Training

We have developed two training guides that outline the training required for each job category to help you determine what training you require.

• For all Public Safety, ICIT, or Facilities training, please see the Training Matrix,  or check for Brightspace training under your department/trades. 
• For all laboratory or research personnel training, please see Brightspace training under your department. 

1. 1. Navigate to the EHS Training Course on Brightspace.
   2. Log in using your CUNY credentials (formatted as First.Last##@login.cuny.edu).
   3. Once logged in, you'll be directed to the training course. Click on “Open Course” to access the trainings.
      • • Note: If you are not pre-enrolled in the course, you may submit a request to be enrolled. Refer to the FAQ “How to Request Access” for more information.

      

   4. Inside the course, select “Content” from the Navigation Bar and follow the instructions under “A: Training Information” to complete your training and receive your certificates." Please make sure to watch the entire video, including the completion message at the end.

If you are NOT pre-enrolled in the course, you may submit a request to be enrolled:

• Click on “Request Approval”

• Enter your department, specify your campus, and provide your Hunter email address. Then, click “Submit Request” to proceed with your
  approval request.

• Once your request is approved, you will receive a confirmation email. You can then move forward with completing the EHS trainings.

If you cannot view the trainings after accessing the course, it is likely that you did not complete the Pre-Training Registration. Please revisit the course and ensure that the Pre-Training Registration form is submitted correctly.

The pre-training registration form must be completed to ensure your training is properly recorded. Without completing this form, you will not gain access to the trainings.

To complete the Pre-Training Registration:

1. Access the EHS Training Course on Brightspace.
2. Navigate to “B: Pre-Training Registration.” Select the Quiz by clicking the blue link
3. Complete the questionnaire by clicking “Start Quiz” at the bottom of the page.
4. Answer all 5 questions.
   • If a question does not apply to you, enter “N/A.”
   • If you're unsure of your campus, select “Main Campus.”
5. Ensure to “Submit Quiz” to finalize your registration."

Please refer to the Regulatory Training Guide for the comprehensive list of trainings required for your role.

All trainings available on Brightspace are organized by Department/Trade:

1. Navigate to your designated 'Department folder.'
2. Complete all the training listed within your department folder that is related to your tasks; for example, only chemistry labs that have biosafety cabinets require BSL training.
3. Ensure you watch each training video in its entirety, including the completion message at the end.

Please contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@hunter.cuny.edu if you have any questions.

All courses listed below are available on Brightspace unless otherwise noted. If you need to attend a training session that isn't available on Brightspace, please contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@hunter.cuny.edu. 

To access your Completion Awards:

1. Navigate to 'Awards' on the navigation bar.
2. Click on the name of the 'Certificate'; a pop-up window will appear.
3. Select 'Generate Certificate' to print or save a copy of your certificate.

Note: You will receive a completion certificate for every EHS training you successfully complete.

Required for all maintenance and custodial staff, and workers who work in a building containing ACBM. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral known for its excellent heat- and fire-resistant properties. Throughout the 20th century, asbestos was commonly used in building materials, pipe coatings, flooring, paint, texturing, and many other applications. Unfortunately, inhaling asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis, a chronic and often fatal lung disease.

Fortunately, U.S. manufacturing began phasing out asbestos in the 1970s. However, there are still many buildings, homes, and commercial facilities that contain Asbestos-Containing Building Materials (ACBMs).

This course will provide workers with an overview of asbestos safety, including:

• How asbestos exposure can occur.
• The negative health effects of asbestos exposure.
• Common safety practices to avoid exposure.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimates that back injuries account for nearly 20% of all workplace injuries and cost the nation an estimated $20 to $50 billion annually. This course aims to educate learners about the major causes of workplace back injuries and how to prevent them. Employees who complete this course will learn to:

• Identify hazards that lead to back injuries.
• Understand the three major types of hazard controls.

This course is intended for general industry employees who, during their regular work duties, are required to lift and carry materials. It is presented in English and Spanish.

