Construction Industry Awaits New Health Hazards Program Scheduled for Late Summer Roll-Out

HILLSIDE, Ill., May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Construction Safety Council plans to roll out a new national Health Hazards Awareness Program for the construction industry by late summer.

With federal funding from a Susan Harwood Training Grant awarded back in October 2009, the Construction Safety Council is in the final stages of developing a new train-the-trainer Health Hazards Awareness Program that will deliver a comprehensive curriculum covering the health hazards on construction projects including those that may be found on industrial, commercial, residential, heavy highway, tunnel, and demolition sites.  

Unlike most courses that cover the topic of health hazards, this course is designed to be delivered in plain, non-technical language that makes it easier to understand. The basic approach will address industrial hygiene issues in four steps: anticipation of problems, recognition of the problem, evaluation of environmental factors, and application of control measures.  The program will consist of modules focusing on topics developed around the chemical, physical, and biological health hazards that may be found on construction sites.  These modules can be mixed and matched to customize a program to a contractor's particular needs.  Instructional materials will be developed in both English and Spanish, and will conform to OSHA standards and requirements.  There will be a free training session for six instructors prior to the national roll-out.  Interested experienced trainers are welcome to apply for the trainer-the-trainer course.  Training will be offered free of charge to the employees of eligible contractors.  For specific information call 800-554-7744, ext 202.

The Construction Safety Council is a national 501 (c) (3) charitable organization that has developed safety training programs for the construction industry for nearly 20 years. Over the years, the Construction Safety Council has been awarded over $3 million in grants to develop programs that address hazards causing accidents, injury, and death in the construction industry related to silica, lead, falls, excavations, crane safety, power lines, electrical safety, work zones, and more. In 2005, the federal government awarded the Construction Safety Council with a grant for $761,000 to deliver construction safety training to workers helping to rebuild the Gulf coast following the destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  The Construction Safety Council, a partner in the National Safety Education Center that includes the National Safety Council and Northern Illinois University, delivers construction and general industry safety training locally and nationally. A list of additional construction safety training courses and programs may be found at the Construction Safety Council's website at www.buildsafe.org.

SOURCE Construction Safety Council