How an accident investigation is conducted can significantly affect the outcome of the data collected and the conclusions and recommendations thereafter.  It is important to know the common pitfalls that can occur during an accident investigation.  This four-hour course will guide you through the proper steps for a successful investigation, so your company can avoid problems upfront and get the desired results.  Let us assist your company in becoming an A+ investigation team!

What you'll learn:

• Proactive safety management, including empowered safety committees, audits and a behavioral-based-safety approach.
• Common causes of accidents.  A step-by-step approach to conducting a successful investigation.
• How to effectively use your interview questions - and what/how you should and should not ask.
• Tips to ensure your interview gets you the information and results you need.
• Why it is necessary to collect  and determine "just the facts”.
• How you conduct the investigation and interviews can keep you or put you in trouble.
• Recommended follow up actions.
• How to develop review committees.

Exposure to bloodborne pathogens may occur in may ways and in any work environment.  According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 5.6 million workers in health care and other public occupations could be exposed to viruses such as AIDS and Hepatitis B. 

It is essential that employees know and understand the appropriate methods for handling situations involving potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

OSHA standards require employers to have a written exposure control plan if they have employees who could be “reasonably” anticipated, as a result of performing their job duties, to face contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials.

At STEP we offer both one and two hour bloodborne pathogens training programs and can tailor a program specific to your needs.  Our programs are designed to be used as stand-alone training, or can easily be coupled with  first aid and CPR training.  Additionally, our team of experienced consultants can work with you to develop a written exposure control plan that will ensure that you are in compliance with the OSHA bloodborne pathogen standard.

Employees at manufacturing and construction industries are regularly required to move large, heavy loads. We have developed training to help employers become aware of, and guard against, safety hazards surrounding this aspect of their manufacturing process.

In our crane and rigging course, you will learn essential elements [based on OSHA regulations] necessary to understand crane and rigging equipment.   Our four-hour class is intended to train personnel to identify the various types of rigging equipment and safe rigging practices; and will provide the student with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of rigging and the ability to identify potential safety problems.  A field exercise is included in this training.

We strive toward helping you understand rigging regulation, determining advantages/disadvantages of various slings and ropes, knowing how to inspect and test slings, determining how to handle defects and repairs, and understanding hardware and rigging attachments for slings. 

DOT training comes in a variety of formats. The Department of Transportation, according to 172.704 (a)(1) states that training is required every three years, based on what your employees are doing. Training may include:

(a)(1) general awareness
(a)(3) familiarization
(a)(4) security awareness      
(a)(5) security in depth      

General Awareness & Chemical Safety training includes:

• Being able to identify and recognize hazardous materials
• Determining methods to protect workers

Security Awareness training includes:

• Security risks with hazardous material transportation
• How to recognize and respond to possible security threats

Our DOT training sessions are provided in one-hour to four-hour formats.  We can add function specific training to include:

• paperwork
• blocking and bracing
• understanding the regulations
• loading and unloading
• inspections
• package selection
• hazardous waste shipments 
• tank car inspections

Electrical safety has always been a major concern of OSHA with respect to general industry and construction.  With OSHA laws and adopted consensus standards, individuals can work safely on electrical equipment by following today’s safeguards and recommended work practices.  STEP offers basic, practical electrical safety training courses that include the most up-to-date information regarding 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K, the Electrical Standard as well as NFPA 70E Electrical Safety in the Workplace.

Our consultants can assist your personnel with:

1. Understanding how the current OSHA electrical standards & NFPA 70E apply to your facility
2. Determining the level of personal protective equipment required
3. Implementing an arc flash assessment
4. Understanding electrical safe work practices

To begin the compliance process we offer an eight-hour training class which includes:

1. Compliance requirements
2. Lockout-tagout
3. Safe electrical work practices
4. Test equipment and insulated tools
5. Switching and clearing procedures
6. Calculating and determining clearance distances
7. Labeling requirements
8. Portable electrical equipment

Training can be conducted at your jobsite, at a designated location offsite, or at the STEP Training Center.   We offer a standardized training program for authorized, affected, qualified and unqualified employees and general electrical safety awareness. If you need something more specific, we can customize a training program to meet your needs. 

