Contact: Karie Patton
Mississippi State University soon will offer the first OSHA "train the trainer" safety course of its kind in the state.
In the past, Mississippi employees needing this specialized federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration instruction had to travel to Atlanta or Dallas. Through a cooperative agreement with Texas A&M University--a leader in OSHA-based training--MSU's Division of Continuing Education now will be a local provider for the course.
OSHA 501 is an intensive, five-day class focusing on the skills to recognize and correct safety hazards and to perform safety audits. More broadly, the class provides an overview of the regulations governing most workplaces.
Plans are under way for a class session in October, either on the Gulf Coast or in the Memphis, Tenn., area. There are no prerequisites for enrolling.
Persons completing the certification will hold the title of General Industry Outreach Program Trainer and be qualified to teach OSHA's 10- or 30-hour general safety and health outreach courses.
Ben Rosenkrans, MSU continuing education's manager of environmental and safety programs, said persons completing the OSHA 501 safety course "are qualified in a manner that is recognized nationwide."
"MSU has been teaching a class on OSHA standards for 10 years, but to my knowledge, this is the first such approved outreach course of its kind taught in the state, " he added.
Though open to anyone, the course most often attracts industrial safety managers, a variety of federal and state employees, hospital personnel, and safety-plan consultants, Rosenkrans said.
For complete details on the course, telephone Amy Vickery at (662) 325-0705 or Rosenkrans at 325-2650.