SECTION 127.17. Career and Technical Education Standards in Occupational Safety and Health, Adopted 2023

(a) Implementation. The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.

(b) General requirements. These standards may not be offered as a standalone course. These standards shall be offered together with the essential knowledge and skills for the following career and technical education (CTE) courses:

(1) Construction Technology I;

(2) Electrical Technology I;

(3) Plumbing Technology I;

(4) HVAC Technology I;

(5) Masonry Technology I;

(6) Agriculture Mechanics and Metal Technology;

(7) Welding I;

(8) Metal Fabrication and Machining I;

(9) Oil and Gas Production II; and

(10) Introduction to Culinary Arts.

(c) Introduction.

(1) CTE instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards, industry-relevant technical knowledge, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and college and career readiness skills for students to further their education and succeed in current and emerging professions.

(2) The goal of the occupational safety and health standards is to ensure that students develop safety consciousness in the workplace. Students build a strong foundation in the occupational safety and health concepts that are critical to protecting individuals in the workplace, increasing safety and health, and reducing the occurrence of job-related injuries and fatalities.

(3) These standards are required to be addressed in their entirety as part of each of the CTE principles courses identified in subsection (b) of this section.

(4) Successful completion of the standards may lead to a student earning a ten-hour general industry OSHA card. To earn the ten-hour OSHA card, the content must be taught by an authorized OSHA outreach training program trainer.

(5) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(d) Knowledge and skills. The student understands the foundations of occupational safety and health. The student is expected to:

(1) explain and discuss the responsibilities of workers and employers to promote safety and health in the workplace and the rights of workers to a secure workplace;

(2) explain and discuss the importance of OSHA standards and OSHA requirements for organizations, how OSHA inspections are conducted, and the role of national and state regulatory entities;

(3) explain the role industrial hygiene plays in occupational safety and explain various types of industrial hygiene hazards, including physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic;

(4) identify and explain the appropriate use of types of personal protective equipment used in industry;

(5) discuss the importance of safe walking and working surfaces in the workplace and best practices for preventing or reducing slips, trips, and falls in the workplace;

(6) describe types of electrical hazards in the workplace and the risks associated with these hazards and describe control methods to prevent electrical hazards in the workplace;

(7) analyze the hazards of handling, storing, using, and transporting hazardous materials and identify and discuss ways to reduce exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace;

(8) identify workplace health and safety resources, including emergency plans and Safety Data Sheets, and discuss how these resources are used to make decisions in the workplace;

(9) describe the elements of a safety and health program, including management leadership, worker participation, and education and training;

(10) explain the purpose and importance of written emergency action plans and fire protection plans and describe key components of each such as evacuation plans and emergency exit routes, list of fire hazards, and identification of emergency personnel;

(11) explain the components of a hazard communication program; and

(12) explain and give examples of safety and health training requirements specified by standard setting organizations.

Source Note: The provisions of this §127.17 adopted to be effective September 10, 2023, 48 TexReg 4851