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Region plants, dedicates fifth “LivingMemorial” to honor fallen workers

Joe Miceli, Safety & Health Committee Chair Colleen Wheaton, Central Region President

Spring 2014

The CSEA Central Region 5 Safety & Health Newsletter

By Mark Kotzin, CSEA Communications Specialist

Inside

A Message fromRegion PresidentColleen Wheaton Page 2

Workers MemorialDay Pictures Page 3

Occupational ClinicsPage 4

Safety Reports Page 5

Regional RoundupPage 6

Message from theChair Page 6

Are Public SectorJobs MoreDangerous? Page 7

Summertime Safety Page 7

New OSHA Trainings Page 8

UTICA – Utica now joins East Syracuse, Watertown, Watkins Glen and Binghamton as thelocation for one of our Region’s “living memorials,” a tree planted by our Region Safety and HealthCommittee to honor those workers who died on the job.

On April 28, the day recognized internationally as Workers Memorial Day, CSEA and otherlabor supporters came together outside the DOT Worker Memorial in Utica (erected by our Local505 members) to plant a weeping cherry tree and remember the workers who died since last year’sobservance.

At the ceremony, Region Safety & Health Committee Chair Joe Miceli read the names of thefollowing CSEA members who perished on the job since last year’s observance:

Lance GaytonCSEA Local 105August 7, 2013

Steven GiacobelloCSEA Local 881

Sept. 23, 2013Nick Farella

CSEA Local 860Oct. 7, 2013

Lizette SerranoCSEA Local 429

Nov. 27, 2013Marion Anderson-Ryan

CSEA Local 429Nov. 27, 2013Ron Clifford

CSEA Local 820January 2, 2014Rich Capper

CSEA Local 105Feb. 16, 2014

At right: Local 414 President Don Meenan and Local 505President Pete Niznik reflect in front of the living memorial

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Workers’ Memorial Dayis always a time to reflect onhow fortunate most of us areto be alive and healthy, andhow we cannot take forgranted the fact that we arestill able to come to workwhen, tragically, others arenot.

We often forget our jobscan be dangerous andsometimes deadly. Wewouldn’t want to putourselves in the shoes of thoseworkers who lost their liveson the job. We don’t like tothink about the loved onesthey left behind. We don’t like to dwellon the painful feelings that the loss of aco-worker, relative or friend can bringabout. Sometimes it’s easier just to thinkthat it could never happen to us.Sometimes it’s easier to just ignorehazards that might be lurking right aroundthe corner. Sometimes it’s easier NOT toremember.

And that, of course, is why we have aWorkers’ Memorial Day to begin with. Aday that forces us to focus on our losses,a day that forces us to put ourselves intheir shoes, a day that forces us toremember, pay tribute, and think aboutwhat each and every one of us can do to

make our workplacessafer, whether you workin a school, a park, a boilerroom, or along a highwaywork zone.

This year, when weheld our annual WMDobservance, we gatheredoutside the Utica DOTWorkers Memorial,proudly built by our UticaDOT Local 505 members.We did all the usual thingswe do at theseobservances. We bowedour heads in prayer andremembrance, we read

aloud the names of those who died sincelast year’s observance, and we put apermanent marker in front of the memorial

tree we planted. But to be honest, it allfelt a little bit unreal, like we were justgoing through the motions, until I realizedsomething. That woman, standing in themiddle of the crowd, wasn’t just anotherperson who showed up to go through themotions with us. That woman, MichelleFarrell, was the wife of Gary Farrell, oneof our DOT Local 505 members who waskilled in November 2009 when a pickuptruck barreled through his workzone,drove over the orange safety cones, andthen drove over Farrell.

For Michelle, this observance had amuch deeper meaning, one that I couldn’teven begin to comprehend. But as the wifeof a DOT worker myself, maybe I couldidentify… just a little bit… thinking aboutmy fears that someday I might get a callthat my husband has been injured on thejob… or worse.

