15 OSHA Trainees Certified

Some 15 residents attended the three evening sessions of the 10-hour OSHA training course on Construction Safety provided by CASA. Mr. Fernando Garavito of CASA coordinated the presentations which were taught by Luis Aleman at the West Lanham Hills Park Building on Sept. 15, 20, and 22.

We learned about safety and guidelines for Excavation, Tools, Electrical, Scaffolds, Stairs and Ladders, Personal Protection Gear, Cranes, Lockout/Tagout, Material Handling, and Employer and Employee responsibilities.

Our instructor provided us with the OSHA Construction Safety Handbook, and utilized slideshow presentations and certain video or photographic information to help us understand the unique topics. One Spanish-speaking student attended, and received some translation from Mr. Garavito and a Spanish-language copy of the handbook.

The instructor did a great job of making the information realistic and explaining the importance of each rule or guideline. He interacted with the listeners, responding to our questions and injecting humor into the presentations. He also helped by giving real life examples of a lot of the issues.

All 15 students will be receiving their OSHA Certification cards. OSHA certification is required for many job sites, and helps with advancement in one's career.