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May 26, 2006

Gwinnett Tech’s Residential Construction Program Approved for OSHA Training

GTC Becomes State’s First Technical College to Offer OSHA Safety Training

Gwinnett Technical College ’s residential construction program has recently been approved to offer OSHA safety training as part of its program, becoming the first technical college in the state to do so and to have an OSHA-certified safety trainer on staff.

With the dramatic rise in injuries and fatalities in the residential construction industry, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is stepping up its inspection efforts among home builders and, therefore, training in occupational safety and health standards and policy will be a real necessity for those in the field.

Earlier this month the residential construction management and carpentry program at Gwinnett Tech became the first, and only, program of its type in the technical college system in Georgia qualified to conduct both the OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour safety courses.

Beginning with Fall 2006 classes, all graduates of the college’s residential construction programs will be permitted to carry the official OSHA 10-hour safety card.

Kenny Adkins, carpentry and residential construction program manager at Gwinnett Tech, says graduates with OSHA training will significantly increase their employability. “The more employees a company has with OSHA safety cards, the less expensive their insurance rates become. This makes a job candidate that has earned his/her OSHA card a more attractive candidate than one who has not earned the credentials,” Adkins said.

In order to become qualified to provide OSHA Safety Training, an organization must meet OSHA’s stringent standards for instructor qualification and methods of instruction delivery.

An approved trainer must have experience in the construction industry and complete a week-long course conducted by the OSHA Training Institute at Georgia Tech. Gwinnett Tech anticipates adding a second OSHA-approved trainer to its program by the end of the year.

For more information on Gwinnett Tech’s residential construction program or on the OSHA safety courses, contact GTC at 770-962-7580 or online at www.GwinnettTech.edu.

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About Gwinnett Tech
Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia's largest technical colleges, is committed to delivering relevant knowledge to meet the workforce training needs of its community. The college offers more than 50 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs and hundreds of seminars, workshops and courses providing specialized training. GTC is Gwinnett County's largest provider of corporate training and now serves residents and businesses in north Fulton County. Gwinnett Technical College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097,404-679-4500, www.sacscoc.org for questions about the accreditation of Gwinnett Technical College. For more information, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu.

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.