I made sure that in recognition ofMichelle and some of her family membersattending, we read Gary’s name aloud thatday, and paid tribute once again her fallenhusband. I could see her tear up justhearing his name, and I couldn’t wait toget over to her and give her a reassuringhug, to let her know that we indeed doshare her pain, and that we, like her, wouldnever forget.

Now, Gary’s legacy is more than justa plaque outside the DOT substation inForrestport where he worked. His reallegacy is our Don’t Zone Out Campaign,one we started shortly after his death,recognizing the need to raise awarenessof the dangers of distracted driving andthe need to slow down and be more awarewhen driving through a roadside orhighway work zone.

I wish I could take away Michelle’spain and suffering. I wish I could say theright words, and do the right things, but Iknow that nothing will ever truly fill thehole left in her heart and her life. So I keepdoing what I know I CAN do, which ismaking sure that we all remember, we allpay tribute, and we rededicate ourselvesto doing everything in our power to makesure that no one else joins Michelle andall of the other spouses and familymembers of our fallen workers.

In Solidarity,

A Message From Region President Colleen Wheaton

Finding a deeper meaning this Workers’ Memorial Day

Is an official publication of theCSEA Central Region

Safety & Health Committee

Colleen Wheaton, PresidentJoe Miceli, Chair

Donald Lynskey, AdvisorJosh Kemp, OSH Specialist

Mark Kotzin, Editor

Send address corrections to:CSEA, 6595 Kirkville Road

East Syracuse, NY 13057

Colleen Wheaton

Alive!

“I could see her tear up just hearing hisname, and I couldn’t wait to get over to herand give her a reassuring hug, to let herknow that we indeed do share her pain, andthat we, like her, would never forget.”

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Workers Memorial Day 2014

Workers Memorial Day in pictures

Workers Memorial Day 2014,clockwise from upper left:Region President ColleenWheaton bows her head asHealth & Safety CommitteeChair Joe Miceli reads thenames of workers lost; CSEALocal 434 members belongingto the The New York StateCourt Officer Ceremonial Unitpresent the colors; PresidentWheaton comforts MichelleFarrell, wife of former Local505 member Gary Farrell whowas killed in a work zone;Activists gather to remember.

Photos by CSEA CommunicationsSpecialist Mark Kotzin

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Safety Awareness

Safety Awareness: Occupational Health ClinicalCenters offer health & safety services to workersContributed by Safety & Health Committee Advisor Don Lynskey, edited by CSEA Communications Specialist Mark Kotzin

At our most recentRegion Safety and HealthCommittee meeting, weheard from guest speaker PatRector, who serves as thedirector of outreach andeducation at theOccupational Health ClinicalCenters at Upstate MedicalUniversity. She opened hercomments by noting thatCSEA has set anoccupational safety standardthroughout the state, one that has a positivecatalyzing effect by encouraging people tothink about health and safety issues at theirworkplace.

The Occupational Health ClinicalNetwork was created in 1987 and remainsthe only such network of its kind in thenation. Rector explained that unions andworker advocates looked at safety and healthdata, incidents of accidents, injuries andfatalities and determined that a lot ofhighly-preventable injuries and preventablediseases were happening in New York. Atthe time, workers experiencing seriousdiseases or injuries were often minimizedby their bosses. There was no incentive forbosses to change conditions that might havecaused the problem, no analysis to reviewpatterns of injury. It was a two-year fight topass the legislation, led by a partnershipbetween organized labor and worker healthand safety advocates, which created thenetwork of eleven Occupational HealthClinics throughout New York State. Threeof the clinics (Syracuse, Canton andBinghamton) are in our Region and serveworkers in 26 counties.

The mission of the clinics is two-fold:to provide accurate, independent diagnosisof work-related illness in workers and formerworkers; and to prevent occupational illnessand fatality in workers exposed to hazardousconditions. If a union has a problem or issuethat needs analysis, the Clinical Centers havean Industrial Hygienist that can performassessments. If there are health and safetyconcerns that are recurring or not being takenseriously enough, the Clinical Centers canoffer analytic assistance. The results canoffer a certain kind of credibility, legitimacy,and scientific data to show that the issue is

serious and preventable, andoffer remedies and/or solutions.

