OTIEC Program Background
The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center Program was initiated as an
extension of the OSHA Training Institute, which is the primary training provider
of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OTI targets Federal and
State compliance officers and State consultation program staff, but also
provides training for private sector personnel and Federal personnel from
agencies other than OSHA on a space available basis. However, during the 1980s,
the number of requests for training from private sector personnel and Federal
personnel from agencies other than OSHA increased substantially and the demand
eventually exceeded the capacity of the OSHA Training Institute.
In October 1992, the OSHA Training Institute Education Center Program was
created when OSHA began partnering with other training and educational
institutions to conduct OSHA Training Institute courses. The organizations were
selected through a national competitive process and would receive no funding
from OSHA; they would be expected to support their OSHA training through their
normal tuition and fee structures. Throughout the next decade, the OTI Education
Centers Program continued to grow. From four OTI Education Centers in 1992, the
Program realized continued growth, expanding to include at least one in each
OSHA region. In December 2007, The U.S. Department of Labor announced the
selection of eight new OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers, bringing
the total number of OTI Education Centers to 26, comprised of 45 member
organizations. At the time of the announcement, Assistant Secretary of Labor for
OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. noted, “We are pleased to add the new OSHA Training
Institute Education Centers in our continuing effort to promote employee safety
and health through training. These centers will extend access to a greater
number of individuals who seek to incorporate OSHA safety and health practices
into their workplaces.” The annual number of students trained by the OTI
Education Centers has steadily increased, with 27,346 trained in FY 2007.
The OTI Education Centers provide training nationwide to private sector and
federal personnel from agencies outside OSHA. Courses currently available
through the OTI Education Centers include the most popular ones such as the #500
Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction
Industry and #501 Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for
General Industry. These "train the trainer" courses support the OSHA
Outreach Training Program, which is the agency's primary way to train workers in
the basics of occupational safety and health. Also available through the OTI
Education Centers are Trainer update courses (#502, #503), Course #510
Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry, and the
newly developed Course #511 Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General
Industry.
By increasing the number of OSHA Outreach Trainer courses available, the OTI
Education Centers have been a catalyst in the rapid growth of the Program, which
now has an active trainer list numbering over 13,000. In the past two years,
over 1 million students were trained through the Outreach Training Programs.
Please visit the
OSHA Outreach Program for more information.
Other OTI Education Center course offerings address such topics as Hazardous
Materials, Machine Guarding, Ergonomics, Confined Space, Excavation, Electrical
Standards and Fall Arrest Systems. There are currently a number of one-day
seminars in development in subject areas such as nursing home guidelines,
homeland security, fall awareness, and machine guarding. These are being added
to meet the needs of students who are unable to attend the full-week courses,
but would like to benefit from the OSHA training curriculum.
The Education Centers play a prominent role in curriculum development and offer subject matter
expertise based on their organizational competencies. OTI Education Centers have demonstrated a
leadership role in developing distance-learning courses and promoting safety and health training
through their presence at conferences and seminars focusing on topics such as homeland security and
ergonomics. The OTI Education Centers support OSHA's training and education mission through a
variety of safety and health programs including community outreach efforts, Spanish-language
courses, and youth initiatives. The training provided by the Education Centers serves the public in
the recognition, avoidance and prevention of unsafe and unhealthful working. The Education Centers
offer local training specialization in subject matter expertise, based upon regional industry needs.
As a result, the community has greater availability and access to quality safety and health training
at a local level. The Education Centers offer added value in their ability to provide customized
corporate training solutions and accommodate requests for on-site training courses. They work
closely with OSHA Regional and Area offices in meeting the needs of the regional constituency.
The OTI Education Centers play a prominent role in curriculum development and
offer subject matter expertise based on their organizational competencies. OTI
Education Centers have demonstrated a leadership role in developing
distance-learning courses and promoting safety and health training through their
presence at conferences and seminars focusing on topics such as homeland
security and ergonomics. The OTI Education Centers support OSHA's training and
education mission through a variety of safety and health programs including
community outreach efforts, Spanish-language courses, and youth initiatives. The
training provided by the OTI Education Centers serves the public in the
recognition, avoidance and prevention of unsafe and unhealthful working. The OTI
Education Centers offer local training specialization in subject matter
expertise, based upon regional industry needs. As a result, the community has
greater availability and access to quality safety and health training at a local
level. The OTI Education Centers offer added value in their ability to provide
customized corporate training solutions and accommodate requests for on-site
training courses. They work closely with OSHA Regional and Area offices in
meeting the needs of the regional constituency.
