Occupational Safety and Health Program Improvement

Details

• Personal Author:
  Wortham TB
• Description:
  The national demand for diversified education and training of safety and health professionals led to the establishment of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) at Murray State University (MSU) in 1978. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health at Murray State provides a variety of curriculum options which includes a bachelor of science (B.S.) in the area of occupational safety and health with safety and environmental tracks; master of science (M.S.) in occupational safety and health with concentrations in safety management, industrial hygiene, and environmental, including an online program with a concentration in safety management; and a technical minor in occupational safety and health. Each degree provides a comprehensive broad-based educational background designed to prepare individuals for entry-level and advanced work in the field. The undergraduate and graduate programs in occupational safety and health are accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of ABET (ASAC/ABET). Both programs were originally accredited by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) in 1988. The safety program at Murray State is currently the only occupational safety and health program in the United States with both its B.S. and M.S. degrees accredited by ASAC/ABET. Accreditation, along with curriculum changes and support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), serve to increase the visibility of the occupational safety and health programs at Murray State. The grant support was used to strengthen the preparation of the undergraduate and graduate level students. This was accomplished by providing learning situations designed to help students become more effective entry-level and advanced professionals. The primary focus was: 1.Increased visitation to intern jobsites by the internship supervisors to observe and improve employer-intern-university relationships. 2.Development and enhancement of interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary courses, concentrations and minors with the following programs: criminal justice, business, and environmental/civil engineering technology. 3.On-going faculty professional development to keep abreast of changes in the occupational safety and health field. 4.Development of seminars and Occupational Safety and Health Training Center (OSHTC) courses and certifications designed to address current occupational safety and health issues. 5.Support for students in the form of travel and tuition/fees. 6.Improvement and upgrade of laboratory and computer equipment within the department. Major accomplishments in this reporting period included curriculum and program enhancement, increased professional development of faculty, improvement in recruitment and retention, increased numbers and placement of interns and graduates, expansion of seminars and continuing education output, and improvement and upgrade of the laboratory equipment within the department. The occupational safety and health program at Murray State continues to be a growing, vibrant program. Improvements, including strengthening the curriculum, internship program, faculty, and student development and recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups, are aimed at fortifying a solid program. The requested NIOSH support helped improve and enhance the quality of the programs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Curriculum Development Industrial Hygiene Programs Occupational Health Programs Occupational Safety Programs Safety Engineering Training Grants
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-24
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054087
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2019-100253
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, T03-OH-008437, 2016 Sep; :1-24
• Contact Point Address:
  Murray State University, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, 157 Industry and Technology Center, Murray, KY 42071-3347
• Email:
  twortham@murraystate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:72cadf17da21d389574b9c2be6058f87d408c40eea89544d2e42e54a25d44f744d070a174aa2b03379c899a9b0e70da679614424b9a51a50bd98232aa0c143c1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218797/cdc_218797_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 107.24 KB ]