OTI Southwest Education Center renewal announced by OSHA

The federal government has renewed TEEX’s OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Southwest Education Center, which is one of 28 OTI Education Centers delivering vital occupational safety and health training to U.S. workers and their employers. U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration made the announcement of the renewal of 24 OTI Ed Centers and the approval of four new centers nationwide.

The OSHA Southwest Education Center is operated by TEEX’s Infrastructure Training and Safety Institute (ITSI) and serves Region VI, a five-state region covering Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas.

“TEEX – ITSI is thrilled to be selected once again as an OSHA Education Center,” said Ron Peddy, Division Director of ITSI. “The selection process is very competitive, and our strong track record as an Education Center was an integral part of our successful application. The TEEX – ITSI OSHA Training Institute Southwest Education Center in Mesquite has long been recognized as the one of the top two Education Centers in the country. Retaining the OSHA Education Center designation will allow TEEX – ITSI to continue to grow and expand our safety training capabilities with the ultimate goal of being recognized as the No. 1 Education Center in the country.”

The OTI Education Centers program was created in 1992 to complement the OSHA Training Institute in Arlington Heights, Ill., which provides training and education to OSHA compliance officers. The OTI Education Centers provide training nationwide on OSHA standards and occupational safety and health issues to private sector and federal personnel. The OTI Education Centers trained more than 40,000 people during the 2012 fiscal year, representing an all-time record for the program.

OSHA provides no funding to the OTI Education Centers, which also assist the agency in administering the OSHA Outreach Training Program and fulfilling the program’s monitoring requirements. The OTI Education Centers support their OSHA training through their established tuition and fee structures and provide their own instructors and facilities.