Labs designed for work with biological materials must have safe work practices in place to protect personnel, the facility, and the surrounding community. These work practices fall into four biosafety levels, or BSLs, that are ranked from 1 to 4.

This course will address the general protections and requirements for BSL-2 environments.

Required annually for anyone at risk of occupational exposure to blood or potentially infectious materials.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes that many employees come into contact with human blood or other potentially infectious materials during their daily duties, thus exposing them to occupational hazards. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard serves as the foundation for implementing policies and practices to minimize workers' risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens (BBPs), specifically the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

This course will educate employees about the hazards of bloodborne pathogens in the workplace and the basic controls required under OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard. Participants will learn to:

• Identify major bloodborne diseases and their symptoms.
• Understand how pathogens are transmitted.
• Apply the basics of exposure prevention and incident response and cleanup.

This awareness-level course is designed for all workers who may be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) during the performance of their regular job duties.

The course is available in English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Mandarin.

Required if work that is being done, meets chemical hygiene standards or is advised to take this training.

A lot of important scientific research and development is done in laboratories, and many people depend on their work. However, lab workers can face several hazards, particularly chemical hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires labs to create a formalized chemical hygiene plan to help protect employees from these hazards.

Learners who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Recognize the purpose and components of a chemical hygiene plan.
• Identify their responsibilities in the continued implementation of such a plan.

This course is designed for all workers, students, or other personnel who will work in a laboratory.

Required for all employees who work with or around hazardous chemicals.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates thirty-two million employees work with at least one chemical hazard every day. OSHA requires labs to create a formalized chemical hygiene plan to help protect employees from these hazards.

Learners who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Recognize the purpose and components of a chemical hygiene plan.
• Identify their responsibilities in the continued implementation of such a plan.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

Required for people who work outdoors or in cold indoor environments, such as walk-in freezers, are frequently subject to cold, wet working conditions.

These environments can take a heavy toll on workers’ bodies and pose significant health hazards. Workers in these conditions must be prepared to manage these challenges.

Learners who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Identify factors that contribute to cold stress.
• Recognize signs and symptoms of cold stress.
• Implement controls to help prevent cold stress.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

Compressed gas cylinders are designed to hold gases under extremely high pressures in a relatively small container. While convenient, they present significant hazards.

This course will help employees learn to:

• Identify the hazards of compressed gases and compressed gas cylinders.
• Understand the labeling and storage requirements for cylinders.
• Implement safe work practices.

This course is presented in English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Mandarin.

Confined spaces are some of the most hazardous work environments. This course will teach employees about the hazards and safety precautions associated with confined spaces, with a strong emphasis on OSHA safety requirements.

Employees will learn to:

• Identify confined spaces.
• Recognize the hazards of confined spaces.
• Implement methods to control those hazards.
• Understand regulations regarding permit-required confined spaces.

This course is intended for general industry employees who are required to work in or around areas defined by OSHA as confined spaces. It is designed to help employers meet OSHA’s standards on permit-required confined spaces.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). While some people can work from home or work alone, many others must still work in close proximity to others. This course is designed to help all workers understand SARS-CoV-2 and how to prevent its spread in both work and home environments.

Upon completing this course, learners should be able to:

• Identify general preventive measures for virus transmission.
• Implement strategies to prevent the spread of disease in the workplace.

Falling is consistently one of the most common causes of workplace fatalities. Falls from as little as 4 to 6 feet can cause serious injuries, sometimes even death. Given the variety of work environments, there are numerous types of fall hazards.

This course will teach employees the importance and practice of consistent fall protection.

Employees will learn to:

• Recognize fall hazards.
• Identify fall protection methods.
• Implement various safe work practices.

This course is presented in English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Mandarin.

Tools are such a common part of our lives that it's easy to forget they can pose potential hazards to our safety. This course will teach employees the importance of hand and power tool safety and how to achieve it.

Employees who successfully complete this course will learn:

• The common hazards associated with different types of hand and power tools, including electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, and abrasive-wheel tools.
• How to minimize or eliminate these hazards.

