TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s recently formed Associated Builders and Contractors student chapter is providing civil engineering students certified OSHA training.

The UA students will start a three-phase training program on April 19, with the first course focusing on an overview of OSHA. The next two classes, scheduled for April 26 and April 28, will concentrate on high fatality areas with Alabama contractors, which include trenching, excavation and fall protection.

“ABC has a commitment to provide its membership with all the tools necessary to have a safe job site. It seems only natural to extend that training to the students that will be entering the industry within a few years,” said Jay Reed, ABC vice president.

“This is typically an area that is difficult for us to include in standard curriculum because we are not experts in OSHA ruling, but we know it becomes a first priority when students enter the job market with construction companies,” explained Dr. Ken Fridley, professor and head of civil engineering and ABC faculty adviser.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering has about 1,800 students and more than 95 faculty. It has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.