B.S. in Occupational Safety & Health

Occupational safety and health is a specialized branch of the health professions focusing on the environment of workers. Professionals in this field strive to find and eliminate conditions in the workplace that may result in occupational injury or disease. This is achieved through a process of anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of the various stresses that contribute to unsafe working environments. These stresses may be of a mechanical, electrical, chemical, physical, biological or ergonomic nature.

The Occupational Safety and Health program is multidisciplinary in nature, providing students with relevant exposure to basic science and behavioral science subjects as well as a thorough introduction to industrial hygiene and industrial safety concepts. A one-semester internship requirement provides students in the senior year of the program with firsthand field experience in the practice of this profession.

Graduates of the program will find employment opportunities within industrial firms; insurance companies; professional associations; local, state and federal government; and labor organizations.

• Checklist of requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health
• Checklist of requirements for the Minor in Occupational Safety and Health

Grade point policy

Occupational Safety and Health majors must achieve minimum course grades of 2.0 in science core prerequisite courses and in required OSH courses. A final course grade below 2.0 places a student on probation, which requires a meeting with the program director or a designated representative to discuss a method of remediation. In most cases, the method of remediation involves repeating the course in which the unsatisfactory grade was earned. See Repeating courses for additional information.

Major Course Descriptions

The program offers selected courses from this catalog as warranted by student needs and availability of faculty. Specific offerings for each term may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

OSH 100 Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health (1)
Introduces students to various occupational environments through site visits and/or guest speakers and provides first hand experience of how health and safety professionals function in the workplace.

OSH 115 Safety and Health at Work (2)
A general introduction to safety and health on the job including injury and illness prevention, emergency response, accident investigation, relevant legislation, and current topics. It is recommended for business, engineering, prelaw, health professions or general studies students. Due to its condensed nature, it may not be used to meet IHS major requirements.

OSH 225 Occupational Safety and Health Training Methods (3)
Provides in-depth study of training methods required to conceptualize, prepare, deliver, and evaluate training experiences in conducting a training needs assessment, establishing learning objectives, developing curricula types of media, and developing training evaluation tools.
Prerequisite: None.

OSH 235 Occupational Safety and Health Standards (3)
Current regulations and standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor.

OSH 331 Occupational Safety I: Engineering and Technology (3)
Safety principles and practices of the industrial environment. Engineering and technical information are discussed.

OSH 332 Occupational Safety II: Administration and Programs (3)
Management aspects of the industrial environment. Administration techniques, governmental regulations, and programs for health and safety management are discussed.

OSH 333 Fire Prevention and Protection (3)
Fundamentals of flame generation and propagation, fire behavior in open and confined spaces, theory of fire fighting methods, fire detection and suppression, property loss control and life safety.
Prerequisite: OSH 331 or 332 or instructor permission.

OSH 334 Industrial Environment I: Evaluations (3)
Basic concepts in the recognition, measurement and evaluation of chemical, physical (noise, radiation, extreme thermal conditions, etc.) and biological (blood borne pathogens, allergens, etc.) hazards in the industrial environment.
Prerequisite: CHM 201, PHY 120.
Corerequisite: OSH 336

OSH 335 Industrial Environment II: Controls (3)
Principles and practices on the control aspects (engineering, administrative, and personal protection) of chemical, physical and biological hazards in the industrial environment.
Prerequisite: OSH 334.

OHS 336 Industrial Environment Lab (1)
Quantitative monitoring techniques for measuring and evaluating environmental stress in the industrial workplace
Corerequisite: OSH 334

OSH 423 Radiation Safety (3)
Safety aspects of occupational hazards associated with the use of ionizing radiation in industry.
Methods for the identification, evaluation and control of potential worker overexposure conditions will be reviewed. Biological effects of acute and chronic worker exposure will also be reviewed.
Prerequisite: OSH 335, PHY 120, or instructor permission.

OSH 441 Accident/Incident Investigation and Analysis (3)
A review of methodologies for accident and incident investigation and analysis. Topics include data collection, investigation methodologies, interviewing techniques, techniques of date analysis, reporting formats, system safety, and developing recommendations to prevent recurrences.
Prerequisites: OSH 332 or instructor permission.

OSH 442 Construction Safety (3)
Construction safety practices and principles with an overview of program development, legislative issues and special concerns of the construction industry with respect to worker safety.

OSH 443 Robotic and Automation System Safety (3)
Information and issues related to worker safety in industrial environments where robots are used. The state of-the-art of advanced automation will be surveyed, with emphasis on system safety and injury prevention features required to assure an adequate worker/robot interface.
Prerequisite: OSH 331 or instructor permission.

OSH 444 Environmental Standards (3)
Examines air, water, hazardous waste, pesticide and chemical regulatory standards. Topics will be analyzed in terms of standard development, enforcement at state and federal levels, and the validity of the standard's ability to protect health and the environment.

OHS 445 Introduction to Ergonomics (3)
Ergonomics and related change management concepts; anthropometry, biomechanics, metabolic energy expenditure, capabilities and limitations of workers; design and analysis of the workplace, hand tools, controls and products; application of the NIOSH lifting guidelines and other standards.
Prerequisite: BIO 104 or WHP 300 and WHP 305.
Cross-listed with WHP 420

OSH 446 Industrial Toxicology (3)
Introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of toxicology, with special attention given to the industrial environment. Evaluation of the toxic effects of substances and toxic responses to various substances.
Prerequisite: BIO 104, CHM 201, OSH 335.

OSH 480 Special Topics in Occupational Safety and Health (2, 3, or 4)
Instructor initiated research and investigation into current topics of special interest in the career fieldof occupational safety and health.
Prerequisite: Program director permission.

OSH 490 Directed Study and Research in Occupational Safety and Health (1, 2, 3 or 4)
Student initiated and problem-oriented independent research and study focusing on occupational safety and health issues. May be repeated for additional credit. Graded S/U.
Prerequisite: Program director permission.

OSH 499 Occupational Safety and Health Internship (4)
Field training in industrial safety and health in close collaboration with professional industrial hygiene and safety personnel. Exposure to health and safety program planning and evaluation. May only be taken by students with major standing and minimum 2.0 GPA in all IHS courses. Graded S/U.
Prerequisite: Program permission.