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Close Group Introduces Health and Safety Curriculum

Safety curriculum furthers Close Group's commitment to helping clients achieve their organizational goals by providing solutions for companies seeking regulatory compliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2007

SEATTLE, February 14, 2007 -- The Close Group, a leading human resource development company, today introduced a health and safety curriculum in response to businesses seeking OSHA and WISHA regulatory compliance.

"Many employers often wonder exactly what you're required to do by law, what goes on during an OSHA inspection, what an OSHA inspector looks at and what resources are available to better prepare you for an OSHA inspection." said Mark Close of the Close Group. “After a decade as the State of Washington's industrial hygiene consultant for the Department of Labor and Industry, I'm pleased to offer my 19+plus years of safety and regulatory compliance experience to corporations and government organizations in search of answers to H & S questions."

The Close Group curriculum provides training through attendant participation and completion of day long interactive classes. The new curriculum includes the following workshops:

Survive an OSHA/WISHA Inspection
This 4-hour workshop is designed to provide employers with an understanding of their rights and obligations during an OSHA/WISHA inspection. What are you required to do by law, what goes on during an inspection, what is an inspector going to look at, what resources are available to you. Unlock the mystery of OSHA and WISHA. Attend this workshop and have these and many, many more questions answered.

My Safety Program
This 4-hour workshop is designed to provide employers the minimum requirements that they must document in writing regarding the unique hazards of their workplace(s). Participants will gain understanding of the requirements of the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA). A primary goal of this course is to assure everyone leaves with a completed outline of specific programs of which their company is required to develop, implement and provide training.

Records Keeping
This 4-hour workshop is provided to employers who are required to maintain worker training records & injury/illness records. This course clarifies those programs requiring record development, use and retention. Participants will also be provided step by step procedures to determine if an injury or illness is work related, recordable and reportable. Participants are encouraged to attend this class prior to attending the “Managing Claims” class.

Industrial Health and Safety
What every employer NEEDS to know This 4-hour workshop is an introductory course covering the major workplace hazards employers should not be surprised in discovering during an OSHA compliance visit. Topics covered in this course are program development including: New hire safety orientation; first-aid and fire safety/emergency evacuation programs; creating effective safety committees/meetings; understanding hazard communication programs; personnel protective equipment (PPE) and your company’s requirement for programs specific to provided and/or required PPE including the answer to why your mother never told you about industrial hygiene. It is strongly recommended that this course be attended after attending “My Safety Program”.

Introduction to Industrial Hygiene: Nuts and Bolts
This 4-hour workshop is for employers who need to determine if they are required to comply with the OSHA/WISHA requirements for health related topics including: hearing protection; respirators and the control of airborne contaminates; hazardous chemicals including lead and asbestos/emergency response to hazardous materials; confined space and bloodborne pathogens.

Managing Claims
This 4-hour workshop is provided to employer representatives responsible for managing their company’s industrial insurance claims. Employees receive real world examples of programs that return injured workers back to work through integrated “Return-To-Work” systems including: light-duty, modified job tasks, kept-on-salary. Participants will be provided job hazard analyses systems that are designed to be coordinated with medical providers. These systems when practiced, effectively reduce pain and suffering of the injured employee by efficiently returning injured workers back to meaningful work. Key elements of return-to-work systems are tried-and-true methods of prevention, detection and evaluation. Ultimately employers minimize both time-loss and loss of productivity thereby effectively reducing injury-accident costs.

Accident Investigation
This 4 –hour workshop is an introduction of the legal requirements that employers must comply with when conducting accident investigations. This course introduces the concepts of investigating all unwanted workplace incidents. Emphasis is placed on course attendants creating an investigation plan. The investigation plan is presented as a system of layered responses that anticipate, identify, evaluate and produce findings from which root causes can be addressed and corrections made. The instructor challenges the concept that accidents are isolated one cause events. Instead accidents are presented as anticipated occurrences resulting from multiple causes which must be recognized and effectively dealt with. This course ends with a hands on case study.

Creating a Strong Safety Culture
This 4-hour workshop is designed to cover the elements of a strong safety culture. A strong safety culture is foundational to the long term success and sustainability of an organization. Students will learn to evaluate their own organizations safety culture as well as readiness for change. This workshop is strongly recommended for organizations interested in developing and capitalizing upon a voluntary protection program (VPP).



About Close Group, Inc. (www.closegroup.org):
The Close Group is a highly specialized human resource development firm committed to helping companies identify critical action items to achieve organizational goals. From strategic planning to executive coaching to custom training and group facilitation, the Close Group offers the education and expertise needed to deliver solutions. Leading organizations in high-tech, business services, manufacturing, environmental, non profit and educational sectors rely on the Close Group to address today’s toughest HR challenges including: developing strategic business partnerships; developing market-responsive compensation systems; developing performance management systems; developing educational programs in support of an organization's culture and objectives. Clients include Bowhead Transportation, Community Transit, FEMA, McKinstry, Northwest School, NW Hospital, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Premier Pacific, Prezant Associates, Providence Health System and West Coast Paper.

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