January 2, 2008
In FY 2007, the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers trained more than 27,000 people and set an all-time record for the OTI Education Centers program created in 1992 to reach private sector and non-OSHA federal personnel with training on agency standards and occupational safety and health issues. With the expectation of even more numbers for FY 2008, OSHA on Dec. 31 announced eight new OTI Education Centers and two renewals. These new centers, made up of non-profit organizations, will further increase OSHA’s reach throughout the country to provide safety and health training, the agency says.

“We are pleased to add the new OSHA Training Institute Education Centers in our continuing effort to promote employee safety and health through training,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. “These centers will extend access to a greater number of individuals who seek to incorporate OSHA safety and health practices into their workplaces.”

The new centers were selected through a national competition announced last July. Applicant organizations were evaluated based on occupational safety and health experience, continuing education training background, classroom and laboratory availability, and the ability to provide training throughout the region. OSHA provides no funding to the education centers. They support their OSHA training through their normal tuition and fee structures. The newly selected OTI Education Centers are:

Region III: A consortium comprised of the ECRI Institute - Plymouth Meeting, Pa. (lead organization); Chesapeake Region Safety Council - Baltimore; Johns Hopkins University and Health System – Baltimore; and Mid-Atlantic Construction Safety Council – Philadelphia. Region IV: University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, Ala. and a consortium comprised of North Carolina State University – Raleigh, N.C. (lead organization); and University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Tenn. Region V: Heartland Safety and Health Education Center, a consortium comprised of Indiana University – Bloomington, Ind. (lead organization); and University of Wisconsin, Whitewater – Whitewater, Wis. Region VI: The University of Texas at Arlington – Houston. Region VII: Metropolitan Community Colleges Business & Technology Center - Kansas City, Mo. Region VIII: Mountain West OSHA Education Center, a consortium comprised of University of Utah - Salt Lake City (lead organization); Salt Lake Community College – Salt Lake City; and Uintah Basin Applied Technology College – Vernal, Utah (new consortium member). Region IX: California State University, Dominguez Hills – Carson, Calif.; Chabot-Las Positas Community College District – Pleasanton, Calif.; and College of Southern Nevada – Las Vegas.