NWCOHS courses

As a health and safety professional, your needs for effectively managing change are complex. You often need to influence others without having positional authority.

Evidence-based models, frameworks, and practical experience come together in a course designed to develop and foster change management practices as a leader, supervisor, and individual. This course will provide frameworks to apply as you navigate through this course and beyond with clients, employees, and organizations that are not ready for or are resistant to change. 

Participants will learn strategies to foster effective change. You'll also build on your network of peers as you share real experiences and challenges. This includes discussions designed to challenge your assumptions and to provide specific ways of thinking that you can employ when addressing real-life interactions.

The occupational and environmental health and safety professional uses personal judgement, qualitative information and quantitative data to evaluate worker exposures to airborne contaminants, and other agents. New tools and strategies are emerging to improve professional judgment in health-related exposure assessments. This course will explain why and how it is feasible to apply multiple approaches and new tools to make judgments with a higher degree of precision and accuracy.  The instructors have developed curriculum to augment and expand the concepts identified in the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s course entitled “Improving Exposure Judgements: An Introduction to Industrial Hygiene Statistics.” 

Did you know that an engaged workforce is the key to a safer workplace? Research shows that when employees are more engaged, workplace incidents and injuries significantly decrease.

Creating a culture of communication, proactive behavior, collective problem-solving, and regulatory compliance is the foundation for worker well-being and safety. When employees feel they belong and their voices are heard, job satisfaction soars, and participation in maintaining a safe work environment increases.  The research emphasizes the integration of safety management practices and active worker participation in safety programs, demonstrating that when workers are involved in decision-making and safety initiatives, incident rates that cause harm decline significantly.

Imagine a workplace where everyone is actively involved, looking out for each other, and committed to safety. That's the power of worker engagement. Let's build a safer and productive workplace together!

People, and how they feel about their work, can have a very significant impact on how they emotionally engage in the workplace each and every day. 

Today’s safety leaders need to understand stress, and emotions in the workplace in order to design a healthy work environment for the 21st century. This course will provide opportunities to examine, explore, and practice positive approaches for increasing individual and group levels of motivation, inclusivity and emotional effectiveness with the ultimate goal of fostering a safe work environment. 

Past participants have shared the importance of learning about psychological capital, hope, efficacy, resiliency and optimism, as a resource in themselves and in others, in order to prepare the people they lead to effectively cope with stress and to effectively manage their emotions. 

Participants will complete an online self-survey to discover what constitutes their positive psychological strengths and potential areas for development.

The course brings together content from an expert line-up of faculty and practicing professionals in an online, on-demand format that includes video lectures, interactive activities and case-based problem solving in order to increase competency of nurses and other healthcare providers with occupational health responsibilities. The program is designed to familiarize practicing nurses with occupational injuries and illnesses and the tools and resources to recognize, diagnose, treat, and report them.

This course is part of the Health and Safety Solutions in Agriculture Community Engagement Online Course Series.  In this course you will learn how heat affects workers and common risk factors for heat related illnesses. You will learn how to recognize different heat related illnesses, how to recognize them, and how they can be treated.  The goal of this course is to improve the awareness of heat-related illness and provide solutions by using the resources in the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Health and Safety Center toolkit.

This course is part of the Health and Safety Solutions in Agriculture Community Engagement Online Course Series.  In this course you will learn how heat affects workers and common risk factors for heat related illnesses. You will learn how to recognize different heat related illnesses, how to recognize them, and how they can be treated.  The goal of this course is to improve the awareness of heat-related illness and provide solutions by using the resources in the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Health and Safety Center toolkit.

---

Este curso es parte de la serie de cursos en línea de participación comunitaria en soluciones de salud y seguridad en la agricultura. En este curso, aprenderá cómo el calor afecta a los trabajadores y los factores de riesgo comunes de las enfermedades relacionadas con el calor. Aprenderá a reconocer diferentes enfermedades relacionadas con el calor y cómo tratarlas. El objetivo de este curso es adquirir más conciencia respecto a las enfermedades relacionadas con el calor y proporcionar soluciones mediante el uso de los recursos del kit de herramientas del “Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH)”.

