Occupational Safety and Health Training Grant : MS ISE/ Safety and Ergonomics

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7. Project Summary / Abstract The long term objectives of this program are to 1) increase the number of engineers who understand that they have a direct effect on the safety of workers who work with the equipment and work systems engineers design, and 2) increase the number of engineers who choose to go into applied or research positions in the area of occupational safety and health. Traineeships in Occupational Safety and Ergonomics are available in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering (ISE) at The Ohio State University. These provide educational opportunities to engineering students at the master's level who are interested in pursuing industrial, consulting, or academic careers in occupational safety and ergonomics or related areas. Plans of study typically require 4-5 semesters to complete. Students take courses in occupational biomechanics and ergonomics, cognitive systems engineering, occupational health, occupational safety, human error and systems failure or resilience engineering, and experimental design. Students are trained in responsible conduct of research practices and have opportunities to get involved in cutting edge research that addresses a number of original NORA Priority Research Areas, including Low Back Disorders, Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities, Traumatic Injuries, Emerging Technologies, Organization of Work, Special Populations at Risk, Exposure Assessment Methods, and/or Intervention Effectiveness Research. Research projects, seminars, internships, a safety practicum, and other opportunities expose students to several sectors in the current NORA Sector-Based Approach such as Healthcare, Manufacturing, Public Safety, Service workers, and Warehousing. Students learn from OSU faculty, experienced OHS practitioners, and workers. While students learn about safety and ergonomics fundamentals, they also learn about emerging trends and concepts, such as resilience as an approach to safety & engineering and wellness approaches to occupational safety and health. Laboratory facilities and equipment the students work with are state-of-the-art, including OSU's Spine Research Institute, and the OSU Libraries system is second-to-none. OSU's College of Engineering and the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering continue to refine and improve strategies for recruiting and retaining top-notch graduate students from groups that are underrepresented in engineering, and our training program has participated in these strategies when recruiting participants for the program. Advisory Board members bring experience from labor, industry, research, government, and education, and provide the program with important, relevant perspectives, as well as providing direct support to students through internships, safety practicum sponsorships, guest lectures in classes, and seminars. The training program provides Ohio, a state with more than 921,000 employers and 5.2 million workers, and the nation with engineers with training to identify and address occupational safety and ergonomics hazards in a wide variety of work settings. Program graduates become valuable employees because of the breadth of their training (including in research methods, occupational safety, occupational health, and ergonomics/human factors/cognitive systems engineering), diverse sector exposure (service sector, manufacturing, warehousing, healthcare, and others), and instructor exposure (academics and experienced professionals), or students may opt to build upon that strong foundation of knowledge with further education and training at the doctoral level.