The primary hazard of trenching and excavation is employee injury from collapse. Excavating is recognized as one of the most hazardous construction operations. OSHA recently revised Subpart P, Excavations, of 29 CFR 1926.650, .651, and .652 to make the standard easier to understand, permit the use of performance criteria where possible, and provide construction employers with options when classifying soil and selecting employee protection methods.

We offer the option of an eight hour and four hour competent person excavation/trenching class. This class includes information such as:

• Definitions – what is a competent person?
• Overview of OSHA requirements
• Determination of soil type
• Test equipment
• Shoring types
• Shielding types
• Sloping and benching
• Spoil
• Special health and safety considerations

These seminars include special emphasis on case studies, real world situations and equipment that should be used. 

Fall Protection
What we offer:      

One-hour fall protection

Two-hour fall protection

Four -hour fall protection

Devising fall protection strategies to keep your employees safe is imperative. To help companies protect their workers against fall-related accidents and stay compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), STEP has developed comprehensive training courses custom designed to fit the needs of your organization.

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to understand the purpose of fall protection plans, be able to recognize when fall protection is required and when overhead protection is needed, understand when fall protection systems are used, the different types of fall protection, as well as the proper care of fall protection equipment.

We believe an informed workforce is a safe workforce. And, because OSHA says it’s not enough for companies to develop fall protection plans, they have to enforce them, too, we will work with you to train your employees and to build a fall protection plan that is specific to your company.

We work with you to STEP toward compliance!

What we offer:           

Two-hour portable fire extinguisher training plus hands-on workshop

Did you know that according to OSHA, each year in the U.S., 70,000-80,000 workplaces experience a serious fire,  about 200 employees per year die in these fires, and another 5,000 are injured. Do your employees know the proper procedures for using fire extinguishers?  We can train them.

Our Fire  extinguisher training  seminar includes the classes of fuels/fires, fire requirements, types of fire extinguishers,  performing visual inspections, PASS methods, and a test.  Following the classroom portion of this training, participants are asked to perform a hands-on usage drill of an actual fire extinguisher. 

We work with you to STEP toward compliance!

American Red Cross first aid, CPR and AED programs are designed to give you the confidence to respond in an emergency with skills that can save a life.  Additional training in bloodborne pathogens can be added to CPR and first aid training to prepare you for additional hazards. OSHA requires that you have designated people in your organization trained to render first aid, unless there is a hospital, infirmary/clinic in close proximity.  These designated people are also required to have bloodborne pathogens training.

Our instructors understand industry issues and work with participants to ensure that the skills you walk away with during this training are comprehensible.  Whether you assist during an emergency, are a professional rescuer or have been designated as the first aid provider, our instructors provide tools that allow you to help during a life threatening emergency.

Training is second nature to us.  We take the American Red Cross course,  developed by experts, and provide our “twist” of hands-on interactive training to make this one of the best courses your employees will attend.  From first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator training, our course includes the most up-to-date techniques and information. American Red Cross first aid and CPR certifications are good for two years.
 

According to OSHA, each year tens of thousands of injuries related to powered industrial trucks, including  fork trucks, occur in the workplace.  In addition, property damage is always a part of a fork truck accident.

Unfortunately, most employee injuries and property damage can be attributed to lack of safe operating procedures, lack of safety-rule enforcement, and insufficient and inadequate training.

At STEP,  we have developed thorough and effective training that gives employees and employers the tools necessary for safe fork truck operations. We offer employee fork truck training and “Train-the-Trainer” programs which incorporate both OSHA content and training methodology information to help ensure facility compliance.

Our team of trainers have years of experience in industry, making them equipped to understand and anticipate your needs.  We strive toward helping you understand what it takes to keep your employees safe during fork truck operations.

This training involves four site-specific items:

- Written program
- Labels
- Material safety data sheets
- Training of potential onsite chemical hazards

In order to ensure chemical safety in the workplace, information must be available about the identities and hazards of the chemicals. OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires the development and dissemination of such information:

Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import, and prepare labels and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers.

