Safety Course By School of Communication for Development Equips Industry Professionals
Workplace safety is a growing concern for individuals working in high-risk industries, such as mining, oil and gas, construction, and manufacturing.
To address this, the School of Communication for Development Studies (SCDS) at the PNG University of Technology (PNGUoT) in Lae, Morobe Province is providing a biannual two-week safety course called ‘Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Risk Management’ is provided by.
The course takes place mid-year during the semester break and again between November and December.
It equips participants and industry professionals from both private and public industries with the skills and knowledge needed to minimize and reduce risks and improve safety standards in the workplace.
Founded and initiated by PNGUoT’s Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr. Garry Sali in 2011 when he was the Head of School for the Communication for Development Studies, the short course program has been successfully running for over ten years and has equipped professionals from various industries throughout the country with necessary safety management strategies.
According to the Principal Lecturer, Mr. Jack Yaro, who coordinates and trains the participants undertaking the short course, the course has seen an increasing number of participants from different industries and major corporations who are seeking to improve the safety culture in their workplace.
“Many of the participants that take up this short course training come from high-risk industries where safety is paramount, and upon completion of the training they are awarded with a certificate Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3.”
The participants are given assessment tasks to carry out within the two weeks, and submit them back to the trainer to measure the level of competency and how well they have acquired the skills in each certificate level.
Mr. Yaro, added that the training is not aimed only at employees and participants from big industries, but anyone who has a keen interest in learning about safety can register for the course, which includes those who have completed or dropped out of high school but were unable to further their studies at tertiary institutions.
The SCDS and Mr. Yaro have received positive feedback and acknowledgements from past participants of the course from several industries around the country, sharing how the training has equipped and enhanced them with invaluable safety and risk management skills and knowledge and has helped them get promoted to take up certain roles in their workplaces.
“The training that is provided is a world-class training,” an Environmental Officer from New Britain Palm Oil who had attended the training in 2022 said in an email, acknowledging the SCDS and Mr. Yaro.
The participant was awarded as the top safety officer in April, 2023, during the World Safety Day and was elevated to a Safety Officer in the construction site.
Apart from the training being offered as a biannual short course, students in the SCDS undertake the subject as ‘CD 328: Workplace Safety and Risk Management’ in the second semester of their third year as undergraduates of SCDS at PNGUoT.