2005-06 Undergraduate Catalog
Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705
Safety Sciences (SAFE)
Department of Safety Sciences
College of Health and Human Services
Credit designation below each title is expressed in (c) class hours per week, (l) lab or (d) discussion section hours per week, and (cr) credits per semester.
SAFE 101 Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health
3c-0l-3cr
Introduces the evolution of the safety profession through study of historical events and the changes that resulted. Students gain an understanding of the key components of the profession such as OSHA and workers’ compensation, accident investigation, occupational health hazards, emergency response, product liability, ergonomics, fleet safety, ethics, and measuring safety program success. Case studies and small group activities prepare students for further in-depth study of these topics and to fulfill their roles as professionals.
SAFE 102 Introduction to Mine Safety and Health
3c-0l-3cr
Provides an in-depth background of the problems involving mine safety. A historical approach to coal and mineral mining is reviewed; legislative influences such as the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, the Metal and Nonmetal Mine Health and Safety Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act are discussed in depth; mining techniques, methods, and systems are discussed. Presents management of mine health and safety programs. Covers federally mandated training of employees. Offered occasionally.
SAFE 111 Principles of Industrial Safety I
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 101
Stresses an understanding of the complexity of the industrial hazard control problem by thoroughly examining elements of safety and health enumerated in the OSHA promulgated standards and various consensus standards. Emphasizes plant layout and design, powered industrial vehicles, boilers and unfired pressure vessels, machine guarding, robotics safety, and an introduction to industrial processes.
SAFE 145 Workplace Safety Today and Tomorrow
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: Non-Safety Sciences major
Introduces workplace safety, health, and environmental aspects to students with limited knowledge of the subject. Includes the historical development of safety and health regulations, the impact of injury on society, identifying and evaluating hazards, and hazard controls in specific industrial processes, basic principles of loss management, and the future of safety, health, and environmental regulations.
SAFE 211 Principles of Industrial Safety II
3c-3l-4cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 111
Stresses an understanding of the complexity of industrial hazard control by thoroughly examining elements of safety and health enumerated in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration promulgated standards and in various consensus standards. Emphasizes welding and cutting, walking and working surfaces, materials handling and storage, electrical safe work practices, construction safety, and personal protective equipment. The application of hazard control strategies is accomplished in laboratory sessions.
SAFE 212 Hazard Prevention Management I
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 101
Teaches the fundamental concepts involved in the management of safety programs. Basic safety management terminology, safety professional code of ethics, fleet safety, and product safety are discussed. Also discusses worker’s compensation management as well as workplace violence. Development of safety programs to meet applicable standards such as OSHA, ANSI, and ISO 14000 and 18001 will be stressed.
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: CHEM 102, SAFE 101
Provides a basic understanding of the storage, transportation, and use of hazardous materials in business. Includes a discussion on hazardous materials, specifically their definitions, categories, regulations, and evaluation. Emergency response planning will also be covered.
SAFE 231 Principles of Mine Safety I
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 102
Focuses on the various aspects of mining operations such as slope and shaft development; mine design; ground control; hoisting; man-trips; haulage; mining equipment; mine emergency planning and procedures; mine communications and maintenance. Offered occasionally.
SAFE 232 Principles of Mine Safety II
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 102
Covers surface mining operations such as slope stability, equipment, ground water, and control. Mine-related processing operations are discussed. Pro-
vides an in-depth study of the various controls of electrical hazards and ignition sources such as permissible equipment and electrical distribution systems. The uses of explosives and blasting practices, handling, storing, and transportation with emphasis on causes of explosion involving dust and gases are discussed. Offered occasionally.
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: MATH 217
Traces flow of applicable legislation dealing with consumerism and product safety. Corporate liability for product safety emphasized through case studies. Become familiarized with the evolving role of Consumer Product Safety Commission. Corporate management of product development and safety detailed with emphasis on systems safety analysis, standards, and product testing.
var-1-3cr
Prerequisite: As appropriate to course content
Offered on an experimental or temporary basis to explore topics not included in the established curriculum. A given topic may be offered under any special topic identity no more than three times. Special topics numbered 281 are offered primarily for lower-level undergraduate students.
SAFE 299 Experience in Cooperative Education I
0c-0l-0cr
Prerequisites: GPA of 2.0 or better, SAFE 101, 111; approval of academic advisor, co-op coordinator, and department chairperson
Provides the initial experience in a program designed to combine classroom theory with practical application through job-related experiences. Open to Safety Sciences majors and minors in their sophomore year. Students are employed by organizations where there is an ongoing hazard control program under the direction of an experienced safety professional.