This course is intended for general industry employees who, as part of their regular work duties, are required to use or work around hand and power tools. It can also assist employers in meeting regulations outlined in OSHA's regulations on hand and power tools.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

Required for all personnel who work with hazardous materials or conduct hazardous operations:

1. During a new employee’s initial orientation.
2. When major aspects of a job change, or new materials or hazards are introduced to the workplace.

Many employees in various industries work with hazardous chemicals. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has an Occupational Chemical Database that currently lists more than 800 hazardous chemicals used in U.S. workplaces. Many of these chemicals can cause injury or death if workers don’t take the right precautions.

Employees who successfully complete this course should be able to:

• Recognize the purpose and requirements of a hazard communication (HAZCOM) program.
• Identify chemical hazards and their controls in their workplace.
• Identify sources of information for workplace chemical hazards.
• Understand requirements for medical recordkeeping.

This course is designed for employees who need initial or refresher HAZCOM training. It is presented in English and Spanish.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have stringent requirements for hazardous waste storage, handling, and transportation. Improper disposal of waste could result in hefty fines and potential environmental damage.

This course is designed to teach employees about the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and their responsibilities when dealing with hazardous waste at work.

Employees will learn to:

• Identify and describe the basics of federal hazardous waste regulation.
• Define hazardous waste.
• Understand the different generator status categories.

This course is intended for employees who, as part of their regular work duties, are required to work with or around hazardous waste. It can assist employers in meeting OSHA and EPA requirements on hazardous waste.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

Working in high heat can cause numerous health issues, particularly for workers who are not acclimated to such conditions. This course will teach employees about the hazards of working in high heat and how to minimize or eliminate those hazards.

Employees who successfully complete this course will learn to:

• Identify the hazardous health effects of high heat.
• Implement methods to prevent those health effects.
• Respond if a co-worker exhibits symptoms of heat stress, such as heat fatigue, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

This course is intended for employees who, during their regular work duties, are exposed to high-temperature conditions for significant periods of time. It is presented in English and Spanish.

Hot work includes any tasks that produce fire or sparks, such as welding, flame cutting, soldering, and brazing. While these activities are essential, they also pose significant health hazards to workers. Training, safe practices, and hazard controls are crucial to keep workers safe.

This course will help employees to:

• Identify types of hot work and their associated hazards.
• Understand employee roles and responsibilities for hot work.
• Receive information on specific hazards related to hot work, additional associated hazards, and hazard controls for performing hot work.

This course assists employers in meeting the requirements of OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.252 (General Requirements) and 254 (Arc Welding and Cutting). It is intended for employees who perform hot work, including welding, brazing, and torch cutting, as part of their regular duties.

In addition to this course, employers might also provide training on Compressed Gas Safety, Fire Safety, and Portable Fire Extinguishers. While this course addresses OSHA training requirements, there may be a site-specific training component that must be fulfilled by the employer.

This course is available in English and Spanish.

Ergonomics is the process of reducing worker injury through effective workplace design, such as decreasing the amount of bending or reaching for items or using equipment to reduce strain on the human body. This course will teach employees how to apply ergonomics in industrial settings to minimize injuries.

Employees who successfully complete this course will learn to:

• Identify ergonomic risk factors.
• Recognize potential injuries.
• Implement methods to minimize or eliminate ergonomic hazards.

This course is designed to provide general industry employees with the skills to identify and improve ergonomic conditions for themselves in the workplace, and it assists employers with compliance with OSHA’s General Duty Clause.

This course is presented in English and Spanish.

Physical hazards are an inherent part of every job, though some jobs might present more serious risks than others. Job hazard analysis can help employees identify hazards in their workplaces and protect themselves from them.

Learners who successfully complete this course will demonstrate knowledge of:

• The basic concepts and procedures of job hazard analysis.
• The need for effective job hazard analysis.
• How to prepare for a job hazard analysis.
• The process of identifying workplace hazards and how to correct them.

This course is intended for general industry employees and safety officers who are interested in improving the safety of work practices either in their own work processes or within their companies. It is presented in English and Spanish.