All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and MSDSs for their exposed workers, and train employees to handle the chemicals appropriately.

We can assist with this training. We provide several levels of training in a variety of formats.  Call us and talk to our consultants about how we can energize your training sessions!

STEP has been offering hands-on hazmat emergency response training for 20+ years to companies throughout the United States.  We have trained a variety of industries including maritime, petroleum, industrial, nuclear plants, coal plants, paper mills, and more. We always work to change and enhance our training,  to ensure the hands-on training you need is delivered. 

Our newly renovated training center allows us to offer hazmat simulations that challenge the emergency responder. STEP instructors are real-world-based professionals who can teach, coach and involve students at all levels of training.  All of our emergency response training is based on 29 CFR 1910.120, NFPA and Homeland Security Preparedness curriculum.  Training includes:

• 24 hr hazardous material technician
• 8 hr operations level
• 8 hr hazardous material technician refresher
• Incident Command System including NIMS

Any or all of our training can be customized, site-specific training to fit your needs.  Our strength is in working with companies to increase the onsite responder’s knowledge and capability to act safety in a hazardous material emergency.

 

OSHA 1910.120 requires all hazardous waste site workers to have a minimum of 40-hours of training and annual eight-hour refresher training.

Training applies to employees who do hazardous waste cleanup and/or are working on a hazardous waste site.

Topics in this seminar include safe work practices, hazard communication and chemical safety, identification of hazardous materials, air monitoring and container sampling, respiratory protection and other PPE, decontamination, incident command, excavation, and lockout/tagout, to mention a few.

Participants will perform hands-on breathing apparatus workshops and use levels A-C PPE.

A site safety and health plan is also implemented during training.

Industrial hose handling training includes the use of proper hose streams.

At the conclusion off STEP’s drills each participant will have participated by doing the following hose handling evolutions:

1. Identify various appliance used to make up different hose line operation.
2. Connect a fire hose to a hydrant and fully open and close the hydrant.
3. Place hose clamp on a charged line, replace a section of hose, and release clamp.
4. Two person advance of a charged line
5. Demonstrate a one person method for holding a 2 1/2" line (looping).

Need additional more in-depth training—contact us and discuss what we can do for you!

OSHA and its state plan partners help set and implement national safety and health standards for emergency responders.  Foremost among these standards is the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard of 29 CFR 1910.120(q).  The standard requires entities engaged in emergency response to provide appropriate training to their workers; to use an incident command system; to develop a written response plan that includes personnel roles, lines of authority and communication, site security and control, medical and emergency alert procedures; and to provide workers with appropriate protective equipment.

Standards related to emergency preparedness and response are:

1910.38, Emergency Action Plans
1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
1910.120(q), Emergency response program to hazardous substance releases

Training provided by our instructors include four, eight and sixteen-hour incident command management courses.  The basic concepts of management and leadership are highlighted in the eight-hour class through a series of table top workshops.  The sixteen-hour class adds to these concepts and includes additional table top exercises, hazard assessments; and, if at your facility, site specific emergency scenarios working through “What if this were to happen” table top drills.

Hazardous materials are defined in 49 CFR, Department of Transportation (DOT), and 29 CFR, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Hazardous waste is defined in 49 CFR, Department of Transportation (DOT),  29 CFR, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and 40 CFR Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA).

Incidental Spills of Hazardous Material
Incidental spills into an area which does not exceed the reportable quantity (RQ) or will not involve high levels of exposure are defined as hazardous material releases.  All chemical spills should be reported to an ESH professional.  Our training includes the following items and, like all of our training, can be customized to meet your specific needs.

Local Clean Up of Spill

If no person has been contaminated by the spill and the spill is localized do the following:

• Notify all other personnel in the affected area to evacuate.
• Isolate the area.
• When assistance arrives, determine if the spill can be cleaned up by using spill pillows, towels, sand, etc.
• Do not re-enter the area alone.
• Use proper personnel protection equipment (PPE) such as gloves, eye protection, and body protection.
• Clean-up the spill and place the spill clean-up items into a labeled hazardous waste container and store appropriately.
• Remove any contaminated PPE and immediately wash hands, etc.
• Dispose of the contaminated PPE as any contaminated item used in the spill clean up has been handled.
• The incident shall be reported to the Environmental Health & Safety Manager on Form 1, Appendix A by the person responsible for the room, laboratory, etc.
  