SAFE 301 Health Hazard Identification
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: BIOL 155, CHEM 102, MATH 121, PHYS 111
Provides an understanding of the primary health hazards found in industry and their effects on the human body. Students learn to recognize hazards involved with air contaminants, noise, heat, radiation, chemicals on the skin, and other stressors. Emphasizes the study of occupational disease, industrial toxicology, and use of threshold limit values.
SAFE 303 Control of Health Hazards
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: MATH 217, PHYS 112, SAFE 301
A study of engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment as methods of reducing or eliminating hazards to the health of industrial workers. Includes industrial ventilation, noise control, heat control, radiation control, personal protective equipment, and industrial health program.
2c-3l-3cr
Prerequisites: CHEM 102, PHYS 112, SAFE 211
Teaches the fundamental concepts involved in the protection of people and property from fire and explosion. Basic fire safety terminology, fire chemistry and extinguishment, fire safety references and standards, and fire program management are discussed. Also discusses control measures for common fire and explosion hazards and the design of buildings in terms of life safety and fire suppression systems. Development of programs in fire safety, as well as the evaluation and control of fire and explosion hazards, will be studied in laboratory sessions. Practical application of fire principles will be completed in laboratory sessions.
SAFE 330 Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Occupational Health Hazards I
3c-31-4cr
Prerequisites: BIOL 155, CHEM 102, PHYS 112
Provides an understanding of selected chemical stressors in the workplace that may present occupational health hazards to workers. Students learn to anticipate, identify, evaluate, and control chemical stressors including dusts, mists, metal fumes, airborne fibers, inorganic and organic gases and vapors, and oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Hazard classification systems, adverse health effects from excessive exposures, workplace standards, sampling and analytical methods, and control options are emphasized.
SAFE 345 Systems Safety Analysis
2c-3l-3cr
Prerequisites: MATH 217, SAFE 211
Focuses on the evaluation of system designs using detailed system analysis techniques. Topics include system definition, economics of systems safety, systems safety methodology, mathematics of systems analysis including statistical methods, Boolean algebra, and reliability. Skills gained include the ability to perform system hazard analyses and operating and support hazard analyses. Techniques include failure mode and effect analysis, fault tree analysis, and technique for human error rate prediction. Practical analysis work is accomplished in laboratory sessions.
2c-31-3cr
Prerequisites: BIOL 155, SAFE 301
Explores the principles which control human performance and its effect upon the safety and reliability of systems. Engineering anthropometrics, human perception, biomechanics of motion and work posture, work physiology, and human performance measurement are taught in the context of their application in workplace design. Instructs in methodologies for analysis of tasks and human performance requirements. Important human limitations and ergonomic hazard evaluations, such as lifting and repetitive motion tasks, are studied in laboratory sessions.
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: SAFE 101, junior standing
Includes topics involved with the development and operation of motor fleet safety programs: driver selection and training, accident investigation and recordkeeping, equipment safety features, preventive maintenance, and driver incentive programs.
SAFE 380 Institutional Safety Management
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: Junior standing
Historical aspects of safety for both private and public institutions; introduction to trends in liability and institutional safety regulations. Distinctions are made between employee, visitor, and patient hazards and their control.
SAFE 399 Experience in Cooperative Education II
0c-0l-0cr
Prerequisites: SAFE 299 and GPA of 2.0 or better
Represents the second experience in a program designed to combine classroom theory with practical application through job-related experiences. Open to Safety Sciences majors and minors before completing the required Safety Sciences internship or achieving senior status for minors. Students are employed by organizations where there is an ongoing hazard control program under the direction of an experienced safety professional.
2c-3l-3cr
Prerequisites: MATH 122, PHYS 112, SAFE 102, or consent
A study of mine ventilation principles and practices which provide a basic knowledge in design and operation of mine ventilation systems. Topics of airflow physics, ventilation standards, fan fundamentals, pressure losses, required air flows, and overall design are discussed. Specific problems in mine ventilation are solved. Offered occasionally.
SAFE 402 Health Hazard Evaluation
2c-3l-3cr
Prerequisites: MATH 217, PHYS 112, SAFE 301
A lecture/laboratory course which provides a basic understanding of techniques used in measuring and evaluating the magnitude of health hazards in industry. Laboratory sessions provide experience in air sampling, noise measurement, heat measurement, particle size analysis, chemical analysis, and evaluation of industrial ventilation systems.
