Region 3 - Alliance Annual Report - August 4, 2009


ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
FOR
THE LEHIGH CAREER AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
August 4, 2009

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    The Alliance was originally signed on August 23, 2003, renewed on August 23, 2005 based on revisions to the prior Agreement, and renewed again on March 27, 2008.

    Overview

    The Alliance was formed to provide LCTI students, staff members and others, including public and private volunteer members of the Safety Occupational Advisory Council (OAC) with information, guidance, and access to training resources in order to provide safety and health education to staff and students (youth entering the workforce) and to help promote, protect and on the LCTI campus.

  2. Implementation Team Members

    David Lapinsky, Ed. D., Director of Career and Technical Education, LCTI
    Scott Shimandle, CAS, USDOL/OSHA Allentown Area Office

    Contributors

    James Casey, Praxair Inc.; Claude Kohl, Jr., retired; Bill Dellicker, retired LCTI; Michael Gibson, Associated Builders and Contractors; Daniel Kotran, LCTI; Linda Pacifico, LCTI; Tyrone Reed, Alvin H. Butz, Inc., Craig Berrier, Nestle – Purina; Tom Civic, Scherling-Plough; Dale Reitz, Parkland High School; and the entire LCTI school faculty, staff and students.

    Evaluation Period

    March 27, 2008 through March 27, 2009

  3. Implementation Team Meetings

    March 27, 2008: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
    April 22, 2008: OSHA Presentation – Retail Marketing & Business Educ. Program
    May 22, 2008: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
    Oct. 9, 2008: OSHA Presentation – Pre-Emerging Engineering Program
    Oct. 16, 2008: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
    Nov. 13, 2008: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
    Dec. 18, 2008: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
    Jan. 15, 2009: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
    Mar. 19, 2009: Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting

  4. Events and Products

    Training and Education

    • Events

      OSHA Presentation was conducted for a class of Pre-Engineering students. These students are conducting job shadowing activities at several workplaces in the Lehigh Valley and who are currently pursuing carriers in the Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Architectural Engineering fields.

    • Products

      No new OSHA products developed during this time-frame. However, LCTI has developed specific safety and health learning guides, based on the OSHA 10 hour material and has formatted this training into their (LCTI) curriculum. By doing so, LCTI has institutionalized the OSHA training and has made it mandatory in all of their construction programs and several of their general industry related programs. Additionally, this committee has recently aided LCTI in rewriting its Lockout/Tagout Program, and is currently reviewing LCTI’s Respiratory Protection Program.

    Outreach and Communication

    • Events

      As noted above, an OSHA Presentation was conducted for a class of Pre-Engineering students. These students are conducting job shadowing activities at several workplaces in the Lehigh Valley and who are currently pursuing carriers in the Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Architectural Engineering fields.

      Several meeting and discussions were held relative to safety issues at the school, including walking/working surfaces and the need for guard-rail systems on storage lofts, flammable and combustible liquid storage, automobile lifts and machine guarding.

    • Products

      PowerPoint presentation.

    Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health

    • Events

      Promotion of this Alliance and its efforts have not been made National, however this Alliance has been the catalyst and tool used to develop a state-wide Alliance with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Additional schools throughout the Allentown Area Office jurisdiction (and others within Pennsylvania) have been actively promoting increase safety participation within their schools and have been requesting technical assistance and outreach. Over the last 12 months, the following schools have actively participated in these Alliance meetings or obtained outreach assistance from our office: Bucks County Technical High School, Upper Bucks County Technical School, Parkland School District, Dioceses of Allentown, and Palmerton School District.

    • Products

      No new products created.

  5. Results

    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
    OSHA Presentation – Pre-Emerging Engineering Program 10 Students and 1 Instructor
    OSHA Presentation – Retail Marketing & Business Educ. Program 40 Students and 1 Instructor
    Lockout/Tagout Policy/Program Review 100 Students and 25 Instructors
    TOTAL 177
  6. Milestones

    Last year, the school achieved “Re-certification” of its’ Safety Committee by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Bureau of Workers Compensation and PENNSAFE. This year the school has been preparing for its Pa Act 339 Inspection, which became effective May 31, 2008. To summarize its relationship to this Alliance – the new Chapter of the PA Dept. of Education – Vocational Education Standards updates the existing regulations on career and technical education and allows the creation of technical institutes which will be operated for the purpose of providing technical education by offering non-degree-granting post high school programs and courses of not more than two years. The programs must prepare students to meet industry-defined standards, certifications, regulations or licensing agreements demonstrated through industry assessment, industry credentials, industry certification, license or State assessment. Of specific importance is Chapter 339.23, which addresses “Vocational education safety”. This section states: Vocational education shall be provided consistent with safety standards [shall be met as defined by Department guidelines] in the following areas: (1) Safety instruction shall be practiced in the laboratory and classroom, (2) Equipment guards and personal safety devices shall be in place and used, (3) Class reenrollment shall be safe relative to classroom or laboratory size and number of workstations, (4) [summarized] as it deals with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.A.§§ 12101-12213), (5) [summarized] as it deals with the education needs of handicapped persons under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 34 CFR 104.33(b), OCR Guidelines, VI and 45 CFR 80, (6) Storage of materials and supplies [meeting] must meet 34 Pa. Code Part 1, and (7) Safety practices [met according to] must meet State and Federal regulations. As a result of the Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council meetings, LCTI was able to achieve high commendations for its safety programs and is recommending state-wide adoption of its “Walk-Through Safety Inspection Checklist” cards, which is used by the school’s in-house safety committee to identify possible hazards, including but not limited to: First aid kits, Safety boards, Fire extinguishers, Aisles, walkways and doors are not blocked, and eye wash and shower tested weekly. These cards are signed by the committee member and left on the desk of the lab instructor with comments or No defects found – Great Job notations.

    Student involvement still continues to grow, as even more Instructors have delegated student safety representative(s) to not only inspect the area(s), but also to discuss and share any unsafe conditions found and the corrective action take to eliminate the reoccurrence of the condition to the members of this committee and Alliance.

    It is strongly recommended that this Alliance continue.