Knowledge is power!

I am a strong believer that learning is a lifelong experience.  Get as much education as you can, whenever you can.  I kinda regret the years I did nothing but work and live my life when I could have been in school somewhere learning and collecting degrees.  Going back to school was one of the best things I ever did!

Sooooo, when I had the opportunity to take a Georgia Tech OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) course at the campus here in Warner Robins, I jumped on it.  There were six classes and we finished up the last one today.  These classes were so much fun!  We learned so much, experienced so much (playing the part of a Safety Specialist at a simulated badge manufacturing plant was a hoot!) and I can't wait to take all that I learned back to my F-15 family. 

This was a wonderful opportunity for me and I'm so thankful my training supervisors sent me through the course.  It wasn't cheap.  Tuition for each class was a whopping $875 so that means Robins Air Force Base paid over $5,000 for me to go.  That's a huge investment in me and I plan to give them back the most positive return for their efforts. 

The six classes I took were Standards for General Industry, Industrial Hygiene (that one was my favorite!), Machine Guarding, Accident Investigation, Safety-Integrated Process Improvement and this week, Ergonomics for Work-Related Musculoskeletal and Nerve Disorders.

We were given binders for each class as well as the 2015 1910 OSHA regulations guide, along with highlighters, pens, pencils and page markers.  We all received certificates with the Georgia Tech gold seal for each class and we'll receive the official framed one at our graduation ceremony at the base on January 20th.

The Georgia Tech faculty, which consisted of engineers and researchers, was knowledgeable, friendly and they made the classes a lot of fun.  We even went on a field trip!  During our Machine Guarding class, we went out to the base to do a walk-around safety inspection and were able to identify a few hazards and to give them praise for some things they were doing just right.

My head is full of all sorts of things and ways to keep my folks safe and free from danger and injury.  Tearing down and rebuilding airplanes can be a dangerous job.  We have injuries out there nearly every day.  I hope to be able to sort through my notes and thoughts and be ready to do my own version of OSHA training with them after the first of the year and together, we can create a safer and healthier place to work!