With 85,000 workers across the state being injured on the job -- some fatally -- in 1998, the need for education and training in the workplace is apparent. To address this serious issue, Penn State has launched a new Workplace Environment and Safety Program.
The new initiative provides businesses and industries with public workshops, on-site training, education and consulting to help create a workplace that meets the national standards of design and safety.
The courses deal with important workplace issues such as safe handling of hazardous materials; training for managers and supervisors for safety compliance; ergonomics in the workplace (how work areas are designed and configured); workplace violence and stress; and how to prepare for inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), part of the U.S. Department of Labor.
"More should be done to actively reduce the number of injuries within the workplace. One facet of the program's courses is working to raise employee awareness of job safety, in addition to creating a safer workplace," said Shirley Thomas, associate director of the program.
"Overall businesses and industries can improve their bottom line by being proactive when it comes to compliance with OSHA regulations."
To find out more about the program, contact Ellen James at (814) 865-9013 or by e-mail at epj109@psu.edu.
The Penn State Harrisburg School of Behavioral Sciences and Education has been awarded a $195,750 grant as part of a statewide program aimed at improving classroom teaching.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program grant, awarded by the state Department of Higher Education, is a federally funded program providing in-service training in early reading instruction for elementary classroom teachers. The grant involves teachers in the Harrisburg and Central Dauphin school districts.
The regional site grant, under the direction of Betty Fortner, associate professor of education and reading at Penn State Harrisburg, is part of a three-year statewide professional development program. Other institutions involved in the program are the University of Pittsburgh, Clarion University and Muhlenberg College.
Penn State Harrisburg has been working with four elementary schools from the Harrisburg City School District along with an elementary school in the Central Dauphin School District. A total of 20 teachers, kindergarten through third grade, are taking part in the program. These teachers will play a major role in helping next year's participants improve their teaching of reading and writing.
The program provides 17 training sessions, including a one-week summer institute, and focuses on the latest research on how children learn to become effective readers and writers. In addition to the training sessions, teachers receive help from a University liaison who makes regular visits to the classrooms.
A preliminary survey of the participating teachers indicates that they are pleased with the progress they see their students making in both reading and writing.