Region 3 - Alliance Annual Report - March 27, 2010
ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
ALLENTOWN AREA OFFICE
THE LEHIGH CAREER AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
March 27, 2010
- Alliance Background
Date Signed:
August 23, 2003
Date Renewed:
August 23, 2005 and was renewed again on March 27, 2008.
Alliance 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.
Implementation Team Members:
David Lapinsky, Ed. D., Director of Career and Technical Education, LCTI
Scott G. Shimandle, Compliance Assistance Specialist, USDOL/Allentown Area Office
- Implementation Team Meetings
October 15, 2009 Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
December 17, 2009 Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
January 21, 2010 Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting (CAS not in attendance)
February 18, 2010 Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council Meeting
- Activities and Products
Evaluation Period.
March 27, 2009 through March 27, 2010.
Alliance Activity.
- Training and Education
Events
May 12, 2009 – Safe Scaffolding Outreach with Carpentry Program.
August 13, 2009 – The Importance of OSHA 10 Hour Training and Awards Ceremony.
September 21, 2009 – Safety and Health Issues for the Pre-Emerging Engineering Program. 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.
- Outreach and Communication
Events
As noted above, there have been several outreach events conducted by the Allentown Area Office (AAO) staff (CAS and CSHO) for the school. However, it should be noted that during the numerous Safety and Health OAC meetings, various safety and health topics are discussed and since many of the members of the Council are from the “private sector”, the various issues, ideas, and control strategies are communicated not just within the school but to those employers who permit their safety and health professionals to actively participate on the committee.
On a monthly basis (during the school year), LCTI publishes a newsletter entitled the “Director’s Report”. In this document various articles are written relative to education, the economy and the geographical area as it relates to career and technical education, and how (or why) they may have an impact LCTI. In the January 2010 edition, a “Spotlight” on a student who earned a Safety Award for revamping the emergency exit route signs posted throughout LCTI with tornado safe zones. Not depicted in the article, but also provided a Safety Award was a student who found an “incorrect” Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) in his lab, and took the initiative to contact the manufacturer and obtain an updated MSDS for the school use. In the February 2010 edition of the Director’s Report, most of the newsletter (first page and more) was focused on a single article entitled “Student Safety in Career and Technical Education”. It should be noted that the “Director’s Report” is not just an internal newsletter, but rather goes to all of the sending schools and hundreds of businesses in and around the Lehigh Valley.
- Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health
Although, there were no events conducted to promote the National dialogue on Youth and Workplace Safety and Health during this time period, representatives of LCTI have been invited to attend the 24th Annual High Schools that Work Staff Development Conference, which is being held in Louisville, Kentucky on July 14-17, 2010. The session being presented by two of the staff members at LCTI is entitled “Safety in Career and Technical Education: The OSHA Connection and More”. The Program Abstract is as follows: Learn how one career and technical school developed an “Alliance” with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and how the Alliance has helped to develop a culture of safety in the largest career and technical school in Pennsylvania.
Contributors:
James Casey, Praxair Inc.
Claude Kohl, Jr., retired;
Bill Dellicker, retired LCTI;
Michael Gibson, Gray Electric;
Daniel Kotran and Linda Pacifico, LCTI;
Tyrone Reed, Alvin H. Butz, Inc.;
Craig Berrier, Nestle – Purina;
Tom Civic, Scherling-Plough;
Dale Reitz, Parkland High School;
LCTI school faculty, staff and students
- Training and Education
PowerPoint presentations have been created and/or modified for the specific topics/subject matter listed above. PowerPoint presentations were provided in handout format for note-taking purposes.
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.
Through this Alliance the Safety Occupational Advisory Council did complete its’ review of all of the schools’ “Bi-Monthly Self Inspection Safety Checklist” and the Workplace Safety Committee’s “Walk-Through Lab Safety Inspection Form”, which has been incorporated into the schools management system and has been incorporated into its’ ISO Certification Program process.
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
As noted above new PowerPoint presentations were developed/modified and used locally.
- Training and Education
- Results
The Alliance activities and products created during the reporting period have enhanced the safety performance and culture throughout the entire school. This is evident by the institutionalization of the standardized self-inspection process that is fairly comprehensive in subject matter, yet individualized for each specific vocational area of study (i.e. commercial baking, health services, carpentry, welding, plumbing, …). Students have been given the responsibility to inspect their laboratory (two times per month) to look for (and when found mitigate) hazardous conditions.
The table below lists each of the activities conducted and the number of individuals reached or trained during the reporting period.
Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained Presentation – Safe Scaffolding 25 Students & 2 Instructors Presentation – The Importance of OSHA 10 Hour Training and Awards Ceremony 100 Students & 20 Instructors Presentation – Safety and Health Issues for the Pre-Emerging Engineering Program 11 Students & 1 Instructor Meeting – Safety and Health OAC 8 Committee members Meeting – Safety and Health OAC 8 Committee members Meeting – Safety and Health OAC 10 Committee members Meeting – Safety and Health OAC 7 Committee members TOTAL 192
The only issue that has some bearing on the Alliance’s implementation is that the Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council only meets during the school year. Therefore, the insight, technical assistance and expansion of safety and health promotion beyond the school maybe somewhat limited. However, the AAO CAS continues to be in contact with LCTI officials throughout the entire year.
- Upcoming Milestones
The Safety and Health Occupational Advisory Council will continue (at the start of next school year) to work with the school to review the various laboratories that utilize (or may utilize) respiratory protection equipment and aid in the development of a comprehensive school-wide respiratory protection program.
Report Prepared by: Scott G. Shimandle, Allentown AAO CAS after discussion and consultation with David Lapinsky, Ed. D..
For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to OSHA.