This course is part of the Health and Safety Solution in Agriculture Community Engagement Online Course Series. You will be introduced to practical solutions for pesticide exposure and safety solutions, including a review of two pesticide safety solution projects, fluorescent tracer techniques and pesticide drift. Last, you will also be introduced to the Bilingual Pesticide Safety Project. This project is led by members of the PNASH team and will explore two mobile applications within the bilingual pesticide safety project and how you can get involved.

This course is part of the Health and Safety Solution in Agriculture Community Engagement Online Course Series. You will be introduced to practical solutions for pesticide exposure and safety solutions, including a review of two pesticide safety solution projects, fluorescent tracer techniques and pesticide drift. Last, you will also be introduced to the Bilingual Pesticide Safety Project. This project is led by members of the PNASH team and will explore two mobile applications within the bilingual pesticide safety project and how you can get involved.

---

Este curso es parte de la serie de cursos en línea de participación comunitaria en soluciones de salud y seguridad en la agricultura. Se le presentarán soluciones prácticas para la exposición a pesticidas y soluciones de seguridad, incluida la revisión de dos proyectos de soluciones de seguridad con los pesticidas: la técnica del marcador fluorescente y deriva de pesticidas. Por último, también se le presentará el Proyecto Bilingüe de Seguridad con los Pesticidas, el cual está dirigido por miembros del equipo de PNASH y se explorarán dos aplicaciones móviles y cómo puede usted participar.

This course is part of the Health and Safety Solution in Agriculture Community Engagement Online Course Series. In this course you will learn It's everyone's responsibility to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The toolkit helps everyone understand their roles and responsibilities for preventing harassment by providing education and tools for growers to the supervisors and workers. This course will describe how to maintain a healthy work environment in an agricultural setting. Promoting the dignity and the rights of others is essential to creating and maintaining a positive, healthy, and productive workplace. This course is divided into five key topics and includes case scenarios, interactive activities and videos to help reinforce the core message to show respect for others.

This course is part of the Health and Safety Solution in Agriculture Community Engagement Online Course Series. In this course you will learn It's everyone's responsibility to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. The toolkit helps everyone understand their roles and responsibilities for preventing harassment by providing education and tools for growers to the supervisors and workers. This course will describe how to maintain a healthy work environment in an agricultural setting. Promoting the dignity and the rights of others is essential to creating and maintaining a positive, healthy, and productive workplace. This course is divided into five key topics and includes case scenarios, interactive activities and videos to help reinforce the core message to show respect for others.

---

Este curso es parte de la serie de cursos en línea de participación comunitaria en soluciones de salud y seguridad en la agricultura. En este curso aprenderá que es responsabilidad de todos el prevenir el acoso sexual en el lugar de trabajo. El kit de herramientas ayuda a todos a comprender sus roles y responsabilidades para prevenir el acoso al brindar a los supervisores y trabajadores educación y herramientas para los productores. Este curso describirá cómo mantener un ambiente de trabajo saludable en un entorno agrícola. El promover la dignidad y los derechos de los demás es esencial para crear y mantener un lugar de trabajo positivo, saludable y productivo. Este curso está dividido en cinco temas clave e incluye escenarios de casos, actividades interactivas y videos para ayudar a reforzar el mensaje principal para mostrar respeto a los demás.

The laboratory environment has many risks associated with chemical hazards.  Teachers, researchers, staff, and students benefit when an effective chemical management system goes beyond simply complying with local, state, and federal standards.  The laboratory community is seeking new tools and best practices for creating a safe learning environment and workplace.  The goal of this on-demand course is to increase laboratory safety and the use of safer alternatives in teaching and research laboratories.  Teachers can earn 9 clock hours from the Washington Science Teachers Association for completing the course.

NIOSH-Approved Spirometry Training courses offered at the University of Washington (UW) incorporate the most recent American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) spirometry testing procedures and interpretation standards. The ATS is the leading medical professional society in the United States that provides evidence based statements for pulmonary function laboratory standards, testing procedures, and the interpretation of test results. This course is designed for technicians who have never taken the NIOSH Spirometry certification course, or with certificates more than 5 years old. This class is appropriate for novice as well as highly experienced spirometry technicians.

