The educational requirements for OSHA's excavation and lead safety standards can be daunting for contractors. The Construction Safety Council (CSC) is offering two new online programs that offer tools to help contactors fit training into their busy work schedules.

These two programs, Excavation Competent Person Training Program and Lead in Construction Program, are offered free of charge for the next two years. The programs were created with funding from OSHA's Susan Harwood Training Grant Program and authored by the Construction Safety Council.

OSHA's Excavation Safety Standard requires that contractors designate "competent persons" to supervise all trenching and excavation work. The Excavation Competent Person Training Program is an interactive course designed to cover the most important knowledge requirements that must be met by the competent person. The designation of "competent person" can only be made by the employer responsible for performing the excavation work.

Participants will go through a sequence of learning modules: Introduction to Competency, Specific Excavation Requirements, Protective Systems and Soil Analysis, Emergency Response, and a Post-Test. Upon successful completion of the program and post- test, the participant will receive a course completion certificate from the Construction Safety Council.

Paul Satti, CSC's director of program development, said, "When a contractor only has one or two people needing competent person level training, CSC's on-line excavation safety course is efficient and cost effective. It also provides supervisory and management personnel with an excellent avenue for professional development."

The Lead in Construction Program is a downloadable program that informs participants about the hazards of lead in the workplace and the measures that can eliminate or reduce exposure. Participants completing the program will learn about the history of lead-related disease and various sources of exposure to lead in construction and demolition work. They also will learn about health effects of lead, exposure monitoring and medical surveillance, engineering work practice controls and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.

"We're very excited about the Construction Safety Council's ability to offer the new computer-based training developed with funding received from OSHA's Susan Harwood Training Grant Program," said Tom Broderick, executive director and a construction safety professional for more than 25 years.

The online programs can be found at http://www.buildsafe.org.