What is the WOSh specialist training?
WOSHTEP trains California workers to be Worker Occupational Safety and Health (WOSH) Specialists who will become leaders in promoting health and safety in their workplaces. The role of a Specialist is to:
- Promote employers' workplace injury and illness prevention efforts and help develop an Injury and Illness Prevention Program at their workplace.
- Serve as a health and safety resource for others, including coworkers, health and safety committees, unions, and employers.
- Identify workplace hazards.
- Investigate the underlying causes of injuries.
- Promote solutions to health and safety problems.
- Support the successful return-to-work of injured employees.
Workers interested in becoming a WOSH Specialist attend a free 24-hour course that prepares them to take a leadership role in their workplace. Key occupational safety and health concepts are taught through core modules addressing topics relevant in a variety of California workplaces. A series of supplemental modules cover specific topics and hazards. Workers then are ready to take on health and safety responsibilities, such as serving on a health and safety committee, acting as a designated safety representative, and training others.
The free program is offered in English, Spanish, and Chinese. It is taught through a statewide network of trainers coordinated by the Northern California Resource Center at the University of California, Berkeley, the Southern California Resource Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Central Valley Resource Center at the University of California, Davis.