News Update
January 5, 2022
Sandra Dodge has Built Her Career on Keeping Workers Safe
During a recent interview with Sandra Dodge, Regional Safety Manager at Helix Electric, her passion and enthusiasm for worksite safety came through loud and clear. In a safety career spanning almost 24 years, Sandra has worked in a broad range of construction environments and experienced firsthand the vital importance of focusing on safety and hazard prevention in an industry whose workers face serious risk of injury or worse every day on the job.
 
Sandra first became interested in occupational safety and health while serving on a safety committee as a metro bus driver in Port Angeles, Washington. As she says so enthusiastically, she “fell in love with safety” and began enrolling in as many safety classes as she could find, including forklift train the trainer. When she discovered there was not much work in the safety field in her small hometown, she began searching for other workplace safety opportunities.

Management Commitment Vital for Successful Safety Programs
Sandra Dodge emphasizes the importance of management buy-in and support to make safety programs successful and effective. She is very happy working at Helix Electric because of their strong commitment to employee safety and health. As she points out, a strong safety culture is built from the top down with management that is willing to balance the needs of production with the importance of worker safety.
Sandra took her safety career to the next level when she joined the power plant industry as a safety coordinator, travelling around the US to help ensure safe work practices were followed during power plant shutdowns, maintenance and restarts. From power plants Sandra moved on to the oil and gas industry, overseeing and enforcing worker safety under very dangerous circumstances as refinery units were shut down, repaired and restarted. She then moved on to the solar industry and expanded her role to supervising other safety representatives on the jobsites of large-scale solar projects.
 
In 2014 Sandra joined Helix Electric, starting as a Site Safety Manager and subsequently moving up to Area Safety Manager and then Regional Safety Manager. She spends much of her time in the field, inspecting jobsite operations, monitoring key work areas such as confined spaces and cranes, reviewing safety documentation and plans for upcoming work, and conducting corporate safety audits. Sandra credits Helix for placing a high priority on safety, offering extensive in-house training to ensure that workers are fully prepared to conduct their work assignments safely. Click Here for Full Interview
Sandra Dodge has been a lifelong learner and continues to pursue safety training opportunities. She earned her Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) certification after a rigorous exam in 2019. She earned a Certified Safety & Health Official (CHSO)-Level III certificate after completing 10 OSHA courses at the OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. Sandra strongly believes in continuing safety education for career advancement but more importantly to stay current on the latest standards and gain more tools and ideas to keep workers safe.
New Year! New Career!
Earn a Professional Safety Certificate
OSHA requires employers to provide workers with safe and healthy workplaces. Knowledgeable safety and health professionals are needed throughout the US to support the prevention of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Take your career and your organization’s safety program to the next level by earning a Professional Safety Certificate from the OSHA Training Institute Education Center. These certificate programs provide real-world information immediately applicable to the workplace, expanding your knowledge of occupational safety and health and allowing you to build on your safety expertise.
 
Participating in professional certification pathways can help you:
 
  • Stay informed about changing regulations, guidance documents and regulatory interpretations
  • Learn to successfully communicate safety and health to employees and executives
  • Avoid costly citations by learning to stay compliant with OSHA regulations
  • Demonstrate proficiency and the ambition to enhance your career
  • Create a network of others who share similar insight and resolve
  • Continue to develop professionally in a growing and changing field
The OSHA Training Institute Education Center offers several levels of Professional Safety certificates, including:
 
Safety Foundations Certificate is designed to provide knowledge of safety fundamentals to those looking to advance their understanding and awareness of workplace safety, or to increase employment opportunities.
 
Safety Associate Certificate – Level I provides attendees with a solid foundation for understanding OSHA regulatory standards and developing solutions to workplace safety issues.
 
Specialist in Safety & Health Certificate – Level II is designed to expand and improve the practical skills of those responsible for workplace health and safety.

provides a clear and defined path for existing safety professionals to achieve their career goals by earning a professional certificate in Construction or General Industry safety.

Safety & Health Fundamentals Certificate Program
was developed by OSHA in support of its mission to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women.
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Protect Workers from Cold Stress
Winter weather presents hazards including slippery roads/surfaces, strong winds, and environmental cold. Employers must prevent illnesses, injuries or fatalities by controlling these hazards in workplaces impacted by winter weather.

OSHA has several resources to help businesses and their workers manage and control hazards associated with winter weather, and to provide information about hazards that workers may face during and after winter storms. Learn More

UPCOMING OSHA CLASSES
Start the New Year by Expanding Your Safety Knowledge
This is a refresher course for those who have completed OSHA #500-Trainer Course for the Construction Industry and who are authorized trainers in the OSHA Outreach Training Program.

*Proof of vaccination status is required for In-Person Classes. See Course Policy
This 4-day course covers Federal OSHA policies, procedures and standards, as well as General Industry safety and health principles and is the prerequisite to OSHA #501-Trainer Course for General Industry. Learn to apply the appropriate Federal OSHA standard to General Industry hazards. Click here for full OSHA 511 course description.
Proof of vaccination status is required for In-Person Classes. See Course Policy
This course is designed to enable students to recognize, evaluate, prevent and abate safety and health hazards associated with confined space entry. Topics include the recognition of confined space hazards, basic information about instrumentation used to evaluate atmospheric hazards, and ventilation techniques. 
Proof of vaccination status is required for In-Person Classes. See Course Policy

In-Person Classes: Physical distancing and other safety guidelines are followed in all In-Person classes, and class sizes are reduced. Proof of vaccination status is required for In-Person Classes. See Course Policy
In Region IX OSHA numbered Virtual, Instructor-Led classes offered via Zoom are only available to participants located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Contact us if you are unsure if this applies to you.
5860 Owens Drive
3rd Floor
Pleasanton, CA 94588

Phone: 866-936-6742
Fax: 925-460-0133

E-Mail

Website
The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District offers high quality OSHA standards-based training for construction, maritime, disaster site and general industries in Northern, Central and Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.

OSHA classes are offered as Virtual Instructor-Led Training via Zoom and also In-Person in select locations following physical distancing and other strict COVID-19 safety guidelines. In-person class sizes are reduced in size, so early registration is strongly advised. Visit our website for a current class schedule.
For additional information, email us at otc@clpccd.org or call 866-936-6742.

The OSHA Training Institute Education Center Catalog features information on our training programs, including overviews and class descriptions, enrollment policies and course delivery options. Download the OSHA Training Catalog or Request a Catalog by Mail.

The recommendations in this newsletter are advisory in nature, informational in content, and intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.