The Mid-South OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTIEC) -- a consortium between Alliance Safety Council and Louisiana State University's College of Engineering -- is one of only 26 OSHA-authorized centers in the U.S. and the only OTIEC located in Louisiana. In addition to Louisiana, training through Mid-South is also available in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico, and in other U.S. cities as needs arise.
During mass flooding, hurricanes and other emergency events, Mid-South offers courses such as OSHA 7600 (Disaster Site Worker). It is designed for personnel who provide skilled support services such as:
- Utilities.
- Demolition.
- Debris removal.
- Heavy equipment operation.
- Site cleanup in response to a disaster.
Frequent participants also include governmental personnel outside of fire/rescue/law enforcement and employees from nongovernmental organizations like the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Attendees leave the course with an awareness of the safety and health hazards that may be encountered at a natural or man-made disaster site. They will also have a better understanding of the importance of respiratory protection, other PPE and proper decontamination procedures that may be used to mitigate hazards.
In addition to courses focused on disaster site work and emergency evacuations, Mid-South regularly offers training related to hazardous materials, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, ergonomics, confined space, excavation, electrical standards and fall protection, as well as several other pertinent safety topics. Two of the more popular offerings are OSHA 500 -- Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for Construction and OSHA 501 -- Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for General Industry. These are designed for individuals interested in teaching OSHA Outreach courses. Trainer update courses (OSHA 502 and OSHA 503) are also provided, as well as OSHA 510 -- Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry, OSHA 511 -- Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General Industry, and OSHA 5410 -- Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Maritime Industry.
The Public Sector Safety & Health Fundamentals Certificate Program is also available to safety professionals. The certificate program, administered by OTIECs, includes courses on occupational safety and health standards for construction or general industry, safety and health management, accident investigation, fall hazard awareness and recordkeeping. The program was designed for public-sector employees but is available to anyone interested in accelerating their occupational safety and health career.
New to Mid-South is the Certified Safety and Health Official (CSHO) Certificate Program, which provides a path toward earning a professional certificate with a concentration in either construction or general industry. Certificate holders include but are not limited to:
- Health, safety and environmental professionals.
- Safety coordinators.
- Human resources professionals.
- Plant managers, supervisors and crew chiefs.
- Construction site superintendents.
- Safety and health training facilitators.
- Risk management and risk assessment professionals.
Alliance Safety Council and Louisiana State University's College of Engineering have joined forces to provide disaster site worker courses and training focused on hazardous materials and emergency evacuation.
The CSHO certification requires six core courses and four electives. At least four of those courses must be taken with Mid-South. All courses must be completed within five years in order to receive this certificate.
Mid-South offers a number of one-day seminars as well. These courses were added for safety professionals who are unable to attend full-week courses. Focuses include safety and health management, recordkeeping, health care ergonomic guidelines, accident investigation and emergency evacuation. The unique set of OSHA courses provided by Mid-South can only be taken through the Mid-South OSHA Training Institute Education Center and its network of authorized training providers.
For more information, visit www.midsouthoti.org or call (877) 345-2515.
