and has therefore been delighted to have landed at VLCT.
More background: Jeff has been a member of the American Biological Safety Association for 25 years. He also is a member of SESHA (a mashup of the Semiconductor Safety Association and Environment, Health & Safety issues) and the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management. He attended Northeastern University, Middlesex Community College, and the University of Vermont where he earned degrees in Public Health, Environmental Management, and Health Science, respectively.
He is also an accomplished drummer who enjoys writing and playing heavy progressive rock music with his band, Dino Bravo (facebook.com/DinoBravoVT/).
And Jeff has more than lived up to his street cred, meaning he is already proving to be a terrific addition to VLCT’s employmental ranks!