Individuals can prepare to enter industry or expand their skills with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-Hour General Industry or Construction Outreach safety courses at the Gulf Coast Safety Institute.

“These 10-hour courses give individuals a baseline of information in health and safety so they can protect themselves from hazards on the job, and with no out of pocket expense,” said Cindy Lewis, director of the Gulf Coast Safety Institute. “Understanding the basics of safety in the workplace is part of what makes an employee job ready.”

Both the General Industry and Construction 10-Hour Courses provide all employees, especially entry-level industry workers, with key information about their rights, employer responsibilities, and how to identify, prevent and reduce risk of injury from job-related hazards.

The General Industry OSHA 10-Hour (English) class will be held Sept. 21-22, Nov. 8-10 (evening class) and Dec. 13-14. Topics include emergency action plans, an introduction to OSHA, exit routes, fire prevention plans, electrical safety, personal protective equipment, hazard communication, machine guarding, material handling, control of hazardous energy (lockout-tagout) and fall protection. To register, call 409-933-8162 or email gcsi@com.edu.  

The Construction Industry OSHA 10-Hour course is offered by the Texas Department of Insurance, Workplace Safety Division. Both English and Spanish classes are provided. The Construction OSHA 10-Hour class will be held Oct. 4-5 (Spanish) and Nov. 15-16 (English). Topics include health hazards in construction, introduction to OSHA, personal protective equipment, materials handling, excavations, power tools and the construction focus four including fall, electrical, struck-by and caught-in hazards. To register, email safetytraining@tdi.texas.gov or call 512-804-4610. 

All classes will be taught at the Gulf Coast Safety Institute at 320 Delany Rd. in La Marque. Those who complete the courses will receive a wallet card.  For more information, contact the Gulf Coast Safety Institute at 409-933-8162 or visit www.com.edu/gcsi.

Established in 2007, the institute focuses on providing safety and health education, training and outreach. For more information on the institute, contact Lewis at 409-933-8495 or clewis1@com.edu or visit www.com.edu/gcsi.