Safety & Maintenance Training
Training Courses for Maintenance and Operations
The Florida Department of Education, Office of Educational Facilities (OEF), offers the training courses described below to maintenance and operations personnel. The courses are delivered on-site and at no cost to public school districts, Florida College System Institutions and state universities.
Although the courses are in high demand, OEF can usually deliver the training course within four to six months of receiving a request. To ensure cost-effective use of resources, a minimum of 20 participants are required in each class, with exception for the powered industrial truck (forklift) certification and driving session, which requires a minimum of ten participants.
Maintenance and Operation training courses are currently on hold until further notice. Please check back periodically for updates.
Accident Investigation (3.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to develop the tools and techniques needed to determine the root cause of accidents and near misses in the workplace. By identifying the root cause, future accidents can be avoided. Participants will learn how to establish an investigation team, how and when to conduct an investigation and what documentation should be included in the accident investigation report. Participants will also be able to develop an action plan based on the investigation and implement control measures to prevent recurring accidents.
Basic Electrical Safety (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to increase employee awareness of the dangers of the most common source of energy used on a daily basis which is often taken for granted. This training is intended for all employees who use electricity as a power source for tools, equipment, lighting, charging of batteries and more. Participants will understand how electricity works, the hazards of using electricity as an energy source and what they can do to avoid injuries, such as electrical shock, electrical burns and electrocution.
Bloodborne Pathogens (1.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is intended to prevent spreading infectious bloodborne diseases. This training is intended for all employees who are likely to be exposed to blood or other potentially infected bodily fluids, including first-aid responders, maintenance personnel, janitorial staff and any personnel assigned to clean up body fluids after industrial accidents. Participants will be able to define bloodborne pathogens and the most common types to which they may be exposed. Participants will understand what actions they can take to control exposure to bloodborne pathogens and what actions to take should they experience an occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material.
Compliance with OSHA Standards (3.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to introduce participants to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards to ensure a safe and healthful work environment for employees. The course acquaints supervisors, risk managers and others with the general requirements of OSHA regulations that are incorporated by reference within State Board of Education rule 6A-2.0010, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), and the State Requirements for Educational Facilities manual. Participants will understand the requirement to comply with the OSHA regulations, understand the roles and responsibilities of both employers and employees in the educational environment and the impact of accidents and injuries on the employee and the organization.
Confined Spaces and Permit-Required Confined Spaces (2.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is to identify and understand the hazards of entering into a confined space and the procedures that must be taken prior to entry. Participants will be able to define confined spaces and permit-required confined spaces, define what tests need to be taken to evaluate the spaces prior to entering, and to identify an entry team and its responsibilities.
Defensive Driving Course (8.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to reduce the risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident, which is the number one cause of workplace fatalities. This is a National Safety Council defensive driving course that teaches drivers to develop safe driving habits, including: making safe and legal driving decisions, creating a safe and stress-free personal driving space in and around you, recognizing hazards and the associated defensive action to take, and sharing the road as a courteous and cooperative driver. Upon successful completion of this course, participants will receive a National Safety Council Certificate of Completion and may be eligible for a rate reduction on their personal car insurance. This course cannot be used for DUI charges or traffic citation points.
Ergonomics (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to reduce the potential of injuries to muscles, tendons and soft tissues as a result of workplace activities. Ergonomics is the science of designing and arranging the job to that person to minimize fatigue, discomfort and injury. Participants will be able to identify common work-related musculoskeletal disorders and to recognize risk factors associated with ergonomic injuries. Participants will understand how to minimize the risk of musculoskeletal disorders that can affect the back, neck, arms, elbows, shoulders, hands, wrists, fingers, knees, ankles and feet. Participants will be able to identify preventive measures including work stations, tools, use of equipment and proper body mechanics such as proper lifting techniques, rotation of body positions and rotation of tasks.
Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention Plans and Fire Protection (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to reduce the potential loss of life and property as a result of natural and manmade emergencies (hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, intruders and more). The course provides an overview of the dangers associated with fires and other emergencies that can occur in the work place. Participants will understand the benefits of having and following an emergency action plan, be able to identify hazards that create the need to evacuate or find shelter in place, identify the elements of a means of egress and an emergency escape route, and the importance of maintaining a clear path to an exit.
