
The Manufacturers’ Association will soon be offering electrical safety training throughout Central and Southcentral Pennsylvania.
The training is funded by a $156,415 grant from the Federal Susan Harwood Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The Targeted Topic training grant, focusing on manufacturing and industrial sectors, will help workers and employers recognize serious workplace hazards, including implementing injury prevention measures and understanding rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the York-based association said.
This year’s grant is projected to train 500 workers in Central and Southcentral Pennsylvania, the association said, and will include training in electrical safety, lockout tagout, arc flash and NAFPA 70e.
In a 2021 report, OSHA said the national increase in electrical deaths increased nearly 4% since 2018. The report also said there were more than 2,200 lost work hours in 2020.
“We at The Manufacturers’ Association applaud this investment by the federal government and OSHA – it demonstrates their recognition of the high caliber of training programs which the association delivers each year to thousands of manufacturing employees in Central and Southcentral Pennsylvania,” said Tom Palisin, the association’s executive director.
“Safety of employees is a priority for the regional industrial base, and these training funds will transfer the best practices and procedures to the workforce – reducing lost work hours or possible injuries and helping with retention of the skilled workforce,” he added.
The Association will schedule the no-cost electrical safety training courses, with dates and locations throughout Central Pennsylvania. Employers will also be able to host training sessions in conjunction with the association.
This is the third grant for the association from the Susan Harwood Program. One was a prior electrical program and, in 2020, a warehouse safety program was awarded and is still available for employers to utilize.
The initiative is partnering with the commonwealth’s Industrial Resource Center Program to support outreach to the manufacturing sector and includes MANTEC, Inc., York and the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC) in Williamsport.
For questions about the new federally funded grant training for electrical safety, please contact Brian Paterniti, director of Workforce Development at (717) 843-3891, or by email at [email protected].