OSHA Slates Training Event for Federal Worker Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is keeping the federal agency staff responsible for keeping federal workers healthy and safe on its toes. The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) and OSHA's Office of Federal Agency Programs have slated a series of training seminars this July that would put safety programs of federal workplaces on a par with those of the private sector.

Fifty-three federal worker deaths in fiscal 2010 and 30,000 federal workers' compensation claims backdrop the event, lending not just relevance to the seminars but also some urgency. The training event is designed to give federal managers a leg up in putting in place and managing their injury-and-illness-prevention programs.

OSHA training, such as OSHAcampus.com 10 hour training and OSHACampus.com 30 training, is now required by many employers as a requisite for employment, but many workers are still exposed to worksite hazards because of employer negligence, ignorance, or plain disregard of basic safety protocols.

The three-day event—to be held from July 31 to August 2, 2012 at the OSHA Training Institute, 2020 South Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights, IL.—comprises daily seminars on  hazard communication, ergonomics issues, indoor air quality, and workplace violence, among other topics.

According to OSHA, government-agency personnel who will attend the training courses are exempt from tuition and other fees. Federal government contractors and private sector attendees, however, are required to pay tuition.

Registration for the event is open until July 24, 2012. Students can access registration forms, course descriptions and other details at www.osha.gov/dep/fap/fedweek_fy12.html.