Fall Protection (2.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is to reduce injuries and fatalities as a result of falls. Most fatal falls are falls from less than 15 feet. This training includes the requirements for fall protection included in OSHA regulation 29 CFR, part 1910 General Industry Standard, subpart D – Walking-Working Surfaces, that became effective in January 2017. The regulation requires employers to provide protection for each employee exposed to a fall and falling object hazards. Participants will understand the various methods to prevent falls from occurring and the protective equipment to prevent an employee from striking the level below after experiencing a fall. Workers are trained to identify and minimize fall hazards, use personal fall arrest systems and maintain systems used for fall prevention
Groundskeepers' Equipment (3.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to address the hazards employees are exposed to while maintaining the exterior landscape. Participants will understand the hazards of groundskeeping and the precautions that can be implemented to avoid accidents and injuries. Participants will recognize the hazards of working outdoors exposed to environmental hazards such as sun, heat, lightning, insects, reptiles and poisonous plants. Participants will understand the various groundskeeping tools and equipment and the procedures for safe use and inspection of the equipment to maintain safe operation.
Hand and Portable Power Tool Safety (2.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is reduce accidents and injuries by identifying common hazards when working with hand and power tools. Participants will be able to implement procedures for inspecting hand and power tools to ensure their safe operation. Participants will be able to: identify the various types of power sources for tools and the hazards associated with them; understand the general safety precautions to apply when working with all hand and power tools; identify the personal protective equipment needed when working with hand and power tools, and the importance of wearing this equipment; and identify specific safe operating procedures to apply when using some of the most common tools.
Hazard Communication Standard (2.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is to address the requirement regarding an employee’s right to know about chemicals in their workplace. Participants will be able to understand the information provided on chemical safety data sheets, understand the meaning of the global harmonized system pictograms on safety data sheets and chemical labels, understand the requirements of primary and secondary labels for chemicals, understand the health hazards of chemicals and the potential for fire or explosion when working with chemicals. Participants will be able to implement precautions when handling, storing and disposing of chemicals.
Hearing Conservation (1.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is to reduce permanent hearing damage that may result from exposure to occupational noise. Participants will be able to identify sources of hazardous noise exposure; control measures, including engineering, administrative and personal protective equipment to protect themselves from hazardous exposure; understand the impact of noise on the body and mind; identify the methods to monitor the amount of noise employees are being exposed to in the workplace, and identify activities outside the workplace that can also have an impact on hearing.
Job Hazard Analysis (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to identify the hazards of the tasks employees perform everyday by breaking the job down into steps and the hazards associated with each step. By identifying the hazard, employers can then determine the best action to eliminate or control the hazard. Also known as a hazard assessment, the job hazard analysis is a proactive method of hazard identification, control and accident prevention. Participants will be able to define job hazard analysis, understand the different types of hazards present when performing work tasks and understand the hierarchy of hazard controls. Participants will complete a job hazard analysis.
Ladder Safety (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to understand the hazards and precautions employees need to take when working on ladders. Participants will be able to identify the importance of choosing the right ladder for the task, using the ladder safely and the unsafe behavior and conditions that can lead to falls. Participants will know how to inspect, set up, work from, store and transport ladders.
Lock Out/Tag Out (LOTO) (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to prevent injuries and fatalities as a result of failing to de-energize equipment, or from accidental re-energization of equipment during service and maintenance activities. Employers must implement procedures for the control of all sources of hazardous energy. Participants will understand the hazards of failing to de-energize power before performing the task. Participants will be able to implement the step-by-step procedures to achieve zero energy, no live and no stored energy.
LP Gas Systems in Educational Facilities (8.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with information on the hazards of liquid petroleum fuel. Participants will understand the hazards and the precautions to implement when handling, storing and making repairs. Participants will gain knowledge on the characteristics, equipment use, placement, operation, accident prevention and principles of inspecting LP Gas systems. This course is presented jointly with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bureau of LP Gas Inspections.
Machinery/Machine Guarding (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to increase participants knowledge of the hazards of machinery, including amputations and fatalities that can occur when employees come in contact with moving parts of the equipment. Participants will be able to recognize the hazards of points of operation, in-running nip points, moving belts and pullies. Participants will gain knowledge of the safeguards to be implemented to prevent contact with moving parts of machinery and equipment. Participants will understand where mechanical hazards occur, causes of machine accidents, requirements for safeguards, methods of machine guarding, accident prevention devices and techniques and machine safety responsibilities.
