News & Events
News & Events
From the Executive Director’s Office……….
The University of Alabama (UA) SafeState OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTI-EC), now in its fifth year of operation, continues to see strong growth across all program areas, with a 148% annual increase in student enrollment in 2011.
Make 2012 the year you develop your career by earning recognized safety and health credentials from the UA OTI-EC.
Become an Authorized General Industry or Construction Industry 10- and 30-hour Trainer in OSHA’s Outreach Training Program, or earn a Safety and Health Certificate by attending approximately 100 hours of classroom instruction in specified OTI-EC courses and demonstrating your expertise by examination. Both general industry and construction industry certificate programs are available.
If you’d like more information on the OTI-EC General Industry Safety and Health Management Certificate program or Construction Industry Safety and Health Management Certificate program, please go to http://alabamasafestate.ua.edu/education-training/_files/Catalog.pdf or contact Joe Pilleteri, CSP at (205) 348-2765.
UA SafeState has also developed an online Safety and Health Certificate program for working professionals who are unable to attend OTI-EC classes in person. More information can be found athttp://alabamasafestate.ua.edu/education-training/health_safety_management_certificate.html.
The OTI-EC schedule for January through March of 2012 is provided below to help you begin planning for your new safety and health credentials. Classes coming up in January include the Update for Construction Industry Trainers, Recordkeeping, Standards for General Industry and the Maritime Trainer Course.
OTI-EC courses now available in Alpharetta, GA and Pensacola, FL
UA SafeState is now offering OTI-EC courses through host sites at Emory University in Alpharetta, GA and Pensacola State College in Pensacola, FL. The OSHA 511 General Industry Standards class will be held at Emory March 26th – 29th and at Pensacola State College March 5th – 8th. The OSHA 501 Trainer Course for General Industry will be held at Pensacola State College January 30th – February 2nd and the OSHA 510 Construction Industry Standards class February 20th – 23rd.
The OSHA 511 and 510 Standards classes convey essential knowledge for anyone assigned responsibility for safety and OSHA compliance at general industry or construction sites, respectively. The OSHA 501 General Industry Trainer class prepares individuals who have at least five years safety experience and successfully complete the General Industry Standards class to become authorized 10- and 30-hour safety training providers in the OSHA Outreach Training Program.
To sign up for the 511 at Emory, please go to http://www.ece.emory.edu/osha_enrollment.html. For information on the Pensacola State College classes, please contact Ruth McKinon at (850) 484-1363.
General Permits for Industrial Stormwater Expiring in 2012
Sixteen of Alabama’s nineteen Industrial General NPDES Permits will expire in 2012. Renewal applications must be received by ADEM at least 90 days prior to the expiration date. These categories include asphalt, concrete, metals, transportation and petroleum, among others.
Additional information can be found on various pages of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s (ADEM) website at: http://adem.alabama.gov/programs/water/permitting.cnt . ADEM is developing electronic NOIs (eNOIs) to make the renewal process more efficient. When possible, ADEM prefers use of the electronic submittal process. Current application fees are listed in Fee Schedule D of ADEM's Division 1 Regulations, which can be found at:http://www.adem.state.al.us/alEnviroRegLaws/files/Division1.pdf. Available eNOIs can be found at http://adem.alabama.gov/eNOI and applications may be accessed at: http://www.adem.state.al.us/programs/water/waterforms.cnt.
If you hold an NPDES General Permit, and need assistance renewing your application, Larry Overstreet from UA SafeState’s Environmental Program can answer questions and assist you with your renewal application. Larry can be reached at (800) 421-7141, or by email atloverstreet@CCS.ua.edu.
Have You Obtained Alabama State Lead Renovator Certification Yet?
This is now a requirement for all contractors performing renovation, repair and painting (RRP) projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978.
The Safe State Environmental Program and the Alabama Department of Public Health are now responsible for RRP as part of our current Lead-Based Paint Contractor Accreditation Program. Individuals seeking to become Certified Renovators in Alabama must now apply through Safe State; and Renovator Companies must register with the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Please contact Jason Brasfield at 800-421-7141 for assistance with RRP certification. Also, please continue to visit renovatealabama.com as information, applications, training provider listings and other forms of compliance assistance will be appearing as the state regulation goes into effect.
Are You in Compliance with OSHA’s Electrical Safety Training Requirements?
Worried your employees haven’t had all the electrical safety training they need, or simply confused about what training is required for which workers? Let the University of Alabama help put your mind at ease.
