My Story: Bridget Sweet

I drank from garden hoses, didn’t wear a helmet, definitely had lead paint in my house and only started wearing a seat belt when my dad made us. (All of these are public health no-nos in 2024.)

My mom didn’t enforce wearing a seat belt – dad did. He was the safety-conscious one, and that’s how my awareness of safety started.

A pile driver in the Big Dig in Boston, my dad – hypervigilant about safety – always wore his reflective vest, hard hat, safety goggles and steel-toe boots. Despite that, he went to work on March 11, 1998, and never came home. He was the first occupational fatality at the Big Dig.

Safety became more important to me than ever. It became entwined into my undergraduate studies at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where I received a bachelor’s in marine safety and environmental protection. My career path led me into various industry, academic and regulatory landscapes as I continued to pursue education with a safety focus, a master’s in food safety from Michigan State University, and a doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern University.

My career today at Amtrak is within the safety and security team as the director of public health, and it’s one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my professional journey to date. It allows me to promote and protect the health of our employees and passengers while supporting the evolution of our intrinsic safety culture across the network. We support the food safety, water safety and compliance, and other regulatory standards that must be maintained. I’m incredibly passionate about public health and food safety, but more passionate about ensuring all of my colleagues get home to their families after their workday, shift or route.

The feelings of pain and loss don’t go away. They change, but don’t become easier to deal with. I’m fortunate that there’s an overpass in memory of my dad. So, when I’m visiting our South Hampton Yard location in Boston, I give him an extra wave – while wearing my appropriate safety gear.

Bridget Sweet
Director of Public Health
Amtrak Safety & Security Department