Working men and womenoften need advocates in the field.When employers’ insurancecarriers deny recommendedtherapies, diagnostic tests, oreven the merit of the worker’sconcern, the Clinics can oftenhelp. In this regard, Dr. MichaelLax, the clinics’ medicaldirector, has been called the

“game changer.” With the strength of hismedical knowledge, the power of hisadvocacy and his understanding of theWorkers’ Comp system, he was recognizedin 2011 by the National Council onOccupational Safety and Health for hislifetime achievements on behalf of workers.

Rector emphasized that the ClinicalCenters staff participate in continuingeducation and, for example, recently had asobering presentation on exposures ofhighway workers to certain kinds of fumes,the consequences of them, and what sort ofremedies are available.

On the growing concern of workplaceviolence, Rector said the Clinic staffconsiders all violence at the workplace, notjust fatalities, to be a very serious medicalproblem. Working in conjunction with theClinics, in partnership with their health andsafety rep, workers who have experiencedany sort of assault can expect to be listenedto respectfully – in a process that bringsaddition muscle to the severity of theproblem.

According to Rector, prospectiveworker-patients can call the Clinics toll-freebetween 9 am and 4:30 pm at (800) 432-9590to discuss symptoms and suspected work-relatedness, but emphasized that the clinicis not an emergency room. “Work-relatedness is not always easy to determine,”she said. “A sliced tendon at a work site iseasy to diagnose; a persistent wheezingcough, persistent muscle pain, or debilitatingback pain from awkward or heavy liftingmay not be. We try to figure out what'shappening sooner rather than later - so thatthere are better treatment options for thepatient,” she added.

“The clinic makes every effort to preventcost from being a barrier to using ourservices,” she said. “For those with noinsurance, a sliding fee scale is available.Those with job-related symptoms have alegal right to have costs (including co-pays)paid by the Workers’ Compensation system.But the decision to file or not file a Workers’Compensation claim rests with workersthemselves.”

OSH Specialist Josh Kemp encouragedmembers to always report any injury andfile for workers compensation, if necessary.CSEA has a legal services member benefitprogram that can help injured workersnavigate the Workers Compensation processwhich can be accessed by calling (800)342-4146.

Worker/patients coming to one of theClinics for the first time can expect a verythorough review of their occupationalhistory. Unlike some medical visits wherepatients rocket through a visit in 10 minutesor less, worker/patients will receive carefulattention for up to 90 minutes. Because alarge number of doctors around the statehave refused to accept patients with work-related illness, the clinics offer workers areliable alternative. The occupational healthclinics in our Region have chosen not to dodrug testing, as some employers haverequested them to do. They also providesecond opinions on work-relatedness, sincemany primary care doctors or specialists donot have occupational medicine training.

Kemp serves as CSEA Region 5's liaisonto the Clinical Centers. He also serves onOHCC's advisory board working to bringpublic sector health and safety issues to thegroup’s attention. Josh stressed howimportant it is that the committee membersshare what an amazing resource we haveavailable to us.

Pat Rector

Occupational Health Clinical Centerof Central New York

6712 Brooklawn Pkwy., Suite 204, SyracuseOccupational Health Clinical Center

of the North Country39 W. Main Street, Canton

Occupational Health Clinical Centerof the Southern Tier

840 Upper Front Street, BinghamtonOnline at: www.ohccupstate.org

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Safety Reports

Our Region was well-represented atthe recent Statewide Occupational Safetyand Health Conference held in LakePlacid. Eleven members of our RegionSafety & Health Committee attended theweekend-long event, as well as 109 otheractivists from our Region, includingRegion President Colleen Wheaton.

Overall more than 800 activistsattended, and took advantage of the morethan 30 educational workshops held. Arecord number of first-time attendeesmade workshops like “Safety and HealthBasics” fill quickly. On the conference’s

second day, everyone joined together fora beautiful Worker Memorial Ceremonyremembering our brothers and sisters whowe lost since the last conference. Theconference featured a keynote speech fromDr. Linda Rae Murray, Chief MedicalOfficer for the Cook County (IL) Dept. ofPublic Health.

