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OSHA to Publish Names of Fraudulent Trainers

Friday, August 7, 2009

In its continuing work to crack down on fraudulent trainers in its Outreach Training Program, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is publishing an “Outreach Trainer Watch List” of those who have had their trainer authorizations either revoked or suspended.

OSHA will update the List weekly. The agency will identify fraudulent trainers by monitoring training programs.

For instance, OSHA recently conducted an undercover investigation of a 10-hour course led by an OSHA-authorized environmental health and safety director for a Las Vegas construction firm. The investigation revealed several examples of failure to comply with program guidelines. The trainer’s infractions included submitting falsified information regarding the instructional time spent on the topics, failing to collect and retain required documentation, and inappropriately advising students not to contact OSHA to report hazards.

OSHA revoked the trainer’s Outreach Training authorization after he declined to appeal the decision, and his name has been added to the “Watch List” on OSHA’s Web site.

In addition to monitoring Outreach Training Programs, OSHA has provided a hotline, 847-297-4810, for individuals to file complaints about fraud and abuse.

“Trainers who fail to provide appropriate safety training will pay a stiff price for their fraudulent behavior,” said Jordan Barab, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. “A tighter record control procedure has been instituted requiring trainers to sign their reports and certify the class was conducted in accordance with OSHA’s guidelines. Trainers face civil and criminal penalties under federal law if reports or certifications are found to have been falsified.”

Trainers are authorized by completing a one-week OSHA trainer course through an OSHA Training Institute Education Center. The trainers are then eligible to teach 10-hour programs that provide basic information to workers and employers about workplace hazards and OSHA as well as 30-hour courses in construction, maritime, and general industry safety and health hazards.

The voluntary Outreach Training Program has grown to a national network of more than 16,000 independent trainers eligible to teach workers and employers about workplace hazards and provide OSHA 10-hour course completion cards. The program’s success has prompted some states and cities to require workers to complete training to earn an OSHA 10-hour card as a condition of employment.

The “Watch List” can be viewed at: https://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/construction_generalindustry/watchlist.html.

For more information about OSHA, go to www.osha.gov.