These types of programs are representative of the innovative approach the OTI
Education Centers have demonstrated in promoting occupational safety and health
initiatives. They add value for businesses and play an integral role in
furthering OSHA's national training mission. From its modest beginning in 1992,
to a national network of training organizations offering a broad range of
courses and subject matter expertise, the OTI Education Center Program has
clearly exceeded initial expectations.
OSHA Directorate of Training and Education Director Dr. Henry Payne views the
OTI Education Center Program as a vital resource in supporting OSHA's training
objectives. "Since the inception of the Program in 1992, the OTI Education
Centers have added great value in providing occupational safety and health
training, and supporting our department's mission. OTI Education Centers will
continue to play an even more prominent role in furthering our national training
and education objectives. OSHA will continue to raise the bar on the number of
students trained by our OTI Education Centers. This will allow OSHA to reach
more people as it endeavors to promote safety, reduce injury and illness, and
ultimately save lives."
Current List of OTI Education Centers:
Region I
Keene State College - Keene, NH
Region II
Atlantic OSHA Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Brunswick, NJ (*lead organization)
- The Research Foundation of SUNY on behalf of the University at Buffalo – Toxicology Research
Center - Buffalo, NY
- Universidad Metropolitana - San Juan, PR
Rochester Institute of Technology - Rochester, NY
Region III
National Resource Center, Washington, DC – A consortium comprised of:
- West Virginia University - Morgantown, WV (*lead organization)
- National Labor College George Meany Campus - Silver Spring, MD
- Center to Protect Workers' Rights - Washington, DC
Mid-Atlantic OTI Education Center - A consortium comprised of:
- ECRI Institute – Plymouth Meeting, PA (*lead organization)
- Chesapeake Region Safety Council – Baltimore, MD
- Mid-Atlantic Construction Safety Council – Philadelphia, PA
- Johns Hopkins University and Health System – Baltimore, MD
Region IV
Eastern Kentucky University - Richmond, KY
Georgia Tech Research Institute - Atlanta, GA
Southeastern OTI Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- North Carolina State University – Raleigh, NC (*lead organization)
- University of Tennessee – Knoxville, TN
University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, AL
University of South Florida - Tampa, FL
Region V
Great Lakes Regional OTI Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH (*lead organization)
- Eastern Michigan University - Ypsilanti, MI
- United Auto Workers Health & Safety Department - Detroit, MI
Heartland Safety and Health OTI Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- Indiana University – Bloomington, IN (*lead organization)
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – Whitewater, WI
Mid-America OSHA OTI Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- Ohio Valley Construction Education Foundation - Springboro, OH (*lead organization)
- Sinclair Community College - Dayton, OH
National Safety OTI Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- Northern Illinois University - DeKalb, IL (*lead organization)
- Construction Safety Council - Hillside, IL
- National Safety Council - Itasca, IL
Region VI
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) - Mesquite, TX
The University of Texas at Arlington – Houston, TX
Region VII
Metropolitan Community Colleges Business & Technology Center - Kansas City, MO
Midwest OSHA Education Centers – A consortium comprised of:
- Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, IA (*lead organization)
- National Safety Council – Greater Omaha Chapter - Omaha, NE
- St. Louis University - St. Louis, MO
Region VIII
Mountain West OTI Education Center – A consortium comprised of:
- University of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT (*lead organization)
- Salt Lake City Community College - Salt Lake City, UT
- Uintah Basin Applied Technology College – Vernal, UT
Red Rocks Community College - Lakewood, CO
Region IX
University of California, San Diego - San Diego, CA
Westside Energy Services Training & Education Center - Bakersfield, CA
College of Southern Nevada – Las Vegas, NV
California State University Dominguez Hills – Carson, CA
Chabot-Las Positas Community College District – Pleasanton, CA
Region X
University of Washington - Seattle, WA
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