TSTC instructor shares importance of safety training for future workers in building construction

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Safety is a top priority in many of the programs taught at Texas State Technical College not only during National Safety Month in June, but also throughout the rest of the year.

Hector Rosa is TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program team lead at TSTC’s Harlingen location. Recently he talked about how safety education can benefit students’ awareness and skills.

How important is safety in building construction?

The safety of employees comes first to ensure that a job gets done correctly. Our program offers a course called Construction Site Safety and Health. The students are educated about personal protective equipment and the safety features of the equipment they will be using.

Which safety resources does the Building Construction Technology program provide to students?

The safety resource we provide is for students to receive an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) 30-hour construction training. We do cover every trade in building construction using equipment that has an OSHA standard certification.

What does the program teach students to do in the event of a construction emergency?

Our program teaches students where to locate a first-aid kit. In the event of a major emergency, students are informed to call 911. Students are informed not to move an individual if that person is injured. They will follow a step-by-step process to make sure that person is responding well. The students are encouraged to get a certification in first aid and CPR that is offered in another program at TSTC.

What safety drills are practiced in the Building Construction Technology program?

Some of the lessons we teach in the OSHA 30-hour construction training include how to climb a ladder and how to do a three-point contact rule. The rule means to have two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand on a ladder. The safety drills help students to perform the work correctly at a jobsite.

Which safety certifications do students acquire when they complete the program?

The students receive both OSHA 30 and NCCER Construction Site Safety Orientation certifications.

According to the National Safety Council (nsc.org), National Safety Month is an annual observance to help keep each other safe not only in the workplace, but anywhere.

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in Texas earn an average annual salary of $67,650, according to onetonline.org, which projected the number of these positions to grow by 23% in the state through 2030.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology and a certificate of completion in Building Construction – Craftsman at its Harlingen and Waco locations.

Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.