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Page 7 - Third-Shift Training Program Makes Successful Debut
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Third-Shift Training Program Makes Successful Debut

Last fall Georgia Tech was awarded a Susan Hardwood Grant by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a comprehensive safety training program for third-shift sanitation and maintenance workers in the poultry processing industry. Specialists in Georgia Tech’s Occupational Safety and Health Branch have conducted five train-the-trainer courses, including one each in Georgia, Florida, and Maryland and two in Arkansas. A total of 121 trainers participated in the program, and subsequently trained 601 third-shift poultry processing workers in their respective plants. The program’s goal is to reach 9,000 workers. A sixth course is scheduled for mid-December.

“To date the course and associated curriculum have been very well received by the poultry industry. We have had a great deal of positive feedback regarding the specific nature of the training and the course materials provided,” says James Howry, program director.

OSHA recently granted Howry and his team a “no cost extension” to continue their work through September 2009. The program is currently soliciting sponsors for more train-the-trainer offerings. Sponsors, explains Howry, agree to provide a suitable training space and assist with local area marketing in exchange for the free course and materials.

The train-the-trainer course materials as well as an abbreviated version of the worker-based training course are available online at www.oshainfo.gatech.edu under the Outreach link. The worker-based course is also available in Spanish. The course addresses unique hazardous conditions that are present in third-shift sanitation and maintenance operations in poultry processing plants. These include, but are not limited to, slips, trips, and falls; unguarded machinery; and improper lockout/tagout to control hazardous energy.

The team recently received an additional Susan Harwood Grant to conduct the training program for the entire food processing industry. “We hope to leverage our successes from our work with the poultry industry and to see similar results in food processing,” says Howry.