Managing the Heat (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to address the hazards associated with working in hot environments. Participants will identify the hazards associated with working in the heat and being exposed to the sun. Participants will be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat related illnesses and understand the precautions needed to protect themselves.
Managing Safety and Health (3.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with the tools they need to take an active part in identifying and controlling hazards in the workplace. Participants will understand how accidents occur and how to reduce accidents and injuries in the workplace. Participants will receive an action plan to begin a new or improve an existing safety and health program that includes involvement from all stakeholders. Topics of discussion include job site inspections, accident prevention programs, management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, accident investigations, how to conduct safety meetings and supervisory communication.
Materials Handling (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with the knowledge needed to protect themselves from hazards of handling, transporting, lifting and storing materials. Participants will be able to identify various material handling equipment, describe the hazards associated with material handling activities and understand methods to control the hazards. Participants will gain knowledge of how to recognize the hazards of working in warehouses; transporting materials in work trucks; working around powered industrial trucks, cranes and conveyors and how to protect themselves from recognized hazards.
Personal Protective Equipment (2.5 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with the knowledge of personal protective equipment available to protect employees from hazards when engineering or administrative controls do not eliminate or reduce the hazard to an acceptable level. Participants will be able to describe the hierarchy of hazard controls as it relates to personal protective equipment and to identify types of personal protective equipment from head to toe. Participants will understand the employer and the employee responsibilities regarding personal protective equipment. Participants will understand the training and medical requirement related to wearing personal protective equipment.
Powered Industrial Truck Operator (8.0 hours minimum) – The purpose of this training is to provide information on the safe operation of powered industrial trucks to avoid accidents, injuries, and fatalities; to reduce damage to property; and to meet the requirement that all powered industrial truck operators to be trained prior to operating equipment. Participants will gain knowledge of the physical properties and characteristics of the vehicles, safe operations, refueling procedures and safe operation. The counterbalanced rider forklift course includes classroom instruction and hands-on operation instruction and evaluation of each participant’s safe operation of the forklift. Upon successful completion of a written test and driving evaluation participants receive a certificate of operation on the powered industrial truck training completed. Participants must be trained on each type of powered industrial truck operated. Certifications are valid for three years from date of issue. The length of time for this course is dependent on the number of participants, pieces of equipment being trained on and time required to complete the hands-on evaluations. Six participant minimum. Additional training is available for motorized pallet jacks and narrow aisle lift trucks Training will require additional time for classroom and hands-on evaluations. Email trainer for planning and scheduling requirements based on your specific needs
Respirator Use and Safety (4.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with information on respiratory hazards in the work place and methods of control. Participants will gain knowledge of the types of respiratory hazards, fundamentals of respirator usage including types and application. Participants will be able to properly inspect, use, clean and store their respirator. Participants will complete the required fit test after the instructional portion of the training. To complete this training, participants must complete and pass a medical evaluation and must not have any interfering facial hair. The course host provides respirators and the appropriate fit-testing apparatus.
Utility Vehicle and Golf Cart Operator Safety (2.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with the basics of safe operation, general and specific driving guidelines and campus dangers relating to golf carts and utility vehicle operations. Provides an overview of vehicle types and features.
Walking and Working Surfaces (4.0 hours) – The purpose of this training is to provide participants with the ability to protect themselves from hazards associated with walking surfaces. Slip, trips and falls are the second leading cause of fatalities in the workplace and a leading cause of missed work days as a result of injury. Participants will recognize the hazards of cluttered work spaces, wet surfaces and working off of ladders and scaffolding. Participants will be able to implement practices to prevent hazards associated with walking working surfaces including open holes, ditches and trenches. Participants will be able to understand the different types and best method of fall prevention and control. Discussion includes OSHA standards for aisles, passageways, guarding openings and holes in floors and walls, fixed stairs, portable and fixed ladders, safety requirements for scaffolding, manually propelled mobile ladder stands, scaffolds and other working surfaces.
Contact
Office of Educational Facilities
1014 Turlington Building
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
Phone: 850-245-0494
Fax: 850-245-9304 or 850-245-9236