The conference closed with apresentation from CSEA Director of Fieldand Member Services Steve Alviene onour Strong Communities Work initiativeand hearing the many ideas that conferenceattendees had to offer.

If you missed the conference, mostprogram materials are available for useand download at: www.cseany.org/osh

Safety Report: Safety Conference a hit!by CSEA Communications Specialist Mark Kotzin & OSH Specialist Josh Kemp

At SUNY Oswego we are taking afresh look at our campus’ WorkplaceViolence Prevention Policy. Our currentpolicy was drafted and implemented byour human resources director withoutinput from the union and reads more likean employee discipline policy than aviolence prevention policy.

It took years of pleading from ourSafety and Health Committee along withviolations from the Department of Laborto have the college comply with the lawregarding having full employeeinvolvement and risk assessments

completed. Since it was originallydeveloped, there hasn’t been any reviewof the policy or annual site inspections,even with the completion of severalrenovations and new construction.

A little over a year ago we gained newleadership in the HR department and wewere recently informed at our Labor-Management meeting that she intends toreview the policy and send a revised draftto CSEA for review and comment. Ameeting of the WVP Committee isscheduled for later this month to discussthe policy and site assessments

We are also working with ourDepartment of Environmental Health &Safety to bring OSH Specialist Josh Kempto our campus for Trenching & Excavationtraining and we are being encouraged toexplore other needed trainings offered byCSEA. There is also a new link on ourLocal 611 web site as well as our HRdepartment web site for NYS & CSEAPartnership Training Programs. We areencouraged by these recent developmentsand intend to take full advantage of thisnew sense of Labor-Managementcooperation.

Safety Report: CSEA at SUNY Oswego sees growingcooperation from management on safety issuesby CSEA SUNY Oswego Local 611 Safety Co-Chair Andrew Salvagni

Madison Co. Local 827 activists Betty JoJohnson and Tom Simchik participate in

the Statewide OSH Conference

Legislative Report: Safe Patient Handling Act passes

Good news for CSEA membersworking in healthcare facilities! Therecently passed State budget includes theSafe Patient Handling Act, legislationCSEA has been supporting for more thantwelve years. Using safe patient handling(SPH) equipment and procedures protectsboth health care workers and patients byreplacing manual lifting and moving ofpatients with assistive devices.

The Act will cover all hospitals,nursing homes, diagnostic treatmentcenters and clinics licensed under Article

28 of the Public Health Law, andincludes state operated group homes aswell as health care units in prisons andOCFS facilities. The new law requires astatewide work group to define bestpractices and issue a report, and followsup with facility-based committees that willassess hazards, establish a SPH policy,provide ongoing training, and annualevaluations of the SPH program.

These are just the highlights of whatthe Act will accomplish. Be assured that

CSEA’s Occupational Safety and HealthDepartment will be deeply involved in thestatewide initiatives, as well as helpingimplement SPH programs at the facilitylevel. More information will be forthcom-ing, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Here are some key dates associatedwith the SPH Act:

1/1/15 - Creation of statewide workgroup7/1/15 - Workgroup issues report on best practices1/1/16 – Health facility committees created1/1/17 – Health facility programs implemented

by CSEA Communications Specialist Mark Kotzin

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Regional Safety Roundup

Safety Happenings: Around the Region A Regional Safety Overview fromOSH Specialist Josh Kemp

Technical AssistanceCNY DDSO - provided information

regarding precautions to be taken whenconsumer has undergone radiation treat-ment; guidance and information givenregarding Emergency Action/Fire Plans andproper egress; provided information regard-ing defend in place policy.

Onondaga County - Met with L/M atJobs Plus to discuss their WVP program (riskassessments and training); accompaniedDSS and Probation Unit Presidents on WPVrisk assessments of new work spaces;provided assistance at WEP regardingsodium hypochlorite exposure in a Permit-Required Confined Space and met withmembers regarding respiratory protectionand hearing conservation; met with L/M atHillbrook Detention Center to discuss WVPprogram and provide information to thefacility’s WVP committee.