Handling of the Hazardous Waste
All items used in the spill clean up shall be placed into a suitable container and labeled with the appropriate hazardous waste information.  The container shall be placed into a satellite  accumulation area for safekeeping and handled in accordance with Policy 8.2, Satellite Accumulation Area Management Policy.

OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.1025 and 29 CFR 1926.62 set a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of fifty micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air (50 ug/m3), averaged over an 8-hour work-day.

For potentially higher exposure levels, appropriate respirators, protective work clothing, and other controls must be used. Furthermore, OSHA requires monitoring of affected workers for lead exposure when the OSHA action level of 30 ug/m3 is anticipated.

OSHA also requires a housekeeping program sufficient to maintain all surfaces as free as practicable of accumulations of lead dust.

Waste lead and lead-containing cleanup residues (such as dust from vacuuming) may be designated hazardous wastes, as defined in 40 CFR 261. 

Training of workers must occur if there is a possibility of lead exposure.  Our instructors can discuss lead hazards, the right PPE to use and involve the participants in a problem-solving session to develop safe work practices.

According to OSHA, compliance with the lockout/tagout standard (29 CFR 1910.147) prevents an estimated 120 fatalities and 50,000 injuries each year. Workers injured on the job from exposure to hazardous energy lose an average of 24 workdays for recuperation. In a study conducted by the United Auto Workers (UAW), 20% of the fatalities (83 of 414) that occurred among their members between 1973 and 1995 were attributed to inadequate hazardous energy control procedures specifically, lockout/tagout procedures.

OSHA looks for documented procedures and training records during lockout/tagout inspections.  They will routinely ask for lockout/tagout procedures for specific machines or equipment.  They will expect to find:

1. shutdown procedures
2. equipment isolation
3. application of lockout/tagout
4. release of stored energy
5. verification as part of these procedures. 

OSHA will also ask for training records and interview employees.

Our experienced consultants will train your employees on the standard and company specific procedures.  We can also help with the review of these procedures or development of new procedures.   We can add digital photos, which helps reinforce the right control point and makes the procedure more specific to your workplace and user friendly.

Call us today so that we can schedule a meeting to help you get into compliance.

Many workplaces contain spaces that are considered “confined” because their configurations hinder the activities of any employees who must enter, work in, and exit them. For example, employees who work in process vessels generally must squeeze in and out through narrow openings and perform their tasks while cramped or contorted. OSHA uses the term “confined space” to describe such spaces, and the term “permit-required confined space” (permit space) to describe those spaces that both meet the definition of “confined space” and pose health or safety hazards.

Permit-required confined space training includes a variety of classes based on the needs of your team. We offer a four-hour classroom seminar which provides the information necessary to comply with OSHA’s regulation, know what is needed for an entry/rescue team, and understand the equipment investment required. We offer eight and sixteen-hour basic entry/rescue courses. These give you the understanding of OSHA compliance, plus the added bonus of hands-on entry, rescue, knots and rope work, ventilation techniques, and monitoring requirements. Our eight-hour advanced class takes a look at your facility requirements, walks through the rescue game plan and involves the participants in a full day of hands-on training.

Assessments are a vital part of compliance. Following OSHA’s criteria, we will assist you onsite with a review of your confined spaces, and determine whether they qualify for permit-required procedures including rescue techniques.

Program writing is a must for anyone who has completed the assessment and has permit-required confined spaces. We can develop the program, review it with personnel and help you implement the steps that will take you toward compliance.

When engineering and/or administrative controls are not feasible or do not reduce exposure to workplace hazards to safe levels, OSHA requires PPE be worn to reduce employee exposure and to protect employees from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.

Besides face shields, safety glasses, hard hats, and safety shoes, PPE includes a variety of devices and garments such as goggles, coveralls, gloves, vests, earplugs, and respirators.

