| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (Sep 06) |
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ODOT teaches apprenticeship candidates safer construction methods
Highway construction work is potentially dangerous. Workers operate heavy equipment, work with electricity and, in the case of bridge construction, work high above the ground. Specialized safety training addresses these and other dangers. As ODOT repairs or replaces hundreds of bridges throughout the state through the bridge program, it’s including safety training in its workforce development efforts.
Recently, 20 candidates for heavy highway trades apprenticeships completed the 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration training in Region 5. The training covers detailed safety procedures in the use of electrical tools, eye protection, trenching and heavy equipment, as well as emergency scenarios such as dealing with downed electrical lines. Specialized training for bridge construction involves learning about harnessing and scaffolding, and about how to safely perform construction work above your head, essential when working beneath a bridge.
“The OSHA 10-hour training gives people the knowledge they need to succeed in the construction industry,” said training lead Randy Peck, health and safety manager for Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners. “The training makes a lot of sense both for the employee and for the industry, because the direct and indirect costs associated with major incidents are huge."
According to Peck, the training involves more than simply hands-on practice of procedures. It also gives students the knowledge and skills to analyze any assigned task and work out safety issues before beginning work. For example, the training might help a worker spot a potential fault in a scaffold before climbing onto it.
The OSHA 10-hour safety training is part of ODOT’s implementation of the Workforce Development Plan, designed to expand the number of qualified people—especially women and minorities—available to work on highway projects. ODOT collaborated with the Oregon Employment Department, Bureau of Labor and Industries, and WorkSystems Inc. to develop orientation classes to help candidates meet apprenticeship requirements to enter into the heavy highway construction labor pool. Those requirements include academic and skills testing, registration in a job database, and now OSHA 10-hour training. Eighteen of the 20 participants in the Region 5 sessions were Tribal Employment Rights Office members from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
The OSHA 10-hour training wasn’t originally required for apprenticeship orientation, but contractors requested it. Worker safety is an ODOT priority, and now the agency has added the OSHA 10-hour training to all future apprenticeship orientation sessions.
“It’s a wonderful plan to conduct these trainings across the state,” Peck said. “The bottom line is that workers are more knowledgeable and safer because of the OSHA 10-hour trainings. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”
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