When was the last time you took a safety class?  There are a lot of different sources available, with both for-profit companies and the not-for-profit organizations.  Three not-for-profit associations, ASSE (American Society of Safety Engineers),  NSC (National Safety Council) and the Construction Safety Council offer a variety of classes.  But the two sources I want to describe are the OTI (OSHA Training Institute) and the National Safety Education Center.

OTI is OSHA’s own training center in Arlington Heights, IL.  The OTI provides training and education in occupational safety and health for federal and state compliance officers, state consultants, other federal agency personnel, and the private sector.

The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center program was initiated as an extension of the OSHA Training Institute, which is the primary training provider of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OTI targets Federal and State compliance officers and State consultation program staff, but also provides training for private sector personnel and Federal personnel from agencies other than OSHA on a space available basis. However, during the 1980s, the number of requests for training from private sector personnel and Federal personnel from agencies other than OSHA increased substantially and the demand eventually exceeded the capacity of the OSHA Training Institute. To date there are 18 training centers with at least one in each OSHA region. 

As an example, the National Safety Education Center in Region V, is a consortium comprised of: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, Construction Safety Council, Hillside, IL and the National Safety Council, Itasca, IL.  The National Safety Education Center is authorized by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to deliver approved OSHA training courses. Upon completion of any program, your achievement is recognized through:

• Department of Labor Course Completion Certificates
• Outreach Trainer Cards for OSHA Courses 500, 501, 502 and 503
• Availability of Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
• Availability of American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) Safety and Industrial Health
• Continuing Maintenance (CM) points.

Pick a class and increase your safety knowledge.

The BIG show is almost here.   The National Safety Council’s Congress & Expo is scheduled for October 15, 16, & 17 in Chicago.  This is the largest Safety & Health expo in the world.  There will be about 140 educational sessions, 32 professional development seminars, and over 800 exhibitors.  Many companies send their safety teams to attend the educational seminars and then have their annual safety meeting afterwards.  It is also a great place to network and look for jobs.  My favorite part has always been the people I have met.  Safety and Health professionals from all over the world.  Click here for a link to the keynote speakers. 

If you have the opportunity, come and check it out, you won’t be sorry.

JANUARY 2007        
January 1 - 31 National Radon Action Month National Safety Council Kristin Marstiller
202-293-2270 ext. 469  Radon Fact Sheet
FEBRUARY 2007        
February 1 - 28 American Heart Month American Heart Association   www.americanheart.org 
February 1 - 28 Save Your Vision Month American Academy of Ophthalmology  John Paine
415-561-8525  www.aao.org 
February 11-17 National Child Passenger Safety Week National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Tina Foley
202-366-9550 www.nhtsa.gov 
MARCH 2007        
March 18-24 National Poison Prevention Week U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission  Kim Dulic
301-504-7908  
APRIL 2007        
April 1 - 30 Sports Eye Safety Month American Academy of Ophthalmology  John Paine
415-561-8525  www.aao.org
April 1- 7 National Workzone Awareness Week Federal Highway Administration   www.fhwa.dot.gov
April 2 - 8 National Public Health Week American Public Health Association Lakitia Mayo
202-777-2515  www.apha.org
April 8 World Health Day WHO Regional Office for the Americas 202-974-3156  World-Health-Day
April 22 - 28 National Window Safety Week Window Safety Task Force  Janice Charletta
847-303-5859 x230  Window Safety
April 22 - 28 National Playground Safety Week   Donna Mokricky
800-554-7529  www.uni.edu/playground 
April 28 Workers’ Memorial Day American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)    www.afl-cio.org 
April 30 - May 6 National SAFE Kids Week National SAFE Kids Campaign  Suzanne Morton
202-662-4476 www.safekids.org 
MAY 2007        
May 1 - 31 National Electrical Safety Month National Electrical Safety Foundation  Michael Clendenin
703-841-3296 www.electrical-safety.org 
May 6 - 12  North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH) American Society of Safety Engineers Diane Hurns
847-768-3413 www.asse.org 
May 6 Occupational Safety and Health Professionals Day American Society of Safety Engineers Diane Hurns
847-768-3413 www.asse.org 
May 19 - 25 National Safe Boating Week National Safe Boating Council  Virgil Chambers
703-361-4294  www.safeboatingcouncil.org 
May 20 - 26 National Emergency Medical Services Week American College of Emergency Physicians  Denise Fechner
800-798-1822 x326  www.acep.org 
May 21 - 28 Buckle Up America National Highway Traffic Safety Administration   www.nhtsa.dot.gov 
May 21 - June 3 Click It or Ticket Mobilization Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign & National Highway Traffic Safety Administration   www.nhtsa.dot.gov 
JUNE 2007        
June 1 - 30 National Safety Month National Safety Council 630-775-2160  National Safety Month 
AUGUST 2007        
August 1 - 31 Cataract Awareness Month 
 
SEPTEMBER 2007        
September 1 - 30 National Preparedness Month U.S. Department of Homeland Security   
September 16 - 27  National Farm Safety and Health Week  National Safety Council   National Farm Safety and Health Week
OCTOBER 2007        
October 1 - 31 Eye Injury Prevention Month American Academy of Ophthalmology John Paine
415-561-8525 www.aao.org 
October 14 - 20 National Radon Action Week National Safety Council Kristin Marstiller
202-293-2270 ext. 469  Radon Fact Sheet

Cold Case Files
The season for cold injuries is just around the icy corner; outdoor workers should approach it with caution.
by Ronnie RittenberryThe arctic winter air sweeping across the country within the next few months brings hazards most workers do not have to face the rest of the year. Slips and falls, road accidents caused by ice and snow, and carbon monoxide poisonings from faulty furnaces and automobiles all have elevated incident rates during the winter. In addition, multiple levels of injuries can result from exposure to the cold itself.
Any number of cold injuries can affect workers without adequate and dry protective gear. Chilblains, a condition in which skin repeatedly exposed to a dry cold can start to itch, turn reddish-blue, swell, and blister, is a common type of cold injury. “Trench foot,” or immersion injury, can develop with exposure to a wet cold, usually when a glove or sock becomes damp, resulting in symptoms similar to but usually more serious than chilblains because the blisters are deeper, resembling those that form after a burn.
Although body parts affected by either chilblains or trench foot may afterward be very sensitive to the cold, neither injury is caused by tissue actually freezing, and usually neither results in permanent damage. The same cannot be said for hypothermia and frostbite. While workers can and do commonly suffer and recover from mild versions of both these injuries, under the wrong circumstances both can become severe, life-threatening medical emergencies. (more…)