Harper College launches free safety awareness courses for workers

Harper College will offer free safety awareness courses in an effort to create a safer workplace environment for all employees.

Two courses for small business owners, managers and employees will begin starting
next month:

Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls: A Training Program for Small Businesses will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday, January 6. Additional dates for the
half-day course include January 29, February 19, February 26, March 6 and March 18.

Introduction to Safety and Health Management for Managers and Supervisors will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, January 10. Additional dates for the
full-day course include January 24, February 18, March 13 and April 1.

Courses take place on the college’s main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine.
More safety topics such as electrical hazards awareness will be added in the future.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), about 6,000 employees in this country die from workplace injuries while another
50,000 die from illnesses caused by exposure to workplace hazards. In addition, 6
million workers suffer non-fatal workplace injuries at an annual cost to U.S. businesses
of more than $125 billion.

Benefits of attending Harper’s free and interactive training courses include decreased
employee turnover, training expenses, workman’s compensation expenses and time away
from work. The courses can also help businesses avoid workplace disruptions, loss
of productivity and insurance premium increases, among others.

Experienced safety professionals and Occupational Safety and Health Administration
outreach trainers will lead the sessions.

Harper College will provide these courses with the support of a $180,0000 Susan Harwood
Training Grant. This grant provides training and education for workers and employers
on workplace safety and health hazards, responsibilities and rights.

Target audiences include businesses with two to 250 employees within the United States,
including low-literacy, and high-hazard industry workers and employers. Government
employees are ineligible to participate due to grant regulations. With sufficient
notice, Harper also can provide training in Spanish and American Sign Language.

For more information, visit harpercollege.edu/safety.

Disclaimer: This material was produced under grant number SH-05168-SH9 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily
reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.