Our comprehensive on-line training program provides a confidential, cost-effective means to both: 1.) assess which employees have electrical safety knowledge needs in relation to their assigned job duties; and 2.) address those needs with individualized courses of instruction that provide just the right amount of training needed. No more, no less.
At the completion of training, workers receives a certificate reflecting the amount of knowledge they’ve demonstrated. Electrical workers (i.e. those who routinely work with electricity as part of their job) receive a “Qualified Electrical Worker” certificate that satisfies OSHA’s training requirements. Employees who don’t work directly with electricity, but need to understand basic electrical safety principles to perform their job, receive a certificate showing they meet OSHA’s “unqualified worker” training requirements.
Because the program is entirely on-line, including both assessments and training modules, your employees can be brought up to speed on a schedule that meets their needs as well as the needs of your business. For more information on this innovative new approach to electrical safety training, please contact Peter Hodgson at (205) 348-4603 or phodgson@ccs.ua.edu.
Free Construction Safety Training Program Extended for a Second Year
The integrated System Safety/Fall Protection training program developed for the construction industry in 2011 by UA SafeState under an OSHA Susan Harwood Grant has been extended for a second year.
This free one-day training program has been endorsed by leading construction associations throughout Alabama and Mississippi. Information presented is considered “essential knowledge” for anyone seeking work or contracting opportunities with any of Alabama’s or Mississippi’s major construction companies.
If you would like to attend this free one-day training program, or host it at no cost for a group of 25 people or more anywhere throughout Alabama or Mississippi, Lauren Godsey at uaosha@ccs.ua.edu or 205-348-8665.
A New Year's Resolution: Commentary by Matt Hollub, CIH, CSP, Associate Director for Safety & Consultation
Last month, the Planning Committee for the Alabama Governor’s Safety and Health Conference wrapped up its annual review and analysis of our 2011 event in beautiful Orange Beach. It was a good year. A real good year. As we had hoped, the addition of seven new technical breakout sessions to the already-crowded agenda was a big hit with our attendees. You can be sure that we’ll be continuing that robust blend of safety and health topics for next year’s conference, too. It’s your feedback that shapes the AGSHC into the kind of event that just makes us all better at what we do in safety and health. And every year we ask our attendees to rate the attributes they value the most about the conference. And every year, near the top of that list we’ll find this one: Networking opportunities.
Why? Because, my friends, no one should be walking this path of managing safety and health alone. Whether you’re giving or taking from the interaction, the original form of social networking seems eternally positioned as a driving force for professionals to venture out and get in the mix. Thing is, it takes a bit of effort to overcome the forces that hold us in orbit around our workplace. For those who do, the rewards become self-evident. For those who don’t, well, allow me to suggest a mighty fine new year’s resolution worthy of keeping this time around: Make a point to slip out of your office at least four times during 2012 to attend a safety and/or health meeting or event. Chances are, there’s a local professional association meeting within a reasonable distance from where you work. The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), and The National Safety Council (NSC) are a few that come to mind right away. They’re all national organizations with local sections in Alabama. You can add to that mix the regional safety and health organizations, such as the Shoals Safety and Health Association (SSHA) in Florence, AL. These groups have regularly scheduled meetings that offer technical and managerial presentations, educational events, and, of course, the opportunity to network. For example, this spring, the SSHA is planning on a one day safety and health conference at the University of North Alabama. For those of you in central Alabama, did you know there’s a free construction safety conference offered every year in Montgomery? The people who network know. For more details on either of these events, you can contact me. Every one of the organizations listed above has a website or a newsletter (or both) that’ll keep you up to speed with meeting dates and local events. It’s your chance to grow professionally and give a little back in return. From my experience, the person you’ll help out today may be the expert who’ll solve a thorny problem for you tomorrow. And now you have a new year’s resolution worthy of keeping. Stick with it and you can thank me later. Probably at a meeting or a conference near you.
Free Central Alabama Construction Safety Conference Coming Up in March
The Central Alabama Safety Conference and Exposition will be held March 22, 2012 at the Hyundai Training Center located at 900 Hyundai Boulevard in Montgomery, Alabama. The conference is free and available to all managers and employees of companies that can benefit from attending.
The conference will include two day-long tracks, Fall Protection in Construction and Scaffolding Safety Competent Person. There will also be hour-long sessions on trenching, electrical safety, crane safety, rigging, silica, lockout/tagout, OSHA recordkeeping, welding safety, OSHA legal issues and chemical hazard communication.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Participants may register online by going to http://www.soph.uab.edu/dsc/CentralALConstructionSafetyConference_2012.
