Signature project

Safety and Health Practitioner Certificate Program: The Nevada Safety Consultation and Training Section (SCATS) [PDF - 73 KB, 2 pages] developed the Safety and Health Practitioner Certificate program to raise the standard of safety in Nevada and to recognize those who have attended SCATS training. The program provides consistent, in-depth training in occupational safety and health and gives safety professionals an opportunity to develop their skills. The program also gives area businesses a standard by which they can evaluate safety practitioners in the state.

To earn a certificate, candidates must complete a curriculum of 26 classes (eight core classes, eight classes from their area of interest, and 10 electives) within three years of enrollment. The program has been very popular and is well received by the public. As of March 31, 2009, 528 students had enrolled in the Safety and Health Practitioner Certificate Program and 89 had received certificates.

The curriculum was developed for a broad range of occupational settings including manufacturing, construction, service industries, and government. There are 43 classes offered in English and 25 in Spanish. More classes are being developed in both languages. Through an agreement with community colleges, attendees can apply to receive continuing education units for completing SCATS classes. SCATS provides classes at no charge to Nevada employers and employees.

Outreach

Education: SCATS conducted 421 formal training sessions reaching 10,146 participants; almost all attendees find the training useful. SCATS also has additional training resources for Nevada employers.

SCATS continues to expand the number of presentations in Spanish. Many are offered to Hispanic employers through the activities of SCATS and other organizations. SCATS provided 81 training sessions in Spanish to 1,446 participants and staffed booths at many events in the Hispanic community.

CityCenter construction project — CityCenter is a 16,797,000-square-foot complex on 76 acres, currently under construction in Las Vegas. Expected to open in phases beginning in August 2009, CityCenter is the largest privately financed development in the United States.

SCATS has Spanish and English videos, compact discs, and pamphlets on employer and employee rights and responsibilities. Nevada statutes require that employers provide the "rights and responsibilities" information to their employees who in turn must sign that they have reviewed it. The pamphlets are available on the SCATS Web site. SCATS also began an e-mail service to notify customers when a "Tip of the Month" was posted on the SCATS Web site. Training requests can now be made online too.

Partnerships

Education: Nevada is working with the state's risk managers to enhance safety awareness for state employees who are able to attend classes on Nevada OSHA's quarterly training schedule. SCATS conducts an eight-hour "State Safety Supervisor" course and an eight-hour advanced program called "Workplace Evaluation and Management Tools" for supervisors who are state employees.

SCATS also participates in the Department of Labor's EMPLEO (Employment Education Outreach) partnership, which provides outreach to immigrant communities, particularly Hispanics.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200 for assistance accessing PDF materials.