The West Virginia University
Extension Safety
and Health Extension has been awarded an Occupational Health and Safety
Administration (OSHA) Susan Harwood Training Grant to provide hazard
recognition and abatement training to 350 workers in the oil and natural gas
industry.
Susan Harwood Training Grants provide training and education on workplace safety, health hazards, responsibilities and rights. These grants aim to help underserved, high-hazard industry workers and employers.
“Recognizing hazards and having the knowledge to correct those hazards is a lifelong skill that must be intentionally practiced,” Tiffany Rice, assistant professor, WVU Extension Safety and Health Extension, said. “This grant allows us to develop training that focuses on identifying major hazards within the gas and oil industry and discussing ways to control those hazards.”
The Oil and Gas Hazard Recognition and Abatement class is a four-hour training that encourages employees to reflect on hazards they are exposed to in the workplace. The oil and natural gas industry can be dangerous, so increasing knowledge of workplace safety is a top priority of WVU Extension Safety and Health.
“Our goal is to push the training out to workers of all types, but specifically those hard-to-reach workers in the industry,” Rice said. “We worked closely with EQT Corporation through the curriculum development and pilot process of this training, and their safety team provided valuable insight into industry needs and best practices. Having an operator in support of training, especially at the contractor level, is a major win for safety and the industry as a whole.”
The training highlights interactive modules focusing on significant safety areas for the oil and gas industry, including transportation, struck-by and caught-between situations, confined space, falls, fires and explosions. Workers are also trained to understand their rights and employer responsibilities according to OSHA regulations.
“At EQT, we place the highest priority on the safety of our employees, contractors and communities,” said Mike Lauderbaugh, vice president of Environmental Health and Safety, EQT Corporation. “Our team is proud to share our best practices and learnings to support WVU in developing a curriculum that will help make our industry safer and better.”
Two additional dates for this training have been added, one on June 13 in Morgantown, West Virginia and another on June 14 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Both classes will be from 8 a.m. to noon. Click here to register, or contact Tiffany Rice with any questions at 304-293-2852 or Tiffany.Rice@mail.wvu.edu.
Beyond this training, WVU Extension Safety and Health Extension offers many other trainings and programs to help individuals lead safe, prosperous lives – including more than 40 OSHA courses covering everything from basic workplace safety to specialized safety trainings, as well as health care continuing education opportunities through the Shirley M. Kimble Training Center.
To learn more about what WVU Extension Safety and Health Extension offers, visit https://extension.wvu.edu/community-business-safety/safety-health.
If you want to learn more about WVU Extension, visit extension.wvu.edu or follow @WVUExtension on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
-WVU-
slk/05/10/23
CONTACT: Sydney Keener
Communications Specialist
WVU Extension
304-293-8986; Sydney.keener@mail.wvu.edu