• Oklahoma Safety Council Approved As Satellite Training Center for Region VI OSHA Education Center

Release Date: 04-21-2008
The University of Texas at Arlington has been selected by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to serve as an OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center. The new addition to the UT Arlington Division for Enterprise Development will serve safety and health instructional needs throughout Region VI of the federal government (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas).

“The Oklahoma Safety Council (OSC) is honored to be a part of this new OTI appointment as we’ve been chosen and approved as a satellite training center for the University of Texas at Arlington,” says Dave Koeneke, OSC Executive Director. The OSC has in turn chosen Rose State College (RSC) as a primary partner for training as they’ve recently built a free standing Professional Training and Education Center. Rose State College is geographically located along I-40 in Midwest City, just minutes from downtown Oklahoma City. Midwest City has been revamped and now offers new hotel and restaurants options in the immediate area. “This is a great opportunity to receive high level OSHA safety education at a “state-of-the-art” multimedia facility without the necessity of traveling out of state,” Koeneke says.

We’ve given this partnership a new identity and have selected Oklahoma Outreach Training Facility (OOTF) as the new name. Classes are scheduled to begin in early April. Until the OOTF website is completed, course schedules can be found temporarily on the homepage of the OSC website at www.oksafety.org If you have any questions contact the OSC at 405-848-8626.

• Obligation to co-workers keeps sick employees on the job

Release Date: 04-21-2008
A sense of obligation to co-workers may be keeping sick employees from staying home, according to survey findings released by LifeCare, an employee benefits company based in Sheldon, CT.

The company conducted an online poll of employees at 1,500 client organizations and found that 29 percent work when they are sick because they do not want to let down co-workers who depend on them. Other reasons included office cultures that make taking time off seem "too risky" (26 percent), saving sick days for use for vacations or family emergencies (20 percent), and being too busy to stay home (15 percent).

Only 7 percent of respondents said they did not come to work when sick. That number has remained stable in the three consecutive years LifeCare has conducted the survey, the company said.

• FCC adopts alert system requirements for wireless providers

Release Date: 04-21-2008
The Federal Communications Commission announced requirements for wireless carriers that choose to participate in an alert system designed to send emergency messages to subscribers.

Adopted April 9, the First Report and Order (.pdf file) lays out technical requirements for the transmission of emergency messages to the public in compliance with the Warning, Alert and Response Act.

The Commercial Mobile Alert System will send text messages regarding presidential alerts, imminent threat alerts, and child abduction emergency or Amber Alerts to subscribers who register for the service.

In related news, a coalition of counties in southeast Pennsylvania and Philadelphia launched an emergency text alert system for the region. ReadyNotifyPA will allow local officials to send e-mail or text messages to cell phones and other wireless devices during emergencies.