Otsego County - met with Labor andManagement to discuss cooperating toupdate the County’s WPV program.

SUNY Morrisville - met with Labor andManagement regarding mold cleanup afterconcerns were raised by members. CSEAhas provided training and is now workingwith management to create a mold cleanupprogram and policy.

NYS DMV, Syracuse office - providedtechnical assistance regarding mold con-cerns. Employees were moved to anotherlocation until the mold was properly abated.

Tompkins County - met with labor andmanagement regarding WVP after severalincidents took place. CSEA provided guid-ance to the County to ensure the incidentswere handed properly under the county’spolicy and the NYS regulation.

NYS DOT, Onondaga East Residency -Met with L/M to make recommendations ona mold cleanup under a break room sink.The impacted countertops, cabinets anddrawers were replaced.

SUNY Cortland - provided informationregarding indoor temperatures during thewinter months. Occupied buildings werebeing kept at temperatures below thoserequired by NYS Building code.

Lewis County DPW - Provided informa-tion regarding hearing conservation, safetyshoes, and forklift training; testing wasperformed in several Public Health officesof the Hospital to determine if Indoor AirQuality was contributing to a member’sadverse health effects. A report, whichcontained improvements that could be made,was issued.

Oswego County, Solid Waste Dept. -technical assistance provided regardingunderground storage tanks, leak and volumetesting; provided information at Bristol HillLandfill regarding welding with stainlesssteel. A member was welding on stainlesssteel which causes exposure to Hexavalentchromium, management was contacted andwelding on stainless steel was stoppedimmediately.

Seneca County - provided assistance andmet with members in DSS regarding possibleTB contraction and infection control proce-dures.

Cortland County - reviewed the County’supdated WVP policy/program and will befollowing up in the coming months.

Oxford Veterans Home - Met with L/Msafety and health committee to discuss SafePatient Handling.

SUNY Oswego - Provided assistancewhen members were operating a forklift withno brakes. Met with EHS and the forkliftwas taken out of operation.Trainings

SUNY Oswego - Safety and healthcommittee training;

SUNY Morrisville - Mold awarenesstraining;

City of Auburn DPW - Work Zone AllHazard training;

Lewis County Highway Dept. - WorkZone All Hazard training;

NYS Parks, Central Region - Work ZoneAll Hazard training;

LaFargeville CSD - Violence in Schoolstraining; and

NYS School for the Deaf, Rome -provided Back Injury Awareness training.PESH Activity

Onondaga County Probation Dept. -Submitted PESH complaint regarding theProbation Department’s WVP program.Results are pending.

SUNY Upstate Medical at CommunityGeneral - PESH performed a programinspection on entire facility. Approximately30 violations are pending.

Oswego County - PESH performed aninspection of the Highway Department’smain garage and issued a Notice of Violationover two violations; PESH inspected the 911Center over sanitation and IAQ concerns,with results pending.

Hannibal CSD bus garage - PESHconducted an inspection and issued a Noticeof Violation over five violations.

A message from the Chair by Joe Miceli, Chair, Region 5 Safety& Health Committee

Joe

Winter is finallyover, so now comesour next season…road construction.So let’s all rememberDon't Zone Out anddon’t drive distract-ed.

In my message I’m always tellingeveryone to watch out for our brothers andsisters as well as ourselves. Well, this timeone of our members was watching out forme. I was driving back from the Safety andHealth Conference in Lake Placid when my

truck died. It just stopped running as I waspulling into Tupper Lake. As luck wouldhave it, Cheryl Lobdell from CSEASunmount DDSO Local 431 was driving byand stopped to offer assistance. She put mein touch with a friend of hers who towedmy truck and fixed it for me a few days later.This is a perfect example of CSEA memberswatching out for one another. I was alsolucky that two of my own members wereright behind me so we had a ride home. SoI would like to thank Cheryl, Dan & Andy.

