Training
Training is an essential element in maintaining a safe and healthful workplace, protecting the environment, and meeting regulatory requirements.
OSHA standards clearly state that training, covering specific safety topics, are required on an initial and annual basis. OSHA standards apply to all workers, across all industries, regardless of job duties, including, but not limited to, student, research, administrative, laboratory, custodial, information technology, police, health, and transportation workers.
University policy GE2000 (Occupational Safety and Health Program) states that administrative officials, chairs, and directors of activities shall establish an in-house training program to instruct employees in safety regulations, including avoidance of unsafe conditions, as applicable to individual work environments. It also states that supervisors are responsible for ensuring that assigned employees receive documented training in job safety and that safety practices are part of employee performance evaluations. The policy also states that employees shall attend safety training sessions, both formal and informal, as scheduled and familiarize themselves with occupational safety and health standards related to conditions and practices in their particular work areas.
EH&S knows that this is a very large undertaking for each individual department and supervisor to remain federally compliant. As a service, our office provides a wide variety of training and resources, in multiple formats, to meet each individual's training needs. We aim to help supervisors ensure that all faculty, staff, and students are able to avoid unsafe conditions and know how to report any incidents that do occur. Please review our FAQ for many common questions about OSHA training.
Our training courses are available to the entire campus community through our training portal, and we welcome each individual to peruse our calendar. If there is a specific training that you are interested in and would like more information, please view our direct training contact list or contact our offices at ehas@memphis.edu.
OSHA Requirements for Employees
OSHA requires specific safety training at the time of an employee's initial hiring; OSHA also requires annual refreshers for many general safety courses.
New Hire
If you are a newly hired employee to the University, first off: WELCOME!!! We have broken down new hire training requirements into two categories. Please select the link that best fits the description of your department and duties.
New Employee - Physical Plant, Maintenance, Custodial
New Employee - NOT Physical Plant
Continued Employment
If your employment contract has recently been renewed (CONGRATULATIONS!!!), if your employment anniversary is on the horizon (CONGRATULATIONS!!!), or if you have not attended a training presented by EH&S this year, it is very likely that it is time to refresh your training on many basic safety topics. Some of these topics include, but are not limited to, fire safety, accident prevention, accident reporting, and asbestos awareness.
If your job duties most closely relate to those under Physical Plant, Maintenance, or Custodial, please contact our Occupational Safety Manager (901.678.2740) or our Safety Specialist (901.678.3342) to discuss any necessary updates to your training.
All other continued employment should visit Learning Curve to register for a "Health and Safety Refresher" course.
- Log into Learning Curve, and select "Manage my Training."
- Use the drop down to select the category "Health and Safety."
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- Please NOTE: EH&S offers many different courses that may or may not be specific to your job duties. The "Health and Safety Refresher" covers basic OSHA requirements and is separate from all other course listings within the Health and Safety category.
- If you have questions about the course requirements, please contact our Occupational Safety Manager (901.678.2740).
- If you have trouble logging into Learning Curve, please contact the UofM Help Desk.
Additional Training Resources
We have informational brochures available in our main office (414 J.M. Smith Hall). Though these brochures do not meet training requirements, they do offer some very basic insight into some of our topics.
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Vivid
EH&S offers more than basic OSHA training, and many of these courses can be found via Vivid, our online training portal. These courses are available to anyone with University provided login credentials. Some of these courses include:
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Please visit the training portal for a full list of available online courses. Please contact Al Simpson or Ashley Koehler if you have any questions or need assistance with these courses.
EH&S Contacts
We also offer on-the-ground, classroom-style training for large groups or entire departments. To schedule one of these courses or to get more information on one of these specific topics, please contact the following EH&S personnel:
Topic |
Contact |
Phone Number |
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Bloodborne Pathogens |
901.678.1625 |
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Biological Safety Cabinets* |
901.678.5700 |
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CPR^ |
901.678.3342 |
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Crowd Management |
901.678.4671 |
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Fire Extinguisher Training |
901.678.4671 |
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Hazardous Communication |
901.678.2044 |
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Hazardous Material Transportation |
901.678.2044 |
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Hazardous Waste Management |
901.678.2044 |
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Laboratory Health and Safety Seminar |
901.678.4672 |
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Laboratory Ventilation Briefing |
901.678.4672 |
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Laser Safety Orientation* |
901.678.5700 |
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Radiation Worker Course |
901.678.4672 |
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Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures |
901.678.2044 |
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Storm Water Pollution Prevention |
901.678.2044 |
*Self-paced CD-ROM training; by appointment only ^Not available to individuals. Department head/P.I. must schedule. Per person fee charged to department. Additional training available in the EH&S Video Library. Please contact ehas@memphis.edu or 901.678.5700 to check out videos.
EH&S Training Calendar
Please click here for a calendar of currently scheduled, lecture-style classes and their descriptions. If you believe a scheduled course is missing from the calendar, please contact Ashley Koehler for additional information.
Other Online Information
Additional safety information may be found using the links found here.
FAQ
Q: Why do I need this?
A: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was established in 1971. Since
then, OSHA and its state partners, coupled with the efforts of employers, safety and
health professionals, unions and advocates, have had a dramatic effect on workplace
safety. Due to OSHA and the standards it sets, your working environment is significantly
safer. These courses make sure you know your basic rights and how to recognize hazards
that could result in injury for you and others.
Q: Will I get paid for this?
A: Employee training should always be conducted "on-the-clock."
Q: Why did I get selected for training but my co-worker did not?
A: We apologize, but we are still working out the bugs in our notification system. We
began our new notification efforts in 2017 by reaching out specifically to newly hired
employees, only. In the fall of 2018, we grew our system to include delivering training
notifications to employees under contract renewals and rehires. Our system uses an
algorithm to notify employees based on the current hire date listed in their HR files,
so it is not exactly a selection, per se. Simply, we just haven't gotten to everyone,
yet, because their renewal hasn't triggered the algorithm. The bad news is that it
is an ongoing development process that we are continuously trying to improve, so it
isn't a perfect system. The good news is, if your co-worker didn't receive a personalized
notification, they are still welcome to join us for any training! Please ask them
to contact our office for specific details.
Q: I'm a Graduate Assistant. Did I get a notification by mistake?
A: Nope. You are in the right place. OSHA training applies to all workers, in any industry,
regardless of job duties. The University system lists you in the employment database,
so OSHA training is for you, too.
Q: My student employees are receiving these notifications, but they only run small errands
and do computer work. Do they really need this?
A: Yep. Injuries can happen anywhere. The student could trip while delivering the mail
or develop a nerve condition from typing too fast. These are still workplace safety
issues, so they need to know how to prevent them and how to report them if they do
occur.
Q: My job doesn't have any hazardous materials or anything. Why do I need training with
EH&S?
A: We understand the confusion – we do a LOT of chemical training for hazardous waste
and chemical or biological exposures, but we are so much more! A workplace injury
occurs every 7 seconds: the most common injuries are overexertion (lifting, lowering,
repetitive motion), and the third most common injury is slips, trips, and falls (NSC.org). These injuries can happen to anyone, so we make sure we offer relevant training
for everyone.
Q: The course in Learning Curve doesn't fit my schedule. What do I do?
A: We are sorry to hear that. Please continue to check back for more course availability.
You may also contact Ashley Koehler to determine if any of our online courses will meet OSHA requirements for your job
duties.
Q: I'm confused on which course I need!
A: Sorry. We offer a lot, so the list can get a little confusing, we know. If you are
looking for the Health and Safety Refresher course, please follow these instructions. If you are newly hired, please select from the new hire links that best fits your job type.