Degree and Course Information > Occupational Safety and Health > Courses

Overview of occupational safety and health, including introduction to regulatory agencies, financial and human impact of occupational injuries/illnesses, and workers compensation. Covers basic safety terminology and how to access safety information and resources. Focuses on the role of responsibility of the Safety and Health employee.

Concepts and measurements of reactive versus proactive safety practices. Students will learn the major on-the-job hazards in the workplace, and how to collect and evaluate data to identify safety and health trends. Students will also learn how to respond to safety data gathered, by developing site-specific programs, policies, and procedures.

Introduction to regulatory bodies and overview to Occupation Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Transportation (DOT,) Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations. History and political evolution of the regulatory environment; how violations are penalized, and how a regulatory agency performs a formal inspection.

Overview of risk manager role and current analysis methods. History and evolution of the workers compensation system, the Access and Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Washington State Disability Act will be explored. Covers business insurance and claims process, transfer/assumption/assessment of risk, and lines of insurance.

Topics covered will vary/rotate depending on current events and changes in the field of OSH, sample topics include: Workplace Violence, Transportation Safety, Medical Surveillance, Health Epidemics, Agriculture Safety, etc.

This course covers methods and documentation required for incident investigation. Overview of supervisor role in incident investigation, methods of review, action, and follow up to prevent recurrence. Includes overview of record-keeping system.

Overview of different learning styles and effective methods for providing training to employees. Advantages and disadvantages of different training medias and associated costs. Opportunities to provide training to other class members on selected safety topics and use different training methodologies.

Overview of the All Hazards Approach to industrial security. Site-specific vulnerability assessments, development of Emergency Action Plans, loss prevention, industrial security, history of terrorism/terrorist threats, workplace violence the National Incident Management System (NIMS) will be introduced.

Apply the basic concepts of industrial hygiene at the technician level. Understand toxicology in an occupational setting. Recognize and evaluate health hazards and develop controls to protect worker health in workplace scenarios. Evaluate health hazards in the workplace with OSHA exposure limits. Complete a case study report where industrial hygiene practices are applied to a real-world situation.

Overview of the history and evolution of ergonomics in the workplace. Ergonomic risk factors, terminology, engineering solutions, applications of the principles of body mechanics, and communication of basic ergonomic concepts and solutions.

Overview of regulations on hazard recognition, protective equipment, biological/radiological toxicology, monitoring decontamination. Includes 40 hours of OSHA required safety training/certification for workers/supervisors. This "hands-on" course covers all regulations. Site simulations are conducted.

Topics covered will vary/rotate depending on current events and changes in the field of OSH, sample topics include: Workplace Violence, Transportation Safety, Medical Surveillance, Health Epidemics, Agriculture Safety, etc.

Participants will obtain and participate in an occupational safety and health extramural work experience in their chosen area of interest.