Indiana State University Newsroom

Indiana State University has partnered with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration training center to provide regional safety training in general industry and construction.

Indiana State is collaborating with the National Safety Education Center in Illinois to provide 10-hour and 30-hour courses for certification. ISU is expected to offer one of the four OSHA training courses each month on a rotating basis, said Ernest Sheldon, associate professor in the department of built environment in ISU's College of Technology. Indiana State will fill the void created when another training center in Indiana ended its services in December, Sheldon explained.

"A lot of employers look very favorably on a safety certification," he added. "This partnership would allow us to provide those training courses."

ISU faculty members are expected to teach most of the courses. They hope to attract people from as far as Champaign, Ill., and Vincennes to attend the training sessions.

Indiana State will host its first training class for general industry standards on March 5-8. People can still register until the first day of the training, which costs $800. The classes will last from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

ISU "is a regional site to cut down on travel time and costs for people who want to get these classes," Sheldon said.

Faculty members view the opportunity to provide the training site as a form of community service.

"We hope that people in construction, manufacturing and other areas of industry will be interested in the courses we are offering through this new collaboration," said Bradford Sims, dean of the College of Technology. "Industry leaders and representatives know the importance of what the OSHA safety certification means. I am happy to see that we are able to provide residents of the Wabash Valley and elsewhere in Indiana and Illinois with the opportunity to take these classes closer to home."

For more information, including registration for upcoming training events, contact Professor Ernest Sheldon at 812-237-2865 or ernest.sheldon@indstate.edu

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Campus-Scenes/Campus-Scenes/DSC2495Campus/878900287_QJEoR-L.jpg
The Myers Technology Center, which houses many offices and programs for the College of Technology at Indiana State University.

Contact: Ernest Sheldon, associate professor, department of built environment, College of Technology, Indiana State University, 812-237-2865 or ernest.sheldon@instate.edu

Writer: Austin Arceo, assistant director of media relations, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3790 or austin.arceo-negrich@indstate.edu