More than 2,000 people in western Wisconsin have been trained in workplace safety and health as the result of the Alliance between the Region V Eau Claire, Wisconsin Area Office and Chippewa Valley Technical College (CTVC). Signed in October 2006 and renewed in November 2009, the Alliance provides students, employers, OSHA staff, and members of the community with information, guidance, and access to training and related resources that will help promote and improve worker health and safety. CVTC, which is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System, offers associate degrees, technical diplomas, and other certificates to a student body of approximately 6,500. An additional 16,000 students take continuing education courses.
Through the Alliance, OSHA and CVTC representatives presented the OSHA 10- and 30-Hour Construction and General Industry Outreach Training Programs at the CVTC training facilities ten times to more than 300 participants. From 2007 through 2010, they presented the OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Outreach Training Program as part of the “Youth Manufacturing Academy,” a 2-week course offered in the summer. Steven Senor, Occupational Safety and Health Instructor at CVTC, provided the OSHA 10-Hour Program and the CVTC safety training to approximately 80 participants. The CVTC training focuses on youth and entry-level worker safety principles and practices. During the OSHA 10- and 30-Hour Training Programs, Mary Bauer, Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) in the Eau Claire OSHA office presented the worker rights and employer responsibilities portion of the OSHA course. According to Steve Senor, “The Alliance with OSHA has been one our most important and beneficial endeavors. The Agency has proved to be a valuable resource to area employers as they endeavor to meet compliance requirements and maintain a safe working environment for their workers. We look forward to continuing this relationship.”
OSHA and CVTC representatives have worked together to develop and tailor training and continuing education courses. For example, they tailored training sessions on powered industrial trucks, hands-on welding, and nanotechnology to the needs of Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs). In addition, Mary Bauer held a training session for 20 local dairy farmers on OSHA inspections, standards, and hazard awareness. Every year CVTC’s instructors for electrical power distribution courses offer OSHA staff their seminars on lineworker overhead and underground work that feature hands-on demonstrations or exercises at work stations.
Through the Alliance, Eau Claire Area Office representatives present the worker rights and employer responsibilities and trade-specific hazards portions of several CVTC courses including Supervisory Management, Electrical Apprenticeship Program, Wood Technics, and Residential Construction. Plus, OSHA representatives work with the CVTC Electrical Power Distribution program by presenting portions of several of its seminars throughout the year. “The outstanding results accomplished through this Alliance between OSHA and CVTC exemplify how OSHA’s cooperative programs make a profound difference in achieving the goal of ensuring a safe and healthful workplace for everyone” said Mark Hysell, Area Director for the Region V Eau Claire Area Office.
Through the Alliance, OSHA and CVTC representatives actively support organizations involved with the safety and health of workers in the workplace by attending meetings, giving presentations, developing training, and serving on advisory boards. These organizations include Western Wisconsin Safety Council; Dunn County Local Emergency Planning Commission; Chippewa Valley Homebuilders Association (Lead Renovator Training); American Red Cross, another Alliance Program participant; and University of Wisconsin-Stout Risk Management Advisory Board.
For more information on this Alliance, contact Mary Bauer.