Safety First: UWM Training Sessions Targeted to Faculty and Staff

Fire extinguisher training

MILWAUKEE — The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has a richly deserved reputation as an institution where students learn some of the most important lessons of their lives.

It's less well known, perhaps, as an institution where faculty and staff do the same. They learn what to do in case of a tornado, how to work safely in a confined space, and the similarities between a chimney and an elevator shaft.

The UWM Department of Environmental Health and Safety and Risk Management (EHSRM) conducts training and education sessions year-round in an effort to keep the campus a safe and secure place to work and learn.

"We offer everything from our ‘Safe Start' general orientation for new employees to very specific training on working with respirators and ladders, laboratory cleanout procedures, and much more," explains Sue Kerns, coordinator of the training program. "We try to anticipate and respond to the educational needs of the campus."

At a recent Safe Start session, for instance, Radiation Safety Officer Sharron Daly provided an orientation to the campus blue safety phone system, offered critical information on the proper way to make an emergency call from a campus phone (dial 9-911), and how to leave a room or building that contains a fire (close the door to the room, but don't lock it; never take the elevator since elevator shafts are the same as "large chimneys").

In another session, employees of Information and Media Technologies met with EHSRM's Robert Grieshaber, environmental health specialist, to review safety procedures for entering and working in confined spaces. They learned how to tell when such "creepy crawly pits" and less forbidding spaces met OSHA standards requiring a special permit for entry, and when they could be entered without one (when hazards are eliminated or remediated by proper ventilation).

They also were given training on methods of providing ventilation in these areas to avoid exposure to toxic or flammable gases, and the use of harnesses and other safety devices to avoid becoming trapped in spaces with tapered configurations or risks of engulfment.

Other training opportunities include sessions in asbestos awareness; bloodborne pathogens; welding, cutting and brazing; heightened security awareness; fall protection; fire extinguisher training and two dozen other topics.

"Each member of the department participates in or leads one or more of these presentations, so our training is a department-wide effort," says Kerns. "Many of the presentations are or can be adapted to fit the specific audience.

"We do training individually, or for groups of up to 100 or more. As of November, we've trained over 1000 employees this calendar year."

Kerns also worked last year with a UW System-wide group on content development for an online program to provide training mandated by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standards.

Designed for those working with hazardous chemicals, the training course is accessible by using either a dial-up or a network connection. The easy access enables UW employees located "anywhere and everywhere" to benefit by participating in the course and gaining a basic proficiency in topics covered by the regulation while ensuring a consistency in materials and training. For a schedule of training sessions and much more, visit www.safety.uwm.edu.

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