We also just had our fifth WorkersMemorial Day remembrance. This year it

was in Utica. We had a beautiful day and agood size crowd and it went nicely. Thankyou to all who helped with this. Our goal isto do one in every County throughout ourRegion. This is a great way to rememberthose who died in the last year. Maybesomeday I won’t have to read the names ofmembers who have died… it’s a nicethought. Maybe someday we won’t havemembers die on the job and everyone makesit home safe from work. Like I said, it’s anice thought.

Be safe and have a greatsummer.

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Safety Hot Topic

Hot Topic: Public sector jobs more dangerous

New data released by the Bureau ofLabor Statistics (BLS) shows New Yorkstate and local government employeesexperienced a much higher rate of injuryand illness than workers in any otherindustry during 2012.

It may not be something you’ve everconsidered, but a lot of the time, there’san inherent risk associated with jobs in thepublic sector.

And, according to Nellie Brown,director of the workplace health and safetyprogram at Cornell University, that has abig impact on statistics like these.

The BLS report states:

“Among state and local governmentworkers in New York, about 69,000 injuryand illness cases were reported in 2012,resulting in a rate of 7.0 cases per 100full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was5.6. Almost 78 percent of injuries andillnesses reported in New York’s publicsector occurred among local governmentworkers.”

In contrast to those figures, there were146,300 injury and illness cases reportedin the private sector, translating to a rateof 1.4 cases per 100 full time workers forthe sector as a whole. The rate in eachindustry within the private sector differed.

“The police and firefighting, andsecurity and prison kind of work, andwater and waste water, and road andhighway construction and maintenance…we sometimes expect people in the publicsector to take on these risks, this is whatwe expect our government to do, and yetcertain hazards go along with that,” saysBrown.

But, other factors could also be shapingthose figures.

Stephen Madarasz, spokesman forCSEA – the union representing manypublic workers in New York – says theeconomic downturn, and the subsequenttightening of state and local budgets, hasput workers at risk.

“We’ve seen a lot of people retiring so

that the institutional knowledge andknow-how is going out the door. And newhires, if they’re even coming in at all, arenot being adequately trained and providedwith equipment because there areexpenses associated with that. So, we’reseeing in many cases some penny-wiseand dollar-foolish budgeting choices.”

Madarasz says there’s been a spike inthe number of workplace deaths in thepublic sector as well, averaging about onedeath per month during 2013.

And that is a reflection of inadequatestaffing, old equipment, and a lack oftraining, he says.

More than half the states in the nationlack health and safety laws that protectpublic workers.

Madarasz says the state of New Yorkis ahead of the curve in that respect, butlast year’s figures and the BLS data showthere are still issues that need to beaddressed.

Produced by WXXI Public Broadcasting for the Innovation Trail Local Journalism Center. Reprinted with permission.Reporter: Kate O’Connell, Editor: Matthew Leonard.

Seasonal Safety Tips: Enjoying a safer SummerSummer work can be dangerous if you don’t know how to

properly protect yourself from the heat and sun. Many peopledon’t realize the effect the summer weather can have on yourhealth and well being. Here are 10 workplace summer safety tipsthat can help you beat the heat and stay happy and healthy allsummer long.

Tips For Working During The Summer

1. Always dress appropriately. Wear short sleeved shirts andshorts whenever possible.

2. Keep all clothing light colors. The darker the fabric, the moresun it will attract and absorb.

3. Wear clothes that breathe. Nothing should be too tight. Thiswill allow fresh air to flow over your skin and help you staycool.

4. Drink plenty of fluids. Water and Gatorade are two excellentchoices. Stay away from sugary sodas and energy drinks.They can speed up the dehydration process.

5. Wear sun block if you are going to be outdoors for a majority

of the day. The sun can be verydamaging to your skin if it is leftunprotected.

6. Bug spray will help you avoid mosquito bites. While thereis a slim chance that the mosquito will be infected with WestNile Virus, it is not worth taking the risk.

7. Take breaks and go indoors or into an air conditioned car.It is important to allow your body a chance to recover fromthe heat.

8. If you begin to feel dizzy, weak or nauseous, take a breakimmediately. If your symptoms do not go away after gettingout of the heat, you should call for medical attention.

