Environmental Health and Safety Update

For most people, thoughts of lasers go to the cool special effects of hollywood blockbusters. Honestly, how many little boys wanted to be Luke Skywalker fighting with his light saber? More than I could possibly count. But on a serious point, lasers are used in many different ways in the real world. Medical procedures, manufacturing and mechanical production are just a few. When you think about the fact that tumors are being removed and people are getting 20/20 vision all because of a laser is pretty incredible. But if a laser can do all of that, the potential dangers in the event of a mistake should get your attention. Lasers are used more and more and learning proper laser safety training is a must for any business to avoid accidents. Knowing this, SafetySkills Laser Safety course, http://safetyskills.com/laser-safety-training, is the best way for any employer and employee to stay safe on the job using this type of technology.

This course teaches learners the basic principles of laser operations and three essential laser components, how to identify major types of lasers, beam-related and non-beam-related hazards associated with laser operation and the controls used to eliminate or minimize laser related hazards. It also allows grown adults to shoot lasers at UFOs during the competency sections of the course, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

It is easy to say that diversity awareness is a hot topic for 2009 and employers should take this October, Diversity Awareness Month, as an opportunity to share this with employees. With the appointment of Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and the recent Crowley/Gates controversy, the entire nation has become aware of how important it is to understand each others’ differences. No place needs to be knowledgeable of this more than the workplace. SafetySkills™ Diversity in the Workplace course provides employers and employees with an education on the advantages of diversity and how to respect each others’ difference to create a positive work environment.

“Diversity is extremely important to any business,” Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com. “Getting as many different perspectives as possible can only benefit your company. Understanding various markets by employing individuals who fits that demographic really helps you realize what makes them tick.”

Besides the professional benefits diversity can lead to, having the proper training on the matter can help avoid misunderstandings and potentially offensive situations that could have been otherwise prevented.

“I believe very few people intentionally say something discriminatory towards another person, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful to the injured party. Sometimes co-workers need to be taught how to work together. This is not only good for your staff, but also for your business’ protection,” said Greene.

To learn more about diversity in the workplace, visit safetyskills.com/diversity-in-the-workplace.

How well would your business fair if the unexpected occurred today? September is National Preparedness Month and employers are encouraged to make a plan to avoid issues that could affect their businesses in the event of a disaster. Unfortunately, due to the current economic strains companies are enduring, many businesses are cutting corners on safety. To help employers with their financial security, SafetySkills™ Emergency Response Series is available at a 20 percent discount all month long.

“Any disaster, no matter how severe or minor, can result in huge costs to a business,” said Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com. “Making simple preparation strategies can save thousands. Training employees how to respond in the event of a fire, severe weather or a workplace injury will not only protect your business, but save lives.”

The number of preventable accidents reported in the news is escalating at an alarming rate. These incidents are making everyone a little more nervous including government agencies. Despite the new safety legislations being proposed to Congress, some feel that simple changes made by individuals can make a big difference in safety. 

“Our entire emergency management team has a role to play when it comes to preparing for and responding to the next disaster,” said W. Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator. “One of the most important parts of the team is the public. The more prepared the public is now, by getting an emergency response kit, making an emergency plan and getting a skill, like CPR, the stronger our emergency response team will be.”

To learn more about SafetySkills™ or to take SafetySkills™ Emergency Response Series, visit safetyskills.com.

Everywhere you go all you see and hear is the need to go green. Green cars, green houses, green foods and clothing (aka organic), green cleaning products, if it exists there is probably a way to make it green. So it only seems logical that education and training courses would jump on the bandwagon. Online education and training courses are becoming extremely popular and cheaper than the traditional classroom method.

Perks of online education and training:

• Can be done anywhere at anytime
• Saves thousands of trees with online testing and record keeping
• Lessens gas consumption which is better for the environment and your wallet
• No building or utility costs
• No trainer costs
• Takes less time to complete

Companies worldwide have realized the benefits of using green training. This method allows employers to train their employees at anywhere and anytime with the most current content. On top of the fact that less time is spent by employees in training and more time working, it saves businesses by financially by the cost cuts that go with this change. Companies like Dell, Yahoo, Goldman Sachs and even the country of Norway have committed to going carbon neutral and are reaping the benefits, not only through the PR that it brings in but with the money saved.

Watch this online  How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint demo to learn more about how it can save the environment and your company.

SafetySkills Offers Police Departments $1300 of free safety training

As a token of appreciation for police officers, SafetySkills is offering 100 free training credits to Police Department nationwide that signs up to use SafetySkills™ Direct online training in August, 2009. 

SafetySkills offers Bloodborne Pathogens, Basic First Aid and a Basic CPR Refresher course.  Each of these courses has a printable completion certificate for each police officer that successfully completes an online course. 

All SafetySkills courses satisfy OSHA training requirements.  The complete SafetySkills course catalog has over 100 pre-packaged courses that can be assigned immediately after registering for a SafetySkills Direct account.

Go to http://safetyskills.com/registration/ to sign up.  Please mention that you heard about SafetySkills from a Law Enforcement Magazine before August 30, 2009 to receive 100 training credits for your police department.   These credits will not expire and can be used immediately, or a year from now.