FRANKFORT, Ky. –
A maintenance shop can be a hazardous place to work.
For that reason, 2nd Lt. Joshua Witt, Safety and Occupational Health manager for the Kentucky National Guard, recently taught an Operational Safety and Health Administration course to Kentucky Guards mechanics at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky.
“One of the things we have to work hard to do is to develop some command emphasis on the need for training at the awareness level,” he said.
“Sometimes soldiers need to know what’s right and what they need to do to be consciously competent.”
There were 23 mechanics in attendance at the 10-hour OSHA course. Witt said more classes are in the works.
A goal, Witt said, is to teach more than 250 Army technicians serving in the maintenance field for the Guard. If successful, it will be a first for the entire Army National Guard.
“As an OSHA authorized trainer, I can take them through the 10- or 30-hour course which gives them visibility on how to maintain the work place so that our soldiers can go home safely to their families,” he said.
Witt was recently received the Army National Guard Safety and Occupational Health Manager Certification.