Rand Collins is a multi-talented professional with many years of training, presentation and scientific experience. After completing a PhD and MD in the United States, he served as Medical Director of laboratories ranging from small Alaskan rural laboratories to a 50,000 square foot clinical reference laboratory, focusing on QA/QC, administration, and biohazard safety. On returning to Canada, he built on this experience to transition into Health and Safety full time. His love of travel and the north country took him into the Alberta oil sands, where his experience and love of teaching made him a valuable trainer and mentor. On returning to the United States, he obtained American certification with the CHST and OSHA 30 hour safety certifications, and is now serving as a safety specialist on a variety of projects, ranging from hotel construction to aerospace and industrial robotics.
Rand’s investment in safety is both intense and highly personal. In the midst of a career as a laboratory specialist, his wife was injured in a series of accidents and unable to walk. During her recovery, he took four years out of his career to care for her. Having experienced first hand the devastating family impact of accidental injuries, he built on his experience in laboratory and chemical safety to transition to full-time work in industrial and construction safety.
Rand combines enormously broad scientific and medical experience with excellent presentation and people skills. Starting as a national inspection team leader with the College of American Pathologists, he became familiar with site inspection techniques. Senior administrative roles in a multi-state medical business gave him excellent client relations skills, as well as familiarity with teaching audiences from a wide variety of cultural and educational levels. He possesses a unique blend of sophisticated medical knowledge and industrial safety experience with high-risk construction projects in harsh subarctic northern environments. A talented writer and photographer whose articles have appeared in a number of publications, he is familiar with updating and developing educational materials into into succinct, relevant, and logical presentations. He is enormously adaptable, with a strong sense of adventure and an excellent ability to connect with co-workers and trainees from all walks of life.