PEKIN, Ill. – Small business owners take on a lot of different roles and responsibilities. It can become overwhelming at times to manage it all. The safety and well-being of their employees is an essential aspect of any business owner. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration establishes regulations to ensure workplace safety and health but the list can feel daunting. University of Illinois Extension is offering a free class to help small business owners feel more confident in understanding the OSHA regulations.
OSHA Basics 101 is being offered Monday, July 21 at Illinois Extension in Pekin. The free class will be from 9am to noon. Presenter Brian Bothast, OSHA safety and occupational health specialist will focus on the top ten questions Occupational Safety Health Administration officers receive when conducting a safety and health compliance review of a small businesses.
Insight into the newest 2025 National and Regional Emphasis Programs will be presented to help area small business owners and managers learn what to look for in an audit and avoid fines. Also covered will be OSHA’s record keeping requirements along with a discussion on how many small businesses over report on their records. Plus, a hazard communication standard update will be presented along with compliance timelines, citations, and other topics under the OSHA general duty clause.
This class is offered at no charge to area small businesses through a partnership between OSHA and Illinois Extension with Richard Proffer, community and economic development educator. Brian has worked for Caterpillar in their Environmental, Health and Safety Department and as a industrial hygienist for OSHA. He graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental health.
Registration for the class is required and can be completed at go.illinois.edu/OSHA101. If you have any questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate please contact Richard Proffer at 309-543-3308 or rproffer@illinois.edu.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.