9. 10 am till 2 pm is when the sun is at its highest point in thesky. It is also when it is at its hottest. If at all possible, avoidoutdoor work during these hours.

10. Sunglasses and hats are great accessories for the summerseason. Sunglasses will help to protect your eyes fromharmful UV rays. Hats are great at preventing sunburn. Theyalso help keep your body slightly cooler.

by CSEA OSH Specialist Josh Kemp

Region 5 Safety & HealthCommittee Members

We need toknow!

Keep 5 Alive Spring 2014

Joe Miceli, Chair, SUNY Oswego.............................................................(315) 312-2732Donald Lynskey, Regional Advisor..........................................................(315) 794-8802King Davis, Syracuse State Employees....................................................(315) 423-1274Heather Berry, Region 5 Judiciary...........................................................(315) 671-1099Arthur Briggs, Mohawk Valley Psych. Ctr.............................................(315) 738-2699Anthony DeCaro, Cayuga County............................................................(315) 253-8754Ronald Doughty, Upstate Medical University.........................................(315) 464-4351James Jackson, Oswego County................................................................(315) 341-2906Athena Manley, Otsego County................................................................(607) 432-4800Lynn May, Jefferson County.....................................................................(315) 642-0338Don Meenan, CNY DDSO.........................................................................(315) 422-1001Rick Nauseef, SUNY Cortland..................................................................(607) 753-2120Linda Park, Onondaga County.................................................................(315) 435-3280Tom Reed, Broome DDSO.........................................................................(607) 237-3304Tom Simchik, Madison County................................................................(315) 264-8940Jennifer Struble, Greater Binghamton Health Center..........................(607) 773-4625Karen Tisci, Southern Tier State Employees..........................................(607) 741-4414Marlene Wescott, SUNY Morrisville........................................................(315) 684-6459Julie Young, SUNY Oneonta.................................................................(607) 436-3134

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If you come across aserious workplace hazard

or have any type ofemergency situation

arise that has orcould jeopardize thesafety of CSEA

members, you shouldimmediately notify your

nearest CSEA Officer, andrequest that they immediately report thesituation to CSEA’s OccupationalSafety and Health Specialist Josh Kemp.

CSEA can most effectively respondto emergency situations and protect yoursafety with prompt notification. Thisallows us to assess the situation and tohopefully addressproblems beforeanyone is hurt.

OSH SpecialistJosh Kemp can bereached at (800) 559-7975, ext. 4217.

Note: Our Safety & Health Committee is always seeking additional activists to beappointed by their presidents who have a commitment to safety and health issues.Committee nomination forms are available by calling the Region Office at (800)559-7975.

Safety Training: New OSHA Certificate Programoffered for public sector workers

The Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration recently launched a newcertificate program for public sectorworkers, Public Sector Safety andHealth Fundamentals, that offerstraining on occupational safety andhealth topics to reduce injuries, illnessesand fatalities among workers in state andlocal governments.

The certificate programs are availablein construction and general industry.Students can choose from a variety ofcourses, including: occupational safetyand health standards for construction orgeneral industry; safety and healthmanagement; accident investigation; fallhazard awareness; and record keeping.To earn a certificate, participants must

complete a minimum of seven courses,consisting of three required courses andadditional elective courses, totaling atleast 68 hours of in-class training.

OSHA has created a new web pagededicated to this certificate program (seelink at end). The page provides coursedescriptions and prerequisites, programinformation and instructions on how toapply to the program.

The certificate program isadministered by OSHA Training InstituteEducation Centers, which are non-profitorganizations authorized by OSHA to

deliver occupational safety and healthtraining. All courses required to completethe program are available at OTIEducation Centers nationwide. In NewYork State, the nearest courses are heldat the Rochester Institute ofTechnology’s OSHA Education Centeror at the University at Buffalo’sToxicology Research Center.

Students can use OSHA's searchablecourse schedule online to find trainingcourses for the certificate program.Courses taken at different OTI EducationCenters are transferable and can counttoward the certificate program.

Online at: https://www.osha.gov/dte/public_sector/index.html