Urgent Need for More Workplace Safety Training Spotlighted by the OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District
Dublin, CA (PRWEB) August 03, 2017 -- The OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, the only authorized OSHA Training Institute Education Center headquartered in Northern California, is drawing attention to the urgent need for employers to provide workplace safety training. Among the reasons that businesses should make safety training a priority are these grim statistics: more than 4500 workers are killed on the job every year, there are close to 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses each year, and the annual cost of occupational deaths and injuries in the US is estimated to be over $170 billion.
“A good starting point for organizations that have not offered safety training to their workers is OSHA’s Outreach Training Program, which provides an orientation to occupational safety and health,” says Cari Elofson, Assistant Director of the OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. “While OSHA standards require that employers provide training for their workers on the specific hazards associated with their job responsibilities, outreach training classes can help ensure that workers have a good overview of common job-related safety and health hazards.”
The OSHA Outreach Training Program provides training on the recognition, avoidance, abatement and prevention of safety and health hazards in the workplace as well as information regarding workers' rights, employer responsibilities and how to file a complaint. Through this voluntary program, participants can attend either 10-hour or 30-hour classes delivered by OSHA-authorized trainers. The 10-hour class is primarily intended for entry level workers and provides an overview of workplace safety and health hazards, while the 30-hour class is more appropriate for supervisors or workers with some safety responsibility and provides a greater depth and variety of training.
The OSHA Outreach Training Program offers many benefits, including:
- Promoting a safety culture through peer training
- Providing participatory training using hands-on activities
- Tailoring of topics based on specific needs of the participants
- Promoting the value and importance of safety and health to workers
OSHA outreach trainers are independent service providers who are authorized by OSHA to deliver outreach training classes. OSHA recommends contacting multiple trainers to find one that best meets the participants’ needs. All OSHA authorized trainers must possess a trainer card which includes an expiration date and the name of the authorizing OSHA Training Institute Education Center. Outreach trainers must complete a 4-day train-the-trainer course and meet other program requirements in order to receive OSHA authorization. Anyone interested in becoming an OSHA outreach trainer is invited to visit the OSHA Training Center Outreach Training Program Overview webpage.
About the OSHA Training Center
The OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District offers high quality Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards-based training for the construction, maritime and general industry in Dublin, California, conveniently located in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as locations throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii. Programs offered include OSHA safety standards, Outreach Trainer courses, Cal/OSHA standards and customized on-site safety training. For more information, including a complete course schedule, call (866) 936-OSHA (6742) or visit the OSHA Training Center website.
Cari Elofson, OSHA Training Center, http://osha4you.com, +1 866-936-6742, [email protected]
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