Knowing how to wear personal protective equipment is an important task.  STEP instructors involve participants in hands-on training to ensure that the donning and doffing of PPE is understood.

We conduct audits of process safety  management (PSM) programs according to the requirements of  29 CFR 1910.119.  OSHA states that every three years a compliance audit needs to be completed.  Our  PSM audits incorporate OSHA protocols, addressing records review, employee interviews, access to process safety information, operating procedure updates, document retention, observation of onsite conditions, and training.

We have developed a convenient Excel-based audit checklist/worksheet that incorporates OSHA/EPA audit issues and guidance. This checklist has several convenient features, such as the ability to regroup audit questions in accordance with the identities of the interviewees.  This can significantly expedite the audit and documentation process.

We document audit findings, and, if part of the project, provide specific recommendations for program improvements.  In addition to full program audits, we also conduct streamlined PSM reviews that provide a means of identifying significant program deficiencies.

Need additional assistance with PSM, PHA or RMP compliance?  We provide program assistance and training  for managers and employees.

This eight-hour hazardous waste course provides a detailed discussion of solid and hazardous waste management requirements. We work through the myriad of hazardous waste regulations, including how to classify hazardous waste, what type of shipping containers are needed, the use of the hazardous waste manifest and contingencies for hazardous waste emergencies.

Interactive case studies allow the participants to take the information provided and apply it to the situation they have been given. Anyone who generates hazardous waste is required to complete an annual training course. This eight-hour seminar provides the tools needed to maintain compliance for the person working with manifests, in charge of compliance, or classifying facility waste.

Our objectives for this class include:

1. Hazardous waste regulations
2. Generator status
3. Identification
4. Managing hazardous waste
5. Storage areas
6. Requirements for record keeping
7. Annual training information
8. Land disposal restrictions

We also provide this training class in a four-hour format, focusing on the requirements your employees need to know for annual training compliance. These include facility hazardous waste, storage, safe handling, labeling, hazards and contingency planning. A two-hour DOT Hazardous Waste function-specific class is also available.

Respiratory Fit Testing is required by OSHA for anyone wearing a tight-fitting respirator (negative or positive pressure) in your workplace.  Our company has worked with clients for many years conducting qualitative and quantitative fit tests.  Fit testing for respirators can be very time-consuming, especially if you have a large number of employees who wear respirators, or may have to wear them in an emergency situation.  Our consultants come right to your workplace and are able to get these fit tests done accurately and efficiently.  We will print the quantitative/qualitative fit testing results performed, and you will have an instant copy for your records to present to OSHA, if and when they come in for a workplace inspection.

Respirator fit testing is required:

1. prior to initial use of the respirator
2. whenever a different facepiece (size, style, model or make) is used
3. annually, thereafter
4. when an employee’s physical condition changes which could affect the fit of the respirator

Let us help you in determining the type of fit testing you need in your workplace, and let us do the work!  We’ll save you valuable time and money!

According to OSHA “An estimated 2.3 million construction workers, or 65 percent of the construction industry, work on scaffolds frequently. Protecting these workers from scaffold-related accidents would prevent 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths every year, at a savings for American employers of $90 million in workdays not lost.”

On August 30, 1996, OSHA issued revised standards for scaffolds. The revised standard, known as "Safety Standards for Scaffolds Used in the Construction Industry," is found in  Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1926, Subpart L.  The final rule updates the existing construction scaffold standards in Subpart L.

The new standards set performance-based criteria to protect employees from scaffold-related hazards such as falls, falling objects, structural instability, electrocution, or overloading. The new final rule addresses training and various types of scaffolds, as well as falling object protection, ladders, weather conditions, aerial lifts, stilts, and other matters that were not previously covered by the OSHA scaffold standards. In addition, it allows employers more flexibility when using protective systems for workers on scaffolding. The language of the rule has been simplified by eliminating duplicate and outdated provisions, consolidating overlapping requirements, and enhancing performance-based criteria to allow employers more flexibility in compliance while still protecting employees.

Our training includes competent person training with the following topics:

1. OSHA requirements
2. Frame scaffolding
3. Tube & clamp
4. System type erection
5. Scaffold in sections