SAFE 410 Environmental Safety and Health Regulations
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: CHEM 102, SAFE 220
Provides a working knowledge of federal environmental legislation and their practical application in the work environment. Environmental laws covered include the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and other related environmental laws. (Offered as SAFE 210 prior to 2005-06)
SAFE 412 Hazard Prevention Management II
3c-31-4cr
Prerequisites: MATH 217, MGMT 311
Examines various safety management techniques to identify and prevent the occurrence of hazardous behavior and conditions. Demonstrates methods capable of extracting accurate, meaningful data; methods of collecting, codifying, and processing hazardous and loss incident information; and methods of utilizing data retrieval systems to be used in cost/benefit decision-making for hazardous prevention, safety program, and performance evaluation.
SAFE 420 Law and Ethics in the Safety Profession
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: Junior standing
Examines ethical and legal issues that present themselves to practicing safety professionals. Students identify and evaluate these issues in terms of their own value system, as well as legal and prudent practice within the safety, health, and environmental profession. Specific reference is made to participation of the safety professional in workers’ compensation cases, Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission hearings, class action suits, and trials by jury.
SAFE 430 Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Occupational Health Hazards II
3c-31-4cr
Prerequisites: BIOL 155, CHEM 102, PHYS 112
Provides an understanding of selected physical and biological stressors in the workplace that may present occupational health hazards to workers. Students learn to anticipate, identify, evaluate, and control physical and biological stressors in the workplace. Adverse health effects from excessive exposures, workplace standards, sampling and analytical methods, and control options are emphasized. Concludes with discussions that focus on the effective development and implementation of a comprehensive safety and health program.
SAFE 441 Accident Investigation
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: SAFE 101, junior standing or consent
Focuses on various aspects of accident investigation such as recent theories associated with accident causes, investigative techniques, data acquisition, structure of investigative reports, management responsibilities, and remedial actions. Particular emphasis on determining sequence of events to develop management actions which prevents recurrence of accidents.
SAFE 442 Current Issues in Safety
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 211 and 301 or permission
Examines the emerging issues currently faced by the environmental, safety, and health (ESH) practitioner that extend beyond the conventional areas of academic preparation. In addition, explores certification, ethics, compliance issues, quality management, worldwide concerns, and other common issues. Each student researches and presents information on specific item of current relevance in the safety profession.
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: SAFE 211 and junior standing or permission
Provides an in-depth coverage of hazard recognition, evaluation, and control principles for the variety of phases of construction. Information regarding the development of a construction safety program along with extensive coverage of federal standards related to the construction industry is also provided.
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 301 or consent
Focuses on various major aspects of the air pollution problem. Includes sources of pollution, evaluation and engineering of pollutants, government regulations, atmospheric chemistry and dispersion, and human and nonhuman effects. Particular emphasis on information that is practical for the safety management, industrial health, or environmental health professional.
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisite: SAFE 301 or consent
A study of problems associated with ionizing radiation in human environment. Emphasizes biological effects, radiation measurement, dose computational techniques, exposure control, and local and federal regulations. Study and use of various radiological instruments included.
SAFE 465 Right-to-Know Legislation
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: SAFE 301, 311, or instructor permission
Covers both the federal and selected state right-to-know laws and related legislation. The scope, application, and enforcement of the various laws, including specific legal and moral obligations, are discussed. Strategies are explored and developed to identify the means by which employers can gain compliance with regulatory requirements.
SAFE 472 Process Safety in the Chemical Industry
3c-0l-3cr
Prerequisites: SAFE 301, 311, 345, and senior standing, or instructor permission
Covers all important aspects of loss prevention as it is practiced in the chemical process industries. Prepares the safety professional so that he/she may be able to work more effectively with chemists and chemical engineers in joint hazard identification, evaluation, and control projects.
var-1-3cr
Prerequisite: As appropriate to course content
Offered on an experimental or temporary basis to explore topics not included in the established curriculum. A given topic may be offered under any special topic identity no more than three times. Special topics numbered 481 are primarily for upper-level undergraduate students.
var-1-3cr
Prerequisite: Prior approval through advisor, faculty member, department chairperson, dean, and Provost’s Office
Students with interest in independent study of a topic not offered in the curriculum may propose a plan of study in conjunction with a faculty member. Approval is based on academic appropriateness and availability of resources.
12cr
Prerequisites: Senior standing, all required courses in major, minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and 3.2 GPA in major, and departmental consent
Student conducts a practicum at an approved occupational setting. Student is required to complete four major projects which will be developed in collaboration between the faculty supervisor and the internship supervisor. Student is accountable to an on-site supervisor and required to remain in close contact with a Safety Sciences faculty coordinator.
var 1-6cr
Prerequisites: Senior standing, all required courses in major
Applies hazard assessment and management practices to actual workplace safety issues, which requires the student to visit workplace sites. A two-hour weekly debriefing session involves the students in developing their written and oral communication skills. All SAFE students are required to take an internship, either SAFE 488 or SAFE 493.
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