The Myers-Lawson College of Development, a part of Virginia Tech’s Faculty of Engineering, has launched a brand new main to assist form the trade’s future security leaders.
The new development security management program, a bachelor’s in science on the Blacksburg, Virginia, college began admitting college students in Could and the inaugural cohort may graduate as quickly as Could 2025.
The brand new main got here out of rising trade demand for development engineers with a safety-focused mindset, mentioned Brian M. Kleiner, professor and director for the Middle of Innovation Security, Well being and Effectively-being on the Myers-Lawson College of Development.
“Our trade advisory board was instrumental in driving the necessity for college kids geared up to steer security, whether or not as security professionals or as safety-minded undertaking managers or superintendents,” he mentioned.
The one different college within the mid-Atlantic area with a security diploma is Slippery Rock College in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, mentioned Kleiner, and that’s “very-rule primarily based, specializing in OSHA rules, for instance.” In contrast, the Virginia Tech main will deal with management abilities and information, inserting the rules inside the context of management.
The development trade faces quite a few security challenges that this system goals to handle, Kleiner mentioned. For hazard safety, meaning highlighting OSHA’s Deadly 4 on jobsites and persevering with to advocate for security and prevention.
“On the management facet, [the major focuses on] making a tradition the place security is just not seen as a cost-prohibitive detrimental however a productivity-promoting aspect that brings staff dwelling protected every evening,” Kleiner mentioned.
Security, management and research
The scholars will take 5 core programs as a part of this system, starting with CEM 2714: Development Security Methods, which gives an introductory take a look at development security and its significance within the trade.
The opposite programs embody:
- CEM 3164: Development Well being and Security, which explores the rules, requirements and legal guidelines established by governing businesses to guard staff.
- CEM 3714: Controlling Development Security Hazards, which examines the cognitive processes concerned in recognizing and managing security hazards on development websites.
- CEM 4714: Development Security Tradition, which investigates moral security practices inside the context of development tradition, local weather and organizational management.
- CEM 4724: Development Business Futures: Security, Well being and Wellness, which evaluates the way forward for the development trade via the views of security, well being and wellness.
“The important thing abilities college students will purchase via this program embody hazard recognition and identification, motivating others to be safety-minded and management abilities and information,” Kleiner mentioned.
Brian M. Kleiner
Permission granted by Virginia Tech
Plus, all programs have trade engagement and are undertaking/experientially primarily based. With regards to getting work expertise, Kleiner mentioned college students will likely be higher ready and extra prone to search out internships with a robust security element, and, with the key in place, he believes recruiters will likely be extra prone to create these positions.
Jacob Kmieciak, a development engineering and administration pupil of this system, was involved in participating as a result of he felt the diploma could be a high-value commodity within the office and the abilities gained from it will translate to higher positions and presumably larger pay.
“I really feel it can put together me for the development trade by permitting me to achieve one other numerous and helpful skillset that may be utilized to something I do now as a pupil, intern, future graduate or as a future engineer,” he mentioned. “Security is what we make of it; the aim is identical for everybody: Get dwelling safely. And now with this new main, we will hopefully make one thing extra of it with all of the know-how and intelligent, caring people engaged on an answer.”
Kmieciak mentioned that in his lessons, college students work towards gaining their OSHA-10 certification via learning and a number of examinations, and in addition acquire extra background on what security techniques exist to assist scale back office accidents.
“I believe this new main will drastically change the best way college students go into the development trade,” he mentioned. “For starters, having your OSHA-10 certification makes you a priceless asset to any firm because it reveals your dedication to security and helps save money and time coaching new hires. I’m excited to see the place this can take the protection within the trade.”
Together with the launch of this new main, Virginia Tech, via its Middle of Innovation Security, Well being and Effectively-Being, lately initiated a undertaking targeted on enhancing security gear requirements, which features a thorough analysis of jobsite helmets.
“The preliminary step is to confirm that helmets present superior safety in comparison with conventional arduous hats,” Kleiner mentioned. “Whereas arduous hats are designed solely to guard the pinnacle from falling objects, helmets supply extra complete security measures. Finally, a score system will likely be developed for helmets, primarily based on empirical testing.”
