ACCSH Training and Outreach Workgroup
December 1, 2015
Co-Chairs: Kevin Cannon, Jeny Rivera, Roger Erickson, and Palmer Hickman

The training and outreach workgroup meeting began with the introduction of Ken Koroll, Director of the Office of Construction Safety Training at the Office of Training and Education. After Mr. Koroll's introduction, the workgroup revisited two longstanding items:

  1. Intro to OSHA module
  2. OSHA 502 Update

It was reported by Mr. Koroll that a revised module was issued to pilot by a handful of Ed Centers. The module remains at 2 hours; however, the module now contains 8 handouts versus 12 handouts in the previous version. The revised module also resulted a reduction of slides from 48 to 36. The new module now takes an average 1 hour 45 minutes. The workgroup co-chairs and public participants again voiced that the 2 hour mandate takes away time that could be spent on construction hazards and not so much history and background of OSHA.

The next topic of discussion was the 502 update. Meeting participants provided suggestions as to how the 502 course could be modified to meet the stated goals of the course while also providing value to the students. Mr. Koroll stated that he would meet with the DTE leadership to discuss the workgroup concerns and comments.

The last topic discussed was the Foundations of Safety Leadership. Dr. Linda Goldenhar, with CPWR, conducted a presentation on the status of the module which is intended to be incorporated as an elective into the OSHA 30 hour. The module is 2 112 hours in length and covers key leadership characteristics. The module is currently being piloted and should be finalized by January 2016. The remaining work involves finalizing the videos included in the program. After Dr. Goldenhar's presentation, Mr. Koroll provided insight into where DTE stands on adopting/incorporating the module into the OSHA 30 hour. Before DTE will consider incorporation, the final product will need to undergo evaluation. The evaluation will consist of a review of the stated objectives, program content, and instructors guide, among others.

As a result of the above discussions, the following recommendations were made:

  • We recommend that OSHA/DTE report back on the previous recommendations put forward regarding the Intro to OSHA and the 502 Course.
  • We recommend that the Training and Outreach Workgroup holds conference calls with DTE Staff in between meetings.
  • We recommend that DTE begins their review and evaluation immediately upon program finalization.
  • We recommend to OSHA that the Foundations of Safety Leadership module is incorporated into the OSHA 30 hour as an elective.