State Commissioner Delivers Safety Grant to MCLA
(3).jpg) MCLA Vice President James Stakenas shows DIA Commissioner Paul Buckley where a microburst in 2007 tore roofs off the Townhouse dormitories. With them are Director of Safety Kathy Manson and Deputy Commissioner Timothy McMahon. |
This is the third year the college has been the recipient of the grant, awarded to the Northern Berkshire Safety Consortium, spearheaded by MCLA and including Williams College, the city of North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts.
The grant was delivered by Paul Buckley, commissioner of the Department of Industrial Accidents, Deputy Commissioner Timothy McMahon and Director of Safety Kathy Manson.
The state officials' visit to the college was one of several that day, part of a daylong effort by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to cover Western Massachusetts. The day begin with a welcoming event at Gov. Deval Patrick's Springfield office.
Ken Corbett of the DIA said officials were also spreading the word that the deadline for the training grants had been extended to April 1 and reminding organizations that they may qualify.
The grants are funded through the Workers Compensation Trust Fund; institutions and agencies paying into the fund are eligible.
The funds can't be used for the same training and people each year. For instance, MCLA has used its grants for basic ergonomic training — teaching staff the proper way to pick up or move heavy objects, for instance — and for driver education.
Buckley said lifting is a major cause of injury, particularly in the nursing field because of the need to move or aid patients.
This year, the college is planning comprehensive training related to workplace and public safety; the consortium will invite other groups to participate and share best practices information. Corbett said the college had done a detailed analysis of the types of training it needed, such as teaching sports management students first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
.jpg) MCLA President Mary K. Grant shakes hands with Buckley as Manson and McMahon look on. |
Stakenas said the safety training had given the college workers the confidence in their ability to handle the crisis.
"We didn't have to call an outside company," he said. "We felt very confident. [Staff] had the protective gear and they knew how to use it."
Manson said good training stays with you. "That training is in your head so if there is an incident, you can stop it before it becomes a tragedy."
For more information on Occupational Safety and Health Education and Training Grants, click here.
