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Health Workers Working Healthy (HWWH) is an OSHA Susan Harwood grant funded program. We are currently in our eighth grant year! We have provided safety training to over 7,000 healthcare employees to date, focusing on low-literacy, minority, hard-to-reach workers, including front line supervisors and young workers, ages 16-24.

Our trainings are free and include relevant, visually rich training material, written for a low literacy audience; with hands-on and participatory exercises as well as ample opportunities to ask questions and interact with the instructor. Trainings are delivered by professional instructors using highly visual Power Points, props, personal protective equipment (PPE), short videos, fact sheets, small group exercises, and hands-on activities. Trainings are offered on site at your facility and can be customized specifically for your facility. Classes at workplaces are usually one hour but can be as short as half an hour or as long as two hours. All classes include information on OSHA rights, protected safety activities, whistle-blower protections, and complaint timelines. HWWH classes are available at the Training Fund’s Breslin Learning Center, or on-site in healthcare and human services workplace. Training’s and classes – including customized training’s – can be scheduled by contacting Jennifer Reibsane at 215-568-2220.

Safety Classes Offered


Presentation covers the basics of both routes of exposure and transmission of disease, with a highlight on proper hand washing techniques and influenza prevention in healthcare. Activities include use of glow-in-the-dark “germ” lotion, handling personal protective equipment, and donning/doffing demonstrations. This is our most popular training, with versions running from 30 minutes to one hour.

For more information about our safety training, please contact Jennifer Reibsane, Occupational Safety Center Training Coordinator, jreibsane@1199ctraining.org or (215) 568-2220, (215) 568-2220 ext 5423.

This training delves into the world of protective equipment for hospital safety and chemical use, discussing which types of PPE are effective against specific hazards. Participants practice proper methods to put on and remove a variety of PPE. Training includes information on respiratory protection, eye safety and emergency response, and lasts for one hour.

This in-depth presentation explores disease transmission through bodily fluids, blood, needlesticks and sharps. It reviews infection control information and PPE use while focusing on the prevention of bloodborne pathogen exposure through the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. Presentation highlights emergency response in case a BBP exposure occurs. This is one-hour presentation.

For more information about our safety training, please contact Jennifer Reibsane, Occupational Safety Center Training Coordinator, jreibsane@1199ctraining.org or (215) 568-2220, (215) 568-2220 ext 5423.

This presentation focuses on workplace violence in healthcare, covering who is affected, workplace risk factors, and prevention and de-escalation techniques. It also provides helpful suggestions for employers to better prevent workplace violence in their facility. This is one-hour presentation.

This class can be used to fulfill current Hazard Communication Revised for 2012 OSHA training requirements. It reviews both the HAZCOM standard and the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling (GHS), teaching participants to recognize new chemical warning signs in use in the USA and around the world. Program presents basic information on routes of exposure and PPE use. This is one-hour presentation.

This one-hour training includes material on Eye Protection and Eyewash Station use. Eye Safety training can be adapted to last from between thirty minutes to one hour.

Several different ergonomic trainings exist to teach about musculoskeletal stressors in healthcare and to focus on engineering controls and solutions to minimize injury and ‘protect the back’. Classes vary in length from 1 to 2 hours. The Ergonomics program can be customized to your healthcare department, location, hazard or facility.

This program is designed for members of safety and accident investigation committees, for safety advocates, worker representatives, as well as for supervisors and management. Training presentation includes a healthcare workplace scenario, role plays, small group exercises and applied analysis. This RCA training utilizes well-established methods of accident investigation and analysis to dive into the underlying causes of safety hazards in healthcare. Trainees use new skills to craft effective and realistic recommendations to reduce risk. This training runs from two to three hours, and can be expanded or adapted to reflect specific safety challenges in your facility.

This presentation covers key skills and techniques used by trainers and instructors to present clear information in a confident manner to large and small groups. Class includes collaborative exercises allowing participants to practice public speaking in front of their peers. Presentation Skills classes are often paired with Infection Control, PPE or Eye Safety programs to prepare students to provide “peer-led” training to co-workers. Participants’ confidence improves drastically during each class as they become more comfortable organizing material and presenting in front of a group.

This training is geared for young workers (16 years of age to early 20s) that are entering the healthcare workforce in support occupations. Workplace injuries are typically highest among this population, and this presentation aims to empower young workers to become aware of the hazards surrounding them and to make discerning safety choices and avoid getting hurt. It includes hazard recognition exercises that cover varied healthcare environments (dietary, nursing, environmental services, more) and reviews worker rights and whistleblower protections under OSHA. Presentation lasts from 1 to 2 hours.

This presentation teaches about the various causes of workplace slips, trips and falls, focusing on employee awareness, environmental factors, and facility safety checklists to minimize hazards. This is a one-hour presentation.

This presentation describes the skill of analyzing and anticipating workplace hazards for each job title, so that safety issues can be managed proactively, before they occur. Performing Job Safety Analyses/ JSA for hazardous positions is an OSHA requirement. The program includes a JSA documentation form and small group exercises to practice job safety analysis for common tasks. Training duration is 1.5 to 2 hours.

The Safe Material Handling presentation reviews ergonomics and musculoskeletal risks posed by supply and distribution work. It focuses on ergonomic solutions as well as safe manual lifting strategies, and includes information on electric carts and material lifting aids. Class duration is one hour.

For more information about our safety training, please contact Jennifer Reibsane, Occupational Safety Center Training Coordinator, jreibsane@1199ctraining.org or (215) 568-2220, (215) 568-2220 ext 5423.

Technical Resources


As part of the Susan Harwood grant program, we offer free occupational safety information and technical resources to workers and employers in healthcare. Previous requests for assistance have covered safe patient lifting, infection control, PPE and respiratory protection, bio-hazardous waste handling, emergency equipment, workplace violence prevention, and much more. Call Jennifer Reibsane, Safety Manager, at 215-568-2220 for more information.

All HWWH materials are produced under grant SSH-05061-SH8 from OSHA, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, US Department of Labor. HWWH materials do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the US Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the US government.

 

Technical Advisory Council


  • Temple University Hospital
  • Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
  • Inglis House
  • Simpson House
  • District 1199C Training Fund
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
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Have Questions?

For more information about our safety training, please contact Jennifer Reibsane, Occupational Safety Center Training Coordinator, jreibsane@1199ctraining.org or (215) 568-2220, (215) 568-2220 ext 5423.