SAFETY STOP: THE BASICS

Welcome to the Safety Stop!

The more we know about how safety works, the more we can do to feel confident in our own safety. It’s something most of us usually don’t pay attention to, because, thankfully, we have safety professionals to do the thinking and the work for us.

Safety is a key aspect to all of our lives and shows up in most any other field of study or work. Most everyone has the desire to be safe on a basic level. Not many people ever want to get hurt; we do what we can to avoid injury. When it’s cold outside, we feel safe and warm in our homes or classrooms. When it’s dark out, having lights make us feel safer. No matter if we’re at home, work, or at school, we expect to be and feel safe in these spaces. However, few have a real understanding of all that exists in the world of safety or the work that goes into making sure our world is safe.

Many here on campus are not aware that we have a program that has been preparing students for careers as safety professionals for 20 years.

MHCC’s Environmental Health and Safety program is well known by industry professionals regionally for its quality, and its graduates are in demand. Former MHCC students are represented in regulatory agencies like the state of Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), in private construction companies, and many other places, including right here on campus.

Speaking of MHCC, safety concerns exist right here on campus. Do any come to mind?  There are many, and there is one department at the college that has responsibility for a lot of them: the Public Safety department!

It may not be as obvious because many of us make the relation to security guards and leave it at that, but there is a lot more that falls under their purview. Along with the security guard function, you will see campus Public Safety officers providing crowd control at events as well as patrolling the campus on foot and in their marked vehicles. They also enforce traffic, parking and other campus rules.

For those with late-afternoon or evening classes and especially at this time of year, the parking lots can be dark and a little scary for some. Public Safety is available to provide a personal escort to vehicles, and even between buildings. If you have car trouble they can assist you with jump-starts or help if you lock yourself out. They are also our campus first responders: Whether a fire alarm or a safety call, they are trained to handle it, from directing people to safe areas to providing first aid.

With many safety concerns existing among us every day, it is nice to know that we can for the most part forget about it all and focus on our studies, due to the dedicated work of the Public Safety professionals on campus. All of their services they provide can be found on the Mt. Hood website, at: mhcc.edu/PublicSafety/Services/

Give it a look: You might be surprised by some of what they do. They work mostly behind the scenes and we only really see them when needed, but after becoming more aware of what they are up to, they may become more noticeable. If so, take the time to say hi, talk to them about what they do, and thank them if you ever get a chance!

Advocate Staff