With the support of the National Safety Education Center, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently celebrated a significant achievement in improving workforce safety with the successful completion of the Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate Training Program.
This comprehensive program is the only OSHA-approved certificate designed for both public and private sector employees, and it aims to reduce workplace incident rates and improve safety practices. In collaboration with the National Safety Education Center (NSEC), an OSHA-authorized education center formed through a partnership between the Construction Safety Council and Northern Illinois University, CTA was provided a training curriculum specifically tailored to the unique work environment and duties of its employees.
Over several months, eight dedicated CTA employees completed 68 contact hours of instruction through the program, which included a series of seven OSHA courses and covered key safety and health topics relevant to CTA’s daily operations. CTA General Manager of Construction Safety & Engineering, Ben Noven, stated, “Providing a safe work and transit travel environment is CTA’s top priority, and a critical tool to achieving this is by ensuring our workforce receives OSHA-authorized training and education.”
The training was conducted one half-day per week between January and June 2024 at Chicago Transit Authority offices. The flexible schedule allowed employees to complete their coursework without significant disruption to daily operations, ensuring both operational continuity and employee engagement. The training format combined classroom-based lectures with active participant discussions, creating an engaging environment where employees could share experiences and reinforce their understanding of safety protocols.
By completing this rigorous program, CTA employees have gained valuable knowledge that will directly contribute to reducing workplace incidents and improving overall safety performance. The successful implementation of this training further demonstrates CTA’s commitment to a proactive safety culture, setting a new standard for safety practices across its operations. This initiative will serve as a foundation for future safety training programs and ongoing efforts to protect CTA employees and the public they serve.