NIOSH-Approved Spirometry training courses offered at the University of Washington (UW) incorporate the most recent American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) spirometry requirements and testing procedures. The ATS is the leading medical professional society in the United States that provides evidence-based statements for pulmonary function laboratory standards, testing procedures, and interpretation of test results.
The 1-day refresher course is designed for experienced spirometry technicians who have completed a NIOSH spirometry certification course within the last five years. Documentation of a valid NIOSH Spirometry certificate is required.

Series Overview

This mixed-media online series serves as an introduction to a variety of important occupational diseases. The individual 80-100 min units will be rolled out over the next year, and are organized around work-related diseases using public health scenarios and clinical cases.

Compressive Neuropathies Unit:

The goal of this activity is to train regional primary healthcare providers on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and other compressive neuropathies, including occupational and non-occupational risk factors. The course will cover best practices for the diagnosis, treatment and clinical management of CTS, and it will introduce prevention strategies using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls.

Series Overview

This mixed-media online series serves as an introduction to a variety of important occupational diseases. The individual 80-100 min units will be rolled out over the next year, and are organized around work-related diseases using public health scenarios and clinical cases.

NIHL Unit: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

The objectives of this unit are for students to be able to:

1. Describe the irreversible pathophysiological change associated with noise-induced hearing loss.
2. Describe the difference in causation between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
3. Describe the notable difference between an audiogram showing noise-induced hearing loss and one showing age-related hearing loss.
4. List three examples of controls to mitigate workplace noise that correspond to levels of the industrial hygiene “Hierarchy of Controls”.
5. Describe the importance of interprofessional collaboration in preventing and treating occupational noise induced hearing loss.

OEM Grand Rounds: Air Pollution and Dementia

Presenter:

• Sindana Llango, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington

Occupational and environmental health exposures cause thousands of illnesses and injuries each year. This lecture series addresses the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of disease and injuries related to environmental and occupational exposures encountered by physicians and their colleagues in local, regional, and international settings.

On-Demand, Online Recording of Live Lecture from April 17, 2023

Presenter: Virtaj Singh, MD, Medical Director, Seattle Spine and Sports Medicine; Clinical Faculty, University of Washington, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine

On-Demand, Online Recording of Live Lecture from November 1, 2023

Presenters:

• Marissa Baker, PhD, Associate Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), University of Washington

• Sophia Chiu, MD, MPH, Assistant Director, Occupational Medicine Rotation Program, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

• Scott Phillips, MD FACP FACMT FAACT, Executive Director/Medical Director, Washington Poison Center

OEM Grand Rounds: Research to Practice in the Development of Exoskeleton Guidelines

Presenters:

• Carissa Harris-Adamson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco

OEM Grand Rounds: The Health Care Provider’s Role in Recommending Precautions, Accommodations, Legal Protection, and Benefits During Conception, Pregnancy, and Lactation

Presenters:

• Debbie Cherry, MD, MS, Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine,
  University of Washington

• Alicia McDonnell, JD, Employer Solutions Law

Occupational and environmental health exposures cause thousands of illnesses and injuries each year. This lecture series addresses the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of disease and injuries related to environmental and occupational exposures encountered by physicians and their colleagues in local, regional, and international settings.

On-Demand, Online Recording of Live Lecture from March 20, 2023

Presenter: Jennifer M Zumsteg, MD, Inpatient - Rehabilitation Medicine (PM&R), Consultant, UW Medicine, Valley Medical Center

This course explores the principles, methods and tools for digging into the root causes of a workplace injury or fatality. The course begins with a basic introduction to the root cause analysis system for incident investigation and continues with a more in-depth look that will include detailed case scenarios and interactive exercises led by a dynamic and engaging instructor.  Course participants will obtain data collection and analysis skills that will equip them to conduct incident investigations and to implement appropriate corrective actions. Health and safety professionals, supervisors and workers with an interest in safety and accident investigation should attend.

Course content will include an examination of the Total Worker Health® (TWH) five elements and concepts, an introduction to occupational health psychology and its relevance to safety and TWH, and a discussion of resources and strategies for integrating safety and occupational health into organizations. Interactive activities include large and small breakout group discussion, problem solving based on attendees’